Baker Mayfield’s historic NFL run ends at the hands of Chad Henne
By John Makuch
The anticipated quarterback matchup between former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes ended earlier than expected in the NFL playoffs on Sunday.
The Kansas Chiefs’ quarterback and reigning Super Bowl MVP was taken out of the game midway through the third quarter with an expected concussion..
After having his head slammed to the ground on a third-and-short quarterback run resulting in a first down, the Chiefs’ superstar got up wobbly and left the game. On came backup Chad Henne to take over the quarterback duties and get his first playoff appearance in a 13-year NFL career with three different teams
Mayfield was 2-0 against Mahomes in college, one of those wins a historic 2016 shootout that ended with the two teams combining for over 200 points and 1,700 yards of total offense in a 65-59 Oklahoma win.
Mayfield threw for an Oklahoma record seven touchdowns along with 545 passing yards. Despite ending up on the losing end of the scoreboard, Mahomes finished with 734 passing yards and five touchdowns The Texas Tech star accounted for 819 total yards in the game, an NCAA record.
The 2020 AFC divisional round matchup, however, did not have similar scoring production to the their epic 2016 college matchup.
Before being hurt, Mahomes was dealing, completing 21 of 30 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing and one passing). Mayfield finished the afternoon with a number of precision pass completions totaling 204 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception, however, to start the second half.
Missed opportunities doom an otherwise solid Baker Mayfield performance
One of several squandered Cleveland opportunities happened in the first half on a red-zone dime from Mayfield to Rashard Higgins. However, Chiefs safety Brad Sorenson forced a fumble on the one-yard line that led to a controversial touchback. In hindsight, this touchdown could have changed the outcome of the game that the Chiefs ended up winning by just five points..
Many Browns’ fans undoubtedly got flashbacks to Earnest Byner’s fumble at the one-yard line against Denver in the 1987 AFC Championship. But Oklahoma fans also saw some familiar themes in this game.
The Cleveland Browns defense had no answers for this historic Chiefs offense, and there are clear improvements that need to be made here. Mayfield plays well but his defense continues to struggle, the same story existed at Oklahoma, even when in his Heisman-winning season.
This especially showed on the final possession of the game when the Browns needed key stops to give Mayfield one more drive and a chance at winning this game. The Cleveland defense was unable to stop the Chiefs’ offense, though, including a gutsy decision by Kansas City head coach Andy Reid to go for it and throw it on fourth-and-inches near midfield.
Mayfield showed moments that won him the Heisman in 2017, including many of those tight, accurate throws that Oklahoma fans got to watch game after game. Although he was unable to win this game, Mayfield showed that he plans on, has the ability to, and will be making return trips to the playoffs for years to come
Chad Henne seemed solid despite one ill-advised deep throw to the end zone that ended up in the arms of Cleveland defensive back Karl Joseph. Other than that, Henne was clutch in the absence of Mahomes to close the game out.
The fourth-and-inches throw to Tyreek Hill will be remembered in Chiefs fandom for years to come. On the other side, Browns’ fans will try to forget about that moment as soon as possible.
The Browns did show that there is plenty of potential for this Mayfield-led team to take that next step with a few more years of development and chemistry.