National Football League

Baker Mayfield says he's 'beat up,' but is he just making excuses?

Updated Nov. 19, 2021 3:38 p.m. ET

Aside from the jovial nature of his many commercials, things have been relatively unpleasant for Baker Mayfield.

He's been dealing with a slew of injuries, including a torn labrum and a fractured left shoulder. He's been pushed to the forefront of a chaotic controversy involving his former star pass-catcher, Odell Beckham Jr. And in Cleveland's most recent game, the Browns were absolutely pounded by the New England Patriots, mustering just one TD in a 45-7 rout.

This week, Mayfield is in the spotlight again, and like the aforementioned circumstances, it's not for a good reason.

The latest issues surround Mayfield's character after he made a point to tell the media about his numerous physical ailments following the loss to the Pats — without ever being asked about the topic.

This made some ponder the question: Was there legitimacy to Mayfield's claims, or was he just using that to excuse himself from his share of the blame for the Browns' blunders?

Baker Mayfield feeling the pain

Albert Breer joins Colin Cowherd to discuss what is going on across the NFL, including Baker Mayfield's comments about being "the most banged up he has been."

Shannon Sharpe says it's the former.

"Why are you bringing it up?" Sharpe questioned Thursday on "Undisputed."

"If nobody asked, why are you bringing it up? I didn't hear anything about this after Cincinnati. After Cincinnati, everything was perfect. Now he's beat to hell. He's 25th in QBR according to Pro Football Focus. Four guys ahead of him are rookies. Just because you're the No. 1 overall pick, doesn't mean you're great. He's very average. Everything around him needs to be perfect. He can be [good] as long as he has Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. As long as the defense gives him three takeaways. Don't bring up something unless you want to make an excuse. Everybody's hurt this time of year."

Skip Bayless sided with Mayfield in his revelations, however, and sympathized with the QB's words.

"He's damned if he does or doesn't," Bayless retorted. "His first answer was ‘nobody gives a damn [how hurt I am.] But they're relentless. So he says ‘it’s probably the most beat up I've been.' I'm going to guess that he's the most beat up right now of any quarterback who's still standing and starting games. He missed practice the last two weeks because of an undisclosed foot injury, and then he hurt his knee, it's sprained. You don't give him any credit for saying ‘I’m just going to go.'"

Is Baker Mayfield beat up?

Skip Bayless reacts to Baker Mayfield's comments about his health. The 5-5 Browns are scheduled to take on the winless Detroit Lions in Cleveland on Sunday.

Bayless went deeper into his assessment, arguing that Mayfield's place in the spotlight adds to extra criticisms.

"Everything you just said reeks of Baker hate," he told Sharpe. "He's got relentless Progressive commercials on television. Just when I thought it would subside … every week there's a new one. I don't really get it, cause he obviously hasn't proven it on the football field, but somehow they fell in love with Baker. It inspires hate. You get sick of seeing his mug."

In Colin Cowherd's mind, Mayfield's lost one of the most important things a team needs to have when it comes to its leader.

"A word that has value is trust," Cowherd said on "The Herd." "Trust is a big thing. Jay Glazer said that he doesn't think that the Browns are 100% committed to Baker Mayfield. It's not a talent issue, it's a trust issue. Baker Mayfield's pass attempts per game, as the league's become more QB-centric, and more pass-happy, he's averaged fewer pass attempts every year of his career. They don't want Baker throwing the ball. I don't even know if they trust him at the microphone. Baker throws a good ball. But he's reckless, he's snarky, he's always got to win the press conference, calls out the medical staff. But they're not sold on him."

'It's a trust issue'

Colin Cowherd reveals the real issue with Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns, and it's not the quarterback's talent.

It's true that Mayfield's production has dwindled as the season has progressed.

In Mayfield's first five starts this season (3-2 record), he completed 97 of 145 passes (66.9%), for 1,240 yards (248 per game), four TDs and two INTs. His passer rating was 96.9, and he posted 8.55 yards per connection. He also recorded two games with 300-plus passing yards.

But in his last four starts (1-3) Mayfield has gone 64-for-101 (63.4%) with 750 yards (187.5 per game), five TDs and two INTs. His passer rating is 94.1, and he's averaging 7.43 yards per throw in that stretch.

Mayfield has failed to surpass 234 yards in each of those starts, while he's on pace for career-lows in completions (286), passing yards (3,537) and passing TDs (16). His 3.48 yards per pass attempt vs. New England was the lowest of his career.

Those aren't numbers that result in more trust from a team in its QB. Mayfield's back is against the wall in Cleveland, and time may be quickly running out for him to shift his fortunes in the right direction.

You can check out the full "Undisputed" debate below!