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In the AFC Divisional Round, former Oklahoma Sooners QB Baker Mayfield nearly led his Cleveland Browns to a monumental upset win over the reigning Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs. In the end, KC held on to prevail, 22-17.
.@bakermayfield finds @God_Son80 for SIX!
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 17, 2021
: https://t.co/k8TCbMTBLa pic.twitter.com/6vcBb1oqYm
On Sunday, Mayfield — the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — performed valiantly despite falling into a 16-point halftime hole. On the day, Baker completed 23 of 37 passes (62.2 completion percentage) for 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a losing effort inside Arrowhead Stadium. He also rushed for 11 yards on three carries. On the other side, his QB counterpart, Patrick Mahomes, was on fire until he left the game in the third quarter for concussion protocol.
@BakerMayfield#WeWantMore #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2021
: #CLEvsKC on CBS
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/H7Zs8a2m4U pic.twitter.com/g6H2TfHgOu
.@bakermayfield ➡️ @David_Njoku80
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) January 17, 2021
: https://t.co/k8TCbMTBLa pic.twitter.com/60sGkFTRr4
On 4th and 2... CLUTCH.#WeWantMore #NFLPlayoffs
— NFL (@NFL) January 17, 2021
: #CLEvsKC on CBS
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/H7Zs8ajXtu pic.twitter.com/0mbMpiyjZg
On the 2020-21 season as a whole, Mayfield definitely played the best ball of his three-year NFL career thus far. In total, he passed for 4,030 yards and 30 TDs to just nine INTs on 349-of-557 (62.7 completion percentage).
Considering the decades of futility this Browns franchise has suffered through, Baker Mayfield and this Cleveland team have undoubtedly made their fans and their city proud, and Mayfield has done the same for his alma mater’s fan base by performing in this fashion. An 11-5 regular season run plus a Wild Card road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers is an incredibly successful outcome for a pandemic-plagued campaign. If this young core of playmakers led by the former OU signal caller can continue to develop together, Dawg Pound Nation has a lot to look forward to in the very near future.
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