Baker Mayfield: 16 more games but ‘this one should sting’

After the Cleveland Browns lost to the Chiefs, Baker Mayfield told his team there are 16 more chances but added this loss “should sting”

Much to the chagrin of his detractors, Baker Mayfield has blossomed into the leader of the Cleveland Browns.

He’s displayed this time and again on the field – although none of his doubters want to admit this – and has even continued to do so in his press conferences. His latest media session was just another example of this as Mayfield explained his message to the team following their heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

Mayfield started out by calling it a “thin line to walk,” meaning there are 16 more opportunities to get better but added that “this one should sting.”

"“We should beat ourselves up about it because, you know, we feel like we should have won that game but there is 16 more. So it’s a mentality of hey we gotta go out the next week and go do our job but this one should sting.” — Mayfield said via Jake Trotter on Twitter"

Everything Mayfield said in his response was absolutely spot-on. He and his Browns teammates played a great game and should have knocked off the Chiefs in Kansas City. There’s no reason for them to act as though they did anything other than let one slip through their fingers.

Having said that, there are 16 more games and Cleveland was in a much worse spot last season before going on a run. In 2020, the Browns were blown out in Week 1 by Baltimore but still managed to win 11 games on the year and make the playoffs. They even won a playoff game on the road, which might not have seemed likely to outsiders when they were embarrassed by the Ravens to start the season.

Now, they again face a 0-1 start but it’s a much different feeling. Cleveland didn’t get beaten in this one, they simply gave it away. Understanding this and learning from it is the main thing but also embracing how much it hurt should help motivate them to close things out the next time they’re in the situation they found themselves in Week 1.

Mayfield’s answer highlights how far he has come as a leader. Unfortunately, narratives in the NFL are much like the Goonies, they never die.

This means no matter how many times Baker proves himself as the face of the franchise, he’s going to have endless criticism. But as he’s proven, he will continue to do his job and not allow this to affect him in the slightest.