Numbers show Baker Mayfield has gotten worse since his injury

2021 numbers for Baker Mayfield are bad and getting worse

He says he can make all the throws. Well, he can’t. For the season his passer rating is 86.1, which compares to passers like Daniel Jones (84.8), Davis Mills (82.2), Trevor Siemian (86.0), and Ryan Tannehill (84.8).

Mayfield has thrown only 14 TDs and nine INTS. Within the AFC North, much-maligned Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers is far surpassing Mayfield in all statistical categories.

Plus, Mayfield is getting worse, trending down into the 70s, which is Sam Darnold territory. My pal Colin Cowherd will be happy to know there is still an open debate concerning which player is better.

The difference before and after the injury is huge. Wouldn’t it make sense to send him off to a surgeon to get the dang shoulder repaired and then try him out again? That seems so obvious, though some fans are currently so frustrated all they can think of is getting rid of him.

However, the decision-making versus the Packers was more concerning than the four interceptions. Every quarterback has a career-bad game somewhere along the way. That can eventually be cured.

The shocking part is that Mayfield doesn’t seem to get the ball to Nick Chubb unless he has to. Why do the Browns not throw the ball to Nick Chubb out in the flat more often? Nick can’t catch it? He has only 23 targets for the season, and 19 receptions for an 82.6 catch percentage. Good grief, what is wrong with that?

If Chubb is hungry, feed him. If Chubb needs his beauty rest, which is doubtful, feed D’Ernest Johnson. He has never been stopped his entire career, either.

There shouldn’t be any hesitation in giving the ball to a player who has a higher yards per carry average than James Nathaniel Brown after three years in the League. The Browns should have been on a trajectory to lead the NFL in rushing yards. Cleveland has five capable running backs in Chubb, Kareem Hunt (currently injured), Johnson, change-of-pace back Demetric Felton, and fullback Andy Janovich.

Let’s go down the list of top NFL rushers. By comparison, Jonathan Taylor has 45 targets, almost twice as many. Joe Mixon has 34. Najee Harris has freaking 80 targets. Antonio Gibson has 45. Derrick Henry has only 20, in half a season. None of the top runners is targeted as infrequently as Nick Chubb.

No, the Browns definitely play the game as if their objective is to hold down Chubb’s stats.

It was bad. OBJ’s dad may have been right.