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The Cleveland Browns were amidst a blowout on Monday night and Freddie Kitchens decided to bench Baker Mayfield in the second half. The rookie head coach explained his decision to bench Mayfield in the second half after the game.
Freddie said Baker was taken out because “I thought he was taking too many hits, unnecessarily.”
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) October 8, 2019
When the second-year quarterback was removed from the game, some fans may have believed it was due to his struggles. Instead, Kitchens simply took him out because he was taking too many unnecessary hits in a game that was already out of hand.
After defeating the Baltimore Ravens on the road in Week 4, Cleveland believed that they were finding their groove. However, the Browns never got their footing against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night.
The game began with the 49ers scoring an 83-yard touchdown on their first play on offense. Then, Mayfield made an errant throw on the ensuing drive that was intercepted by Richard Sherman. From that moment on, Cleveland never got out of their lull on offense.
The second-year quarterback finished with just 100 yards on eight completions and two interceptions. Mayfield was under duress all game and his head coach decided to bench him to avoid an unwarranted injury.
Through the first five games of the season, the Browns quarterback has mightily struggled. Currently, Mayfield has completed just 55 percent of his passes for 1,247 yards, four touchdowns, and a league-high eight interceptions.
After having a positive rookie season, Mayfield seems to be having a sophomore slump in his second year in the NFL. Kitchens and Mayfield are going to need to get on the same page soon if Cleveland wants to revive their hopes of reaching the playoffs this season.
