Baker Mayfield didn't see anything different on tape when he re-watched his Week 4 performance from Sunday in the Browns' 14-7 win over the Vikings.
The tape only clarified what Mayfield knew as soon as the game ended: His game was far from his best, and there were plenty of missed throws that, if they were accurate and complete could've helped the Browns win by more than seven points.
"(I was) missing the throws and the same problems," Mayfield said about his tape review. "Hitting the guys that are open and taking what is there. Yeah, just going to get it corrected."
Mayfield finished Sunday 15-of-33 for 155 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions and a quarterback rating of 59.5, his lowest since Week 6 of last season in a loss to Pittsburgh. Mayfield was sacked three times against Minnesota and missed big play opportunities with a few Browns receivers due to overthrows and missed reads.
The Browns, of course, still managed to win behind a dominant day from the defense, but Mayfield didn't use the win to shield his thoughts on his personal performance.
"It's nice when you can play around 50 percent completion, which is just terrible, and you know you have a win on the road in a hostile environment against a good team," he said. "So yeah, that is nice knowing we have that, but there's still a standard I try to set for myself and hold myself accountable to. I need to do that."
Check out exclusive photos of the Browns preparing for their game against the Los Angeles Chargers
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (10) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Cornerback Greedy Williams (26) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Defensive Quality Control Stephen Bravo-Brown during practice on October 6, 2021.
Long snapper Charley Hughlett (47) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Mack Wilson (51) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) and Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Malcolm Smith (56) and Linebacker Tony Fields II (42) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Fullback Andy Janovich (31) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Safety John Johnson III (43) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Offensive tackle Chris Hubbard (74) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Fullback Andy Janovich (31) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Safety Grant Delpit (22) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Darryl MaGee during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) and Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (28) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Running back Kareem Hunt (27) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (10) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (10) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Rashard Higgins (82) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (11) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (10) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Lawrence Cager (83) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Running back Demetric Felton (25) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Quarterback Case Keenum (5) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Tight end Miller Forristall (86) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Cornerback M.J. Stewart Jr. (36) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Tight end Miller Forristall (86) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Safety Richard LeCounte III (39) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Sione Takitaki (44) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Safety Ronnie Harrison (33) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Safety Richard LeCounte III (39) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott (96) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Tony Fields II (42) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods and Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Cornerback Greedy Williams (26) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods during practice on October 6, 2021.
Wide receiver Lawrence Cager (83) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Linebacker Anthony Walker (4) during practice on October 6, 2021.
Tight end Harrison Bryant (88) during practice on October 6, 2021.
A helmet during practice on October 6, 2021.
The Browns offense has plenty of confidence — and evidence — that Mayfield can bounce back.
After that tough Week 6 outing last season, Mayfield rebounded immediately and passed for five touchdowns, one interception and 297 yards in a memorable last-minute win over the Bengals. That game was the start of one of Mayfield's best stretches of his career, when he went on to throw 11 touchdowns and just one interception the rest of the season.
Mayfield entered 2021 looking to replicate that success, and even though the numbers from Week 4 won't help, the Browns are still plenty confident that Mayfield will get back on track in a hurry once again.
"We missed a couple guys, and we're going to work real hard to make sure we hit them next week," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "I've seen Baker have great success in games, and I have no doubt we'll continue to work at it this week."
Bouncing back against the Chargers won't be easy.
Los Angeles has the seventh-best defense in the NFL and has plenty of momentum after two huge divisional wins against the Chiefs and Raiders. The Chargers, whose offense is also flying high with the explosive plays created by second-year quarterback Justin Herbert, are making a case to be one of the best teams in the AFC.
That makes a bounce-back performance from Mayfield even more important. He'll have to do it against two of the best defensive players at their position, too, in DE Joey Bosa and S Derwin James.
"Derwin is obviously extremely talented and is always around the ball." Mayfield said. "Joey is just an elite pass rusher. He's somebody who you really need to know where he is. He's a guy who can change a game. He's consistently done that throughout his career. We have to be prepared for that and handle it. Those are the types of guys you talk about being the game wreckers. It's eliminating that part of it."
No matter the opponent, Mayfield knows he has to be much better than the results from Week 4. He proved he can handle the load a season ago and recover quickly from difficult games.
That's the challenge he has again in Week 5, and he's once again ready to meet it.
"I would say it's more just about us going out there and doing our job on the road again trying to play a complete game," he said. "We keep talking about it – or I do at least – and going to have to do that against a team that is playing very well. They have a few wins in a row against some tough opponents, so we need to be able to handle that on the road."
