Baker Mayfield unloads on himself after rough outing

The Cleveland Browns moved to 3-1 with a narrow win over the Minnesota Vikings but Baker Mayfield was less than thrilled with his own performance.

Baker Mayfield didn’t have a great game on Sunday. And he knows it.

The Cleveland Browns escaped with a 14-7 win on the road against the Minnesota Vikings but if Mayfield would have been playing the way he had in the first three weeks of the season, this one could have been a much bigger win.

Mayfield missed several open receivers including Kareem Hunt in the end zone, Harrison Bryant deep in the second half, and Odell Beckham, Jr. who had a walk-in touchdown on their final drive had Mayfield hit him.

After the game, the quarterback let it be known that he wasn’t happy with himself. He had some choice words for his own performance while also thanking the defense for bailing him out.

Mayfield finished with an uncharacteristic stat line that consisted of 15-of-33 passing for 155 yards. He added 11 yards rushing and if there was anything positive to take from his performance, it would be that he had no turnovers despite the struggles.

He was also making the right reads. He was finding the open guy while making his progressions, but his passes continued to be high for much of the game.

As is often the case with a player of Mayfield’s presence, there will be some overreactions to the game. But what fans need to remember is that in four games, he’s had three sensational performances and one game to forget.

Another thing to remember is that this team is talented enough now to win even when Mayfield struggles — which is why he thanked the defense after their second-straight stellar performance.

Cleveland’s defense has now surrendered just 13 points in the past two games. Once the offense starts to fire on all cylinders, and they will, this team will be tough to beat.