Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn’t interested in excuses, whether it be a number of dropped passes by his wide receivers or his own ankle injury.
Mayfield, instead, opted to put the blame squarely on his shoulders in the wake of Sunday’s 38-14 setback to the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
“We didn’t execute,” said the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, who was picked off twice by cornerback Desmond King, sacked five times and finished 22 of 46 for 238 yards.
“We weren’t detailed. Anytime you don’t do your job, I’m at fault for the majority of that. I’m going to be very hard on myself.”
And he was.
Mayfield took the blame for a pair of drops by wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who had just two catches for 11 yards.
“He’s the best receiver in the league in my opinion,” the 23-year-old Mayfield said. “I have to put the ball in better range for him. The interception, I left it behind. The DB made a great play. He’s in a trail technique. Jarvis beat him cross-face. I have to give him a chance to catch that ball.
“The others, I have to be more accurate. That was one of my strong suits, and today, it wasn’t. I will get my stuff fixed. None of that is on Jarvis. He’s doing his job. I have to find ways get him the ball more.”
Mayfield had trouble connecting with Landry, who was targeting nine times but had just the two receptions.
“I think sometimes the ball’s gone over his head,” head coach Hue Jackson said Monday. “We just haven’t made a connection. (But) some of those balls are getting thrown away.
“Do they need to connect more? Yes, they do. Yesterday wasn’t really good in that area between those two. I know some think Mayfield needed more time with Jarvis. Well, that wasn’t the case when we played the Jets (eight catches, 103 yards). They got to make those plays when those plays present themselves.”
Mayfield dismissed the notion that an ankle injury hampered his play after he slipped on the first down marker on the Chargers’ sideline after the 6-yard scramble.
Jackson thought he was fine after the game.
The Chargers were able to keep Mayfield in the pocket, preventing him from having success scrambling. He had just 8 yards rushing.
“They did a better job than some other teams,” Jackson said. “I think we can do some things better, so that when Baker does need an escape route that there’ll be one for him.”
Mayfield became the franchise’s 30th starting quarterback since 1999 when he made his first start in Week 3. He has completed 85 of 153 passes for 1,076 yards with four touchdowns, five interceptions and two fumbles in four games this season.
–Linebacker Joe Schobert suffered a hamstring injury Sunday, and coach Hue Jackson said he will be out “for a little while.” Jackson characterized his status as week-to-week. Schobert is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 49.
–Cornerback Rashard Wiggins missed Sunday’s game with a knee sprain and his status remains week-to-week, according to Hue Jackson.
–RB Duke Johnson had just two carries Sunday, but wound up being the team’s leading rusher with 36 yards on the ground. He also caught four passes for 73 yards.
–WR Damion Ratley recorded the first six receptions of his career on Sunday. A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Ratley had a team-high 82 receiving yards.
–LB Christian Kirksey picked up his first career interception on Sunday. He had just one tackle, though, after having 12 the previous week.
