Baker Mayfield's swagger is back. Or at least, he's showing it off again.
It'd been awhile since Mayfield flashed his charisma after a game, and understandably so. The Browns entered Sunday's game against the Falcons on a four-game losing streak. But after snapping that streak with a convincing victory over one of the hottest teams in football, the recently all-business Mayfield allowed himself some fun at the postgame podium.
As you've probably heard, he told the media he woke up feeling dangerous. But that was just one of many tongue-in-cheek nuggets Mayfield dropped after Sunday's win. When asked about Nick Chubb's franchise record 92-yard touchdown, Mayfield eventually praised the hole created by his offensive line and Chubb's talents as a runner. But he began his answer by facetiously praising himself.
"It was a great handoff," Mayfield joked.
When asked about the wishbone elements Freddie Kitchens implemented into Sunday's game plan, he worked the crowd again with an "It was something, wasn't it?" before delving into the improvements the formation sparked in tempo and spacing. What about the failed running back pass on in the second quarter? Mayfield said the right things. He critiqued the results-based rubric that outsiders often use to evaluate play calling, but not without adding his idealized vision of how the play should've worked (with a pinch of self-deprecation).
"I envisioned myself catching a one-handed pass over somebody, something spectacular like that," Mayfield said. "But the reality is I am not that athletic."
Mayfield said during training camp that he likes to believe he's easy to get along with. If you ask any of his teammates or coaches, they'll tell you he's right.
That's what makes Mayfield the leader heis. And, in conjunction with the talent he's shown, it's why Nick Chubb said "this team will follow him anywhere" last week.
Mayfield took pride in Chubb's comment, saying nothing is better than hearing that sentiment from a teammate. And Mayfield's performance on Sunday — both athletic and comedic —was the perfect encapsulation of why his teammates feel that way.
"That is what you expect from Baker," Nick Chubb said of Mayfield's near-flawless on-field performance. "He does a tremendous job for us coming in here and being a leader — stepping up big anytime we need him — and it starts in practice every week. He leads us and does everything right."
