Scouting Ahead: Browns Week 10 opponent, New England Patriots
By Colin Damms
Cleveland Browns: Baker Mayfield’s time to shine
It is surely more than just functioning well without OBJ, right? Surely Baker Mayfield is legit?
It would be an oversimplification to describe him that way, but we’ve seen multiple times that Mayfield is more than capable of stepping up and delivering big against tough opponents. He will need to do so again this Sunday, and probably until the end of the season if the Browns hope to fulfill their playoff expectations.
That’s what good quarterbacks do, and we’ve seen that he can do it as well, and he’ll get an opportunity to put one of his more forgettable performances behind him.
In 2019 Mayfield threw a pick and a touchdown in a 27-13 loss in New England, one of 10 losses in an ugly season under former head coach Freddie Kitchens. In the game, the Browns actually advanced the ball pretty well early, but some bad turnovers thwarted their best efforts and limited an offense that was expected to do much better.
On his return to Foxboro, Mayfield will have a fairly healthy corps of receivers and tight ends to throw to, and will have a much better offensive line than he did in 2019. Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio are fresh off of new contract extensions, and Jedrick Wills was back at left tackle Sunday.
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Mayfield should not need any more excuses or distractions. It’s his time to seize the job he was drafted for, and Foxboro will be another big step in that.