Baker Mayfield
After seeing his regression last year and early season inconsistencies, I genuinely wrote Baker Mayfield off as a starter. While talented, he seemed like a player that the Browns couldn’t rely on. Instead, they would focus on the run and allow Mayfield to play mop-up duty afterward. When teams began shifting to stop the run though, the Browns did something that unexpectedly worked: they became a passing team and one that moved the ball well through the air.
Now, Mayfield is playing some of the best football of his career and he has become the heart and soul of their offense. He still makes mistakes, yes, but he is playing the cleanest and most efficient football of his young career right now. Going up against a Steelers defense that will rest some of their starters, Mayfield could thrive this week. It will be up to the Steelers’ backups to stop him.
While the Steelers caused Mayfield to have one of his worst games of the season in their earlier matchup, he seems to be in a much better place right now. I expect him to come out firing and trying to exploit the pass defense of the Steelers. It will be up to the reserves and the scheme to counter this. Ideally, they can find a way to limit him, but don’t be surprised if Mayfield comes out firing in a revenge game for him.