Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Baker Mayfield: 'A nice punch in the mouth' sometimes is good for everybody

Kevin Stefanski's debut as head coach of the Browns didn't go as planned, and it doesn't seem like Cleveland is headed toward much success this season after getting roughed up by the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Ravens beat the Browns 38-6 and Cleveland struggled in all phases of the game. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was among the many players to struggle for the Browns. He completed 21-of-39 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown against one interception. Mayfield said after the game that getting stomped by the Ravens could be good for the Browns moving forward. 

“Sometimes a wakeup call is pretty good for everybody — a nice punch in the mouth, and that is how we should take it,” Mayfield said, via Cleveland.com. “We should not dwell on it, realize that we just got beat today, they played better than us, look at it, get better, move on and go play the Bengals. That is all we can do.”

Mayfield and the Browns also got slammed 43-13 in their 2019 season opener against the Tennessee Titans, so they're no stranger to overcoming adversity. In Week 2 last season, they bounced back to beat the New York Jets. 

Cleveland very well could bounce back this week, too, against rookie quarterback Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. However, it won't be easy with a heavily motivated Burrow following the Bengals loss by a field goal to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. 

With the Browns and Bengals set to play on Thursday, a shortened week to prepare isn't going to help Mayfield, but Cleveland will need to find a way if they want to build any sort of confidence going forward. 

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