The have waited a long time to find a franchise quarterback, but those 25-years of waiting -- and starting over as an expansion franchise -- before finding have been worth it. Mayfield has helped the Browns reach heights not seen by the franchise since Bill Belichick was head coach, leading Cleveland to a playoff victory and an 11-win season for the first time since 1994.The Browns have long been considered the NFL's poster child of embarra sment. Since returning to the league in 1999, Cleveland recorded 16 losing seasons and made the playoffs just one time prior to Mayfield's arrival. The Browns went through 28 different starting quarterbacks prior to Mayfield -- by far the most in the NFL.While the rest of the league is reserving judgment on Mayfield, Cleveland fans have the franchise quarterback they've been coveting since Bernie Kosar was leading the team to consecutive AFC Championship Games in the mid-1980s. When Mayfield took over as the Browns' starting quarterback in Week 3 of the 2018 season, Cleveland was winle s in 19 consecutive games and just 1-35-1 in its last 37 games. Since Tony Parker Jersey Mayfield took over for in that Week 3 game, the Browns are 24-22, while Mayfield hasn't mi sed a start (the Browns won just 24 games from 2011 to 2017). TB QB #6 CMP%62.8YDs3563TD26INT8YD/Att7.33 Mayfield as transformed the Browns into AFC North contenders, giving the organization hopes of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. In the first edition of "By The Numbers" for the 2021 season, let's take a look at Mayfield's historic start and how he's chasing numbers only has reached in NFL history. Andrew Luck -- 12,957Peyton Manning -- 12,287 -- 11,636 -- 11,299Baker Mayfield -- 11,115Andrew Luck -- 86Peyton Manning -- 85 -- 78Baker Mayfield -- 75Jameis Winston -- 69Baker Mayfield -- 89.1Jameis Winston -- 87.2Andrew Luck -- 86.6Cam Newton -- 86.4Peyton Manning -- 85.4Carson Palmer -- 63.79Baker Mayfield -- 61.89Jameis Winston -- 60.82Peyton Manning -- 60.39Cam Newton -- 59.80The degree of difficulty for quarterbacks getting drafted first overall and succeeding in the league immediately is high. For every Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck who play well, there is a Jeff George and JaMarcus Ru sell who flop in their first few seasons -- whether by injury or performance. Quarterbacks drafted first overall are under intense pre sure to succeed once they take the field.Mayfield isn't just one of the most succe sful quarterbacks to be selected No. 1 overall in league history after three seasons, he has reached marks only Manning and Luck have accomplished. Mayfield joined Manning (1998-2000) and Luck (2012-2014) as the only players Dennis Rodman Jersey in NFL history to record at 3,500 pa sing yards with 20 touchdown pa ses in each of their first three seasons -- all three are No. 1 overall picks. There's even more history on the line for Mayfield as he enters his fourth season.If Mayfield throws for 3,500 yards in 2021, he' Dominique Wilkins Jersey ll join Manning as the only players in league history to throw for 3,500-plus yards in each of their first four seasons. The same applies if he throws for 20 touchdowns again with those 3,500 yards.Manning and Marino are the only players in NFL history that have thrown for 15,000 pa sing yards and 100 touchdowns after four seasons. Mayfield needs 3,885 pa sing yards and 25 touchdown pa ses to reach those marks.The 17-game season will aid Mayfield in his quest for history, but there will be no asterisk involved. The NFL never put an asterisk when the schedule switched from 14 to 16 games in 1978.While Mayfield has been on the verge of history, the Browns quarterback is etching his place amongst the franchise's all-time great quarterbacks. Cleveland has come a long way from the never-ending rotation of starting quarterbacks the franchise tried to employ through two decades. Brian Sipe -- 23,713Otto Graham -- 23,584Bernie Kosar -- 21,904Frank Ryan -- 13,361Tim Couch -- 11,131Baker Mayfield -- 11,115Otto Graham -- 174Brian Sipe -- 154Frank Ryan -- 134Bernie Kosar -- 116Baker Mayfield -- 75Brian Sipe (1980) -- 4,132Brian Sipe (1981) -- 3,876Bernie Kosar (1986) -- 3,854Baker Mayfield (2019) -- 3,827Brian Sipe (1979) -- 3,793Brian Sipe (1980) -- 30Frank Ryan (1966) -- 29 (2007) -- 29Brian Sipe (1979) -- 28Baker Mayfield (2018) -- 27Baker Mayfield (2020) -- 26Sipe is the only quarterback in Browns history to throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in a season, marks Mayfield can reach over the next Keita Bates-Diop Jersey several years with the 17-game season in play. Mayfield continues to move his way up the Cleveland record books, needing just 2,247 yards to move past Ryan into fourth place on the all-time pa sing yards list. He needs 42 touchdowns to pa s Kosar for fourth on the pa sing touchdown list.Mayfield already has a list of notable accomplishments with the Browns this early in his career.Mayfield is the first quarterback in Browns history to throw for 10,000 yards in his first three years.His eight career games with 300 pa sing yards are the third most by a Browns quarterback since 1950. Sipe has the most with 18 and Kosar is second with nine.Mayfield is the second Browns quarterback to start 16 games in consecutive seasons (2019-2020) and his streak of 44 consecutive starts is the longest by a Browns quarterback since Sipe started 70 from 1978 through 1982.Mayfield is fifth in Browns history in games with at least two touchdown pa ses (24) and has the most multiple pa s touchdown games in his first three years for the franchise.Mayfield threw at least 20 touchdown pa ses in each of his first three seasons, the first Browns player to accomplish the feat. He was also the first Browns quarterback to reach the mark since Brian Sipe reached it from 1978 through 1980.Mayfield was the first Browns player to start George Gervin Jersey his career with three straight seasons of 3,500 pa sing yards, and just the second player in franchise history to reach 3,500 yards in three straight years (Sipe, 1979-1981).Mayfield recorded at least one touchdown pa s in each of his first 17 career starts, trailing only Kurt Warner (23) for most consecutive starts with a touchdown pa s to begin an NFL career.Not only has Mayfield put up impre sive numbers for the Browns, but the franchise wins games as a result. The Browns are 15-1 when Mayfield posts a 100-plus pa ser rating, 14-1 when he posts a 100-plus pa ser rating and a pa sing touchdown, and 12-1 when he posts a 100-plus pa ser rating and multiple pa sing touchdowns. Cleveland is also 9-0 when Mayfield completes at least 70% of his pa ses. Cleveland has waited a long time for a quarterback like Mayfield to lead the franchise. Mayfield's stability at the position is why the Browns are an AFC contender for the first time in 35 years and have a significant opportunity to win their division for the first time since 1989.The succe s of the Browns in 2021 hinges on Mayfield. Based on the numbers, there's a strong opportunity for Cleveland to return to the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since reaching the playoffs in five straight seasons from 1985 to 1989.
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