Baker Mayfield made history on Sunday night — in more ways than one.
For the first time, a quarterback who finished his college career at the University of Oklahoma started an NFL playoff game. And for the first time, an OU grad won an NFL playoff game — and did so in dramatic fashion, a 48-37 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As Mayfield established a new career zenith in his third NFL season, he and his teammates overcame considerable obstacles at chilly Heinz Field.
Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry
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Cleveland had lost 17 in a row in the Steel City, hadn’t been to the playoffs in 18 years and hadn’t experienced playoff joy since 1995.
On the road for a wild-card game at the rival Steelers — the NFL’s last undefeated team this season after starting 11-0 — and with head coach Kevin Stefanski, four assistant coaches and a handful of players out for COVID protocol, the Browns (except for some tense moments in the third quarter) controlled the game from literally the first snap.
Whatever pressure Mayfield might have felt before the game was extinguished early — because he didn’t really have to do all that much for the Browns to jump to an early and insurmountable lead.
Cleveland raced to a 28-0 first-quarter advantage after Pittsburgh committed turnovers on three of its first four possessions.
The Steelers’ first snap sailed high and ended up in the end zone, where Browns’ safety Karl Joseph recovered.
After PIttsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw his first of three first-half interceptions, Mayfield zipped a short third-down pass to Jarvis Landry, who sprinted 40 yards for a touchdown.
After a Pittsburgh punt, the Browns’ next two TDs were scored by running back Kareem Hunt — an 11-yard run at the end of a 65-yard drive, and an 8-yard rush at the end of a 15-yard drive following another Roethlisberger pick.
Pittsburgh finally got on the scoreboard with a long touchdown drive, but Mayfield finished the first half strong by leading the Browns on a touchdown march, capping it with a 7-yard TD pass to Austin Hooper that put Cleveland up 35-7.
Mayfield, riding an inspired defense and a thunderous running game, ended the first half 10-of-15 for 111 yards with two TD passes and no turnovers.
Baker Mayfield torched the Steelers
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Mayfield finished his night 21-of-34 for 263 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and was at his best in the fourth quarter, when he went 9-of-12 for 139 yards with a touchdowns.
On the Browns’ final three drives, Mayfield hooked up w
ith Nick Chubb for a 40-yard TD pass, then directed a 13-play, 59-yard, 6-minute, 40-second drive that produced a field and extended Cleveland’s lead to 16 points, then helped turn Roethlisberger’s fourth interception into a clinching field goal.
Mayfield nearly led the Browns to the playoffs as a rookie, but the team fell just short. He had multiple setbacks in his second season, including another coaching change — Stefanski is his fourth head coach in three seasons — and threw just 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
Baker Mayfield scrambles at Pittsburgh
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But Mayfield bounced back strong this season by leading the Browns to an 11-5 regular season mark with 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions. That includes a league-low one pick over the second half of the season.
The bottom line is that Mayfield’s confidence and ability have changed the fortunes of one of the NFL’s worst franchises.
In the two seasons before Mayfield arrived as the No. 1 overall pick in 2018, Cleveland had a miserable 1-31 record.
Now they own a playoff win over the division champ and they’re heading to Kansas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Baker Mayfield made his point at Heinz Field
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts will have ample opportunity to lead their teams in the playoffs. But for now, with the first week of the NFL postseason in the books, Mayfield remains the brightest of Lincoln Riley’s star pupils.
The only other former Sooner QB to start a playoff game, of course, was Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys during his Hall of Fame career. But Aikman played only two seasons in Norman before a fateful leg injury forced him to abandon Barry Switzer’s new wishbone offense for a golden opportunity at UCLA.
Aikman should be included by anyone pondering former Sooner QBs in the NFL, regardless of his decision to transfer away from Oklahoma. Riley’s three current stars, remember, all began their college careers outside the crimson confines of Norman.
Aikman is the standard and probably always will be. But Mayfield is now on his way.
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