Baker Mayfield and Browns suddenly look radically different
CLEVELAND — Baker Mayfield took the snap in victory formation and dropped to one knee as the crowd roared. When the clock hit zeros, the stadium’s sound system blasted “Danger Zone.”
The Browns have become hazardous to your playoff health.
Mayfield outplayed Cam Newton, Jarvis Landry caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score and the Cleveland Browns damaged Carolina’s postseason hopes with a 26-20 win Sunday over the Panthers, who dropped their fifth straight.
Mayfield bravely threw a 51-yard TD pass into traffic to Landry, who had a 3-yard scoring run and added a long run — on a similar call — early in the fourth quarter to set up a go-ahead touchdown.
Playing the spoiler role down the stretch, the Browns (5-7-1) improved to 3-2 under interim coach Gregg Williams, who needed just five games to match former Browns coach Hue Jackson’s win total over two-plus seasons.
“Everybody loves winning,” said defensive end Myles Garrett. “It’s different for us because of the negatives we’ve been through, but that’s all in the past.”
The Panthers (6-7) suffered a loss that could haunt them for months and will increase the heat on coach Ron Rivera.
Newton passed for 265 yards, but overthrew Jarius Wright on 4th-and-goal at the 3 with 2:35 left. Carolina got the ball back, but Newton, who has been playing with a sore right shoulder, badly missed Devin Funchess and was intercepted by Damarious Randall with 57 seconds left.
“It stinks,” Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “A lot of people are against us right now, but I’ll fight for every one of these guys. That’s exactly what I’m going to do and I know a lot of guys will do as well. We lost. We’ve lost a few in a row. It’s kind of us against the world right now.”
Mayfield finished 18-of-22 for 238 yards, continuing his bounce back after throwing three interceptions in the first half last week at Houston.
Carolina came in just a half-game out of the second wild-card spot in the NFC, but with only three games left, including two against New Orleans, the Panthers are going to need help to make the postseason.
McCaffrey had two TD runs for Carolina and finished with 101 total yards.
Browns rookie Nick Chubb scored on a 1-yard run to give the Browns a 23-20 lead with 13:05 left. The score came one play after Landry took an inside handoff and weaved his way down field. Greg Joseph clanged the extra point off the left upright, keeping the Panthers within three.
Newton drove the Panthers to the 3 before throwing two straight incompletions, ending Carolina’s best chance to take the lead.
Mayfield’s 51-yard TD pass to Landry tied it 14-all with 8:27 left in the second quarter.
Rolling left out of the pocket to buy some time, Mayfield stepped up and confidently delivered a perfect strike to Landry, who was well covered on the play by safety Eric Reid, his former LSU teammate. As fans celebrated, Landry and several teammates sat down in the end zone’s corner and pretended to warm themselves around a camp fire.
Mayfield and Newton were both hot in the first half. Mayfield completed 8-of-10 passes for 176 yards and a TD while Newton was 15-of-20 for 185.
Newton drove the Panthers to a touchdown on their first possession with McCaffrey scoring on a 4-yard run.
Rivera took over defensive play calling from coordinator Eric Washington this week, and Mayfield wasted no time challenging the Panthers.
On Cleveland’s first play, Mayfield unloaded a pass that traveled more than 60 yards in the air to wide receiver Breshad Perriman for a 66-yard pickup. Two plays later, Landry scored.
