Sunday morning, Baker Mayfield walked into Empower Field at Mile High with all the confidence in the world. By Sunday evening he looked like a man broken by the constant disappointments of an underwhelming season. Dustin takes a look at the current state of the Cleveland Browns QB.
Baker Mayfield walked into Empower Field at Mile High with all the confidence in the world. He arrived locked-in and looking extremely focused at a chance to right the ship in a Browns’ season that has been marked by underachievement.
Look at that. Such focus. Such concentration.
Normally a beard is a perfectly acceptable game look but Baker went even further when he took the field:
I have a few thoughts about his decision to shave the beard down into a Fu Manchu ‘stache.
- Did he bring a razor with him or is that provided by the hosting stadium?
- Did he always plan on rocking the Fu Manchu or did inspiration strike and he had to run and shave quickly before the game?
- When I saw this I knew it was either going to be an amazing day or an absolutely crushing defeat.
Unfortunately, the game did not go well. The Browns lost 24-19 to the Broncos. To make matters worse, the Broncos’ starting QB was a young man who had never played in an NFL game before, let alone started a game. But Brandon Allen and his normal facial hair outplayed Baker Mayfield and may have sent the Browns’ QB into a tailspin.
This is how Baker arrived to the postgame conference:
Even the lighting here is doing Baker a disservice. Compare his arrival to now, that outfit looked strong when he got to the stadium but now he slumps to the podium looking like a Wet Bandit. Confidence clearly is key.
Those photos are just a year apart. Hell, he’s wearing the same coat! But look at what this season has done to Baker.
The swagger: gone. The smile: gone. The hair: disheveled.
Here are a few things that Baker Mayfield looks like more than Browns QB:
The Cleveland Browns’ season began with such excitement, such promise and now, they stand at 2-6 with their franchise QB looking like he’s a grizzled detective who’s commitment to cases is straining his life at home. With a home game against the Bills next week, all eyes will be on Baker Mayfield, and his facial hair, to see if he can finally conjure up that preseason excitement again.
Dustin Brewer is a freelance writer and co-editor of HefferBrew. You can follow him on Twitter here and be sure to follow HefferBrew for all the latest NFL news.
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