After he missed his first pass of the preseason, Baker Mayfield was perfect. Really. His 158.3 QB Rating is as high as a quarterback can get.
Mayfield and the Browns starting offense (sans Odell Beckham Jr.) accomplished that perfection in hurry-up mode. Coach Freddie Kitchens designed the first drive as a de facto two-minute drill. Mayfield carved up the bewildered Redskins defense, capping off the drive with a 24-yard TD strike to Rashard Higgins.
Mayfield looked amazing at the controls, in full command of the tempo and making the correct read and decision with the ball every single play. He likes the idea of turning up the speed at times, but Mayfield also cautioned against relying too much upon the strategy during his postgame press conference.
“I think there is a time for it,” Mayfield said of going up-tempo. “In our division, we have to be able to run the ball and slow the clock down when we need to. There are situations when we can press the tempo a little bit. I think once we get comfortable in that, we can be pretty good at playing fast and having success. We have to be good at it all.”
The ability to attack the defense in multiple ways and keep them guessing is a valuable asset, and Mayfield has the ability to make them all work.
