Baker Mayfield found his name alongside Cleveland Browns royalty during the first half of Sunday's Week 13 game against the Titans. Mayfield became the first Browns quarterback since Otto Graham in 1951 to throw four touchdowns in the first half of a game. Graham, a Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Browns to three NFL championships, threw four first-half touchdowns in Cleveland's 49-28 victory over the Chicago Cardinals on December 2, 1951.
In the first half of Sunday's game against the Titans, Mayfield lobbed touchdown passes to Jarvis Landry, Kendall Lamm, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins, as the Browns jumped out to a 31-7 lead. Mayfield then directed the Browns on another scoring drive just before halftime to extend Cleveland's lead to 38-7. The Browns' 38 points in the most for a first half in franchise history. Mayfield, who went 20-of-25 for 290 yards passing in the first half, is just one touchdown away from matching his own franchise record for touchdown passes in a game. Mayfield threw five touchdowns in Cleveland's Week 7 win over Cincinnati.
Mayfield's success this season is one reason why the 8-3 Browns are 30 minutes away from clinching their first winning record since 2007. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Mayfield has thrown 21 touchdowns against just seven interceptions this season. He has also been aided by a Browns running game that features Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who are on pace to become the eighth pair of teammates in NFL history to both run for over 1,000 yards in the same season. The Browns have also seen steady improvement from their defense, as defensive end Myles Garrett (9.5 sacks entering Sunday's game) has led a unit that is currently ninth in the league in rushing and red zone efficiency.
Not only are the Browns trying to post just their third winning record since returning to the NFL in 1999, they are also looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Cleveland has not won a playoff game since 1994, when Bill Belichick's team defeated the Patriots in the wild card round.