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CLEVELAND -- Baker Mayfield offered no excuses: He blamed himself for his poor game Sunday and vowed he will learn from it. "We did not execute, we did not do our job, we were not detailed," Mayfield said after a 38-14 beatdown at the hands of the Los Angeles Chargers. "We did not do the things that we talked about all week. That is the most disappointing thing. Any time you do not do your job ... I am at fault for the majority of that. "I am going to be very hard on myself." Mayfield was below 50 percent in completions for the first time this season. He threw two interceptions. He held the ball too long and was sacked five times. And though he saw potential touchdown passes go through the hands of Antonio Callaway and Damion Ratley, he never got the offense going. His Total QBR for the game: a woeful 14.6. Things did not go well at all when the Chargers got near him. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Mayfield was 2-for-11 under pressure for 34 yards with one interception and five sacks. He was pressured on 17 of his 52 dropbacks. Mayfield’s numbers: 22-for-46 for 238 yards (5.2 yards per attempt) with one touchdown, two interceptions and a rating of 52.6. For the season, his rating is 72.8 and he has more interceptions than touchdowns. "There were some things that I am sure he would like to do better," Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "I am sure there are some balls that he would like to have back." Mayfield admitted he held onto the ball too long at times, which contributed to miscues and sacks. He said the Chargers didn’t do a whole lot differently, he just didn’t play as well. "It doesn’t matter what they are doing," Mayfield said. "I have to do my job."  The play he lamented more than any other was any interception he threw on the Browns' first play of the second half. Down 21-6 and after the defense forced a punt, Mayfield rolled left and tried to throw to Jarvis Landry coming toward the sideline.
Instead it was intercepted and returned to the 10, which set up an easy Chargers score. "Can’t do it," Mayfield said. "Can’t happen. I will be the first to correct my stuff." There were other issues. Penalties took away two big runs, and a no-call on a clear penalty on Los Angeles allowed Philip Rivers to throw a touchdown pass to give the Chargers their third score. Mayfield also threw two good deep balls in the first half to Callaway and Ratley that went through the hands of both players. Maybe -- big maybe -- the tone of the game changes with those catches, but given the Chargers' dominance it would have taken a lot. Still, even Rivers admitted he would have told Mayfield those plays should have been touchdowns. "He's a gritty, tough and competitive guy," Rivers said. "He has a heck of a career ahead of him. He made some really good throws today that were close." Mayfield didn’t call out his teammates, but he admitted that it hurts the Browns when they miss those chances. The problem is that Cleveland (2-3-1) has been a team of woulda-coulda-shoulda for years, and there is only one way to get past that lamentation. "When you get your opportunity, you have to take advantage of it," Mayfield said. Injury issues affected the offense. Rashard Higgins had worked his way to a starting receiver job, but then sprained a knee ligament. Derrick Willies played well in place of Higgins against Baltimore, but broke his collarbone in practice Friday. That left the inconsistent Calloway and Ratley to try to take pressure off Landry, who is seeing a lot of double-teams and who caught just 2 of 9 passes thrown his way (with one drop). The Browns signed Breshad Perriman on Saturday, but his tenure in Baltimore was marked by dropped passes more than anything. Ratley said he should have caught the touchdown pass in the first half, but still had six receptions for 82 yards. Jackson admitted the Browns might be short-handed at receiver, but also admits there aren’t a lot of top-notch players waiting to be signed. Mayfield said he simply needs to be better. "You are not always going to have a perfect day," he said. "You are not always going to have the day that you envision. It just comes down to when something goes wrong, why did it go wrong? Think about it and fix it on the fly. You have to be a great in-game adjuster at this level. "To whatever they are throwing at us, we have to react to it and play well. I will be the first to tell you I did not do that today."
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