After a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals to open the season, Baker Mayfield will have a chance to take on his former team when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. While he isn’t exactly leaning into any narratives about revenge, he also isn’t shying away from the conversation, either.
During his postgame press conference on Sunday, Mayfield acknowledged the fact that he will be facing off against the Browns for the second time in his career, but he was also clear that he didn’t want to make it a big deal, either.
‘Obviously, there’s history there’
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Mayfield was famously traded away from the Cleveland Browns following the 2021 season after the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson to replace him. Since then, Mayfield has established himself as a legitimate starter in the league, while not much good has happened for Watson and the Browns.
As Mayfield and the Bucs prepare for a showdown against the Browns, he acknowledges that he can’t shy away from the narrative completely.
“I mean, obviously, there’s history there — there’s no way to go around that,” Mayfield said [after Sunday’s loss](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPF5M0ON5bY).
Mayfield had a chance to face off against Cleveland in 2022 when he was with the Carolina Panthers, but the team ultimately lost that game. This time around, he’s with a better team and is playing better individually, but he’s clearly trying not to make it a big deal.
“It’s the next opponent,” Mayfield said. “Cleveland happens to be the next opponent — our home opener. So, yeah. Have a bad taste in our mouth, looking forward to getting it out.
“It’s still the next one, and that’s the most important one,” Mayfield added. “I’ve said that to you guys over the years — it doesn’t matter who it is, the most important one is the next one. And we’ve got — I’ve got to get some stuff fixed. And we’ve got to move forward.”
Mayfield Takes the Blame
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In addition to discussing the upcoming game against the Browns, Mayfield was quick to take the blame for the team’s 33-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mayfield finished the game 23-of-28 for 216 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions – a perfectly respectable stat line – but he also turned the ball over three times with three fumbles. He admits that was probably. the difference in the game.
“This one falls on me,” Mayfield said. “I mean, they had, I think, 17 points alone off of my turnovers. Turns out to be a one-score game — six points.”
Mayfield will now have a chance to bounce back next week against his former team.