CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baker Mayfield beat Patrick Mahomes twice in college, but hopes to even his NFL record against him to 1-1 on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs in Kansas City.
“He’s gotten me so far in the league so I have to see what I can do,’' Mayfield said.
Mayfield was referring to the Chiefs’ 37-21 victory over the Browns on Nov. 4, 2018, in Freddie Kitchens’ first game as the play caller after Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were fired.
It was Mahomes’ first triumph over Mayfield after losing to him twice when he was at Texas Tech and Mayfield was at Oklahoma, 63-27 in 2015 and the record-shattering 66-59 Sooners victory in 2016 in which the two QBs combined for 1,279 yards passing, most in college football history.
“For starters, you could go into the physical attributes that Pat has – he has everything you could possibly want,’' Mayfield said Wednesday. “His arm strength is unbelievable, but just the different arm angles and things he is able to do – I know people talk about his no-look passes and all of that – but to be able to change his arm angle, you can see why he was such an incredible athlete in baseball and basketball, as well.
“He’s just able to do things that a lot of quarterbacks can’t do. He sat out pretty much the whole first rookie year and just took everything in. Patrick is extremely smart, intelligent picking up that system. You can just tell guys want to play for Patrick, but when he’s on top of his game like he is mentally, that pushes those guys even more.”
Heading into Sunday’s rematch, Mayfield acknowledged Mahomes’ performance in that epic 66-59 shootout was the best he’s ever seen by a QB. Mahomes completed 52-of-88 attempts for 734 yards and 5 TDs.
“Honestly, no, I have not,’' Mayfield said. “Just the efficiency and spectacular plays, it was fun to watch. It’s always been fun to keep up with Pat.”
He knows he’ll probably have to do just that again on Sunday to beat the Chiefs, who went 14-2 this season and finished No. 1 in total offense. They were also No. 6 in points scored and Mahomes finished third in the NFL with a 108.2 rating, throwing 38 TD and only 6 INTs.
“We had to score every single drive in the second half to win that game,’' Mayfield said. “I know we scored right before halftime. I did a half-bootleg to the right, threw a touchdown to (former Oklahoma WR) Nick Basquine right before halftime. We had to score every single drive in the second half just to win because Pat threw the ball 80-something times and had 800 yards all-purpose by himself. It was an unbelievable game and unbelievable atmosphere. Just the back and forth is something that I will not forget.”
While Mayfield seeks to even the NFL record, Mahomes — 1-2 in the head-to-head matchup since 2015 — is going for the overall tie.
“Obviously, it’s cool to get to play against him in such a big game, in the playoffs and stuff like that,’' Mahomes said in his presser Wednesday. “Known him for a long time since I was a senior in high school and to be able to play on this stage is going to be special. I mean, he went to Oklahoma, I went to Texas Tech, so he got the better of me in college, so I’ll try to do my best to win in the NFL.”
Chiefs tight end and Cleveland native Travis Kelce revealed that Mahomes spent his bye week studying film to prepare for whoever they might play and was ready when the news hit.
“You can tell that he’s been doing his homework for the past week and a half,’' Kelce said. “Sure enough, as soon as we found out on Sunday who we were playing, he was right there and had a whole notebook ready for the Cleveland Browns. Right now we’re in the process of figuring out the game plan. Like I said, what Pat does the best is communicating what he’s seeing and how he feels we need to attack the defense. All of those conversations are extremely relevant during the game.”
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Denzel Ward, activated off COVID-19 reserve on Wednesday, knows what he’s up against in Mahomes in his first game back after two weeks off.
“He’s obviously an exceptional talent,’' he said. “He has the arm strength. He can make every throw on the field. He’s smart. He is everything you want in a quarterback.”
Ward will be on the lookout for the impossible throws, but also try not to see ghosts.
“He’s done some things that you usually do not see in the NFL, just the type of throws that he’s making, no look-passes and all of that,’' he said. “He’s a great player.”
With Mayfield flipping the switch the second half of the season, Sunday promises to be a thrilling quarterback duel. In his last nine games, he’s thrown 14 touchdowns and one interception, and has been automatic in the red zone, scoring TDs almost 75% of the time. In fact, profootballfootballfocus.com has him rated higher than Mahomes since Week 9.
“Baker is the leader of our football team, and we’re all rallying behind him,’' said Ward. “We believe in him and he believes in us so we’re all playing for one another.”
Mayfield was dynamite during Sunday’s 48-37 victory over Pittsburgh, rallying the team to 13 second-half points after Ben Roethlisberger pulled to within 35-23 in the third quarter.
“I think [it’s] the passion that he has for the game of football, and guys feed off of that,’' Ward said. “They obviously see it through his play, through his excitement of other guys scoring and making plays and just the love for the game.”
Chubb was generous in his praise of Mayfield, his 2018 draft classmate.
“Baker always has that underdog mentality, and I’m sure that’s in his mind right now,’' Chubb said. “He wants to go out and prove himself even more. He’s winner. That’s his mindset. He’s intense. He loves the game. He’s also just a cool guy. You can talk to him about anything, and he’s very down to earth. He is just a loveable guy. Everybody wants to be around him. That’s just who he is.”
Chubb acknowledged that Mayfield’s fiery nature is contagious.
“He’s fun to be around,’' he said.”He makes coming to practice fun, even at times when practice isn’t fun. You look at him and he’s going to be the same guy, the same leader, the same person and the guy that you need him to be during that moment.’'
Andy Reid knows that Mahomes may have his match on Sunday.
“He’s a heck of a player,” Reid said on a conference call with Browns beat writers. “He did a great job in college. He’s driven. He wants to be great, and so that’s how he goes about his business. He sure does a nice job with it. He’s made huge strides, and I just like his attitude.”
He’s not concerned in the slightest about four of Mahomes’ six picks this season coming in his last three game, including three in a victory over the Dolphins.
“He had a couple in there I know, and I’m not too worried about it,’' he said. “He’s probably just trying to make some things happen right there. I can’t get too detailed on it. We are OK. I am not too worried.”
Kevin Stefanski was equally effusive in praise of Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP last season.
“You’ve all seen it,’' he said. “We’ve all seen it. He’s a special player. He can make every play and can make it from the pocket or outside the pocket and can move in the pocket and buy time. A really good athlete. He’s a special player. Again, I think anybody who’s a fan of this game recognizes that.”
It might not be a 66-59 shootout, but linebacker B.J. Goodson anticipates a tremendous show by the two QBs.
“They’re both two great competitors,’' he said. “Therefore, I see it being a competition from start to finish, especially between those two guys.”
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