Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield on Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu: ‘He’s a special player’
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is well aware that he 0-1 against the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes in the NFL.
And while the focus of many NFL games is on the quarterback matchup, the reality is the quarterbacks are never on the field at the same time.
So for Mayfield, he’ll be facing the Chiefs’ 14th-ranked passing defense in Sunday’s AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. If there is a quarterback on the Chiefs defense, it would be safety Tyrann Mathieu, a three-time All-Pro.
On Wednesday, Mayfield was asked about Mathieu during an interview with Cleveland reporters.
“He’s got amazing ball skills,” Mayfield said. “When the ball is in the air he’s not a true typical DB, he’s got skills like an offensive player. So I’d say it starts there but he’s a ballplayer. He’s got so much recognition of schemes and concepts to where he can recognize stuff and be in the right place at the right time. And he’s a passionate guy that always leads his guy and he’s always on the ball.
“So I mean, he’s a complete player. And you know, people have always said that he was too small and this and that. But he never plays like that and never will.”
Mayfield was also asked about Mahomes. The two met when Mayfield was at Texas Tech and tried to convince Mahomes to join the Red Raiders. Then they were rivals after Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma.
Mahomes threw for 734 yards, while Mayfield had 545 yards passing in an epic 66-59 Sooners win in 2016.
“It’s always fun to play friendly competition, playing against people you’re familiar with,” Mayfield said. “He’s got me so far in the league. So I’ve got to see what I can do.”
The Chiefs beat the Browns 37-21 in Cleveland during the 2018 season in their only NFL matchup.
Mayfield had high praise for Mahomes.
“For starters, I mean, you could go into the physical attributes that Pat has, he’s got everything you could possibly want,” Mayfield said. “I mean, his arm strength is unbelievable, but just the different arm angles and things that he’s able to do. I know people talk about his no-look passes and all that, but to be able to change his arm angle, you can see why he was such an incredible athlete and baseball and basketball as well. He is just able to do things that a lot of quarterbacks can’t do.
“And then I think he sat out pretty much the whole first rookie year and just took everything in. Patrick’s extremely smart, intelligent picking up a system. Guys want to play for Patrick. But when he is on top of his game like he is mentally that pushes the guys even more.”
Here is what others with the Browns said during news conferences on Wednesday.
Running back Nick Chubb
On Kareem Hunt: “Kareem talked about this game all year like he knew it was going to happen. He’s excited for it. I’m excited for him. I’m excited to watch him go out there and play. He’s ready for it.”
On the Chiefs defense: “They have very hungry guys. They play hard, very intense and fast and smart. They’re a great defense. It’ll be a good challenge for us, for sure.”
On Hunt missing the Super Bowl with the Chiefs: “I remember last year at the beginning of the season, he talked about it a little bit. It was like he knew they were going to go and win it all. I know he wanted to be a part of it. He’s here now. He’s ours.”
Browns linebacker B.J. Goodson
On facing Travis Kelce: “You’ve just got to contest and compete, man. A lot of guys get caught not necessarily being too relaxed or (giving) too much of a cushion. But when I say compete and contest throws, I mean just getting tighter on him.”
On facing Mahomes: “It’s tough. He’s a really good quarterback, does a lot with his arm. He plays a lot with his feet, so he’s a handful to handle.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski
On Mahomes: “Yeah, I mean, you’ve all seen it. We’ve all seen it, he’s a special player, can make every play, can make it from the pocket, outside the pocket, can move in the pocket and buy time. Really good athlete. He’s a special player. Again, I think anybody who’s a fan of this game recognizes that.”
On facing the Chiefs: “I think as we all know, we recognize that this is a huge challenge for us with this entire team. You know that they’re a great team: offense, defense, special teams. They’re the Super Bowl champs for a reason. So we have to play our best football. Offensively, we have to score points. Defensively, we’ve got to try and keep them out of the end zone. But that’s really where our focus is, recognize the challenge. And then all sides of the ball have to be on point.”
Any pressure to score a lot: “Honestly, every week I feel like you’ve got so score a bunch of points in this league. That’s never changed from Week One to now. That’s the mind-set of an offense is when you touch the ball, you want to go in with a touchdown. So that that’ll always be our mind-set. I totally recognize the challenge of this week, I understand how great Patrick Mahomes and this offense is. But it’s incumbent upon each of our units, offense, defense, special teams to play to their strengths and play their game.“
On how to game plan for the Chiefs: “Yeah, I think ultimately you’ve just got to score one more point than them. However it shakes out.”
