The Cleveland Browns will never, ever stop finding ways to be the Cleveland Browns, no matter who comes and goes. The Baker Mayfield Era has so far failed to live up to the hype that it rolled into town with, just like so many other hype trains that came with highly drafted QBs. And one seemingly certain touchdown pass against the Jacksonville Jaguars appears to be the best metaphor for where things stand.
The Browns found themselves with a first-and-goal shot from the five-yard line with a chance to put some points on the board early. On the snap, Mayfield stood shotgun and dropped back to around the 13-yard line. Meanwhile, wide receiver Rashard Higgins crossed into the middle of the endzone and was seemingly all alone. There wasn’t a Jags defender within ten yards of him in any direction. If ever there was a simple toss-and-catch touchdown to be made, this was it.
Alas.
Baker Mayfield can’t afford to miss these throws. This is a really bad miss.
— Everything Cleveland (@everythingcle_) November 29, 2020
Mayfield’s pass is way behind Higgins, who twisted around and tried to catch the ball but was unable to do so. Just a wild missed opportunity for the Browns. And when we say there wasn’t anyone within ten yards of Higgins, we mean it, too.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rashard Higgins had 10.44 yards of separation from the nearest defender at the time Baker's pass arrived https://t.co/ygLj8NZqTh
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) November 29, 2020
Just an absolutely brutal sequence of events for Mayfield, who has had his fair share of similar situations in recent weeks.
Somehow this setup for Baker Mayfield did not result in a TD. pic.twitter.com/GAPONHhxCR
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 29, 2020
It’s the kind of touchdown pass that no NFL quarterback should miss, and if they do, you may have to start having some serious conversations in Cleveland about what’s going on.
Baker Mayfield missed this touchdown throw 😬😬😬 pic.twitter.com/XZcMDuPP8q
— #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) November 29, 2020
