Baker Mayfield leaves Browns game with knee injury
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield exited Sunday’s game against the Patriots late in the third quarter with a knee injury. The former Oklahoma star was seen struggling to walk off the field on his own and is questionable to return, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Prior to leaving the game, Mayfield was 11-of-21 passing for 73 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He later returned to the sidelines with his helmet in hand.
Backup quarterback Case Keenum entered the game for the injured Mayfield. Keenum started one game for the Browns this year when Mayfield missed because of a shoulder injury, finishing with 199 yards and a touchdown.
Late in the third, the Patriots held a 31-7 lead over the Browns. They extended that to 38-7 after rookie quarterback Mac Jones threw his third touchdown of the afternoon. Jones was 19-of-23 passing for 198 yards with a little more than 11 minutes remaining.
The Patriots are set to improve to 6-4 on the year with this victory. They are just a half game behind Buffalo in the AFC East, as the Bills are set to improve to 6-3 with a win against the Jets. New England is looking to make it back to the playoffs after missing for the first time in 11 seasons in 2020.
Cleveland will fall to 5-5 and last place in the AFC North. That division is particularly tight, as first-place Baltimore entered this week with a 6-3 record. The Ravens are on a bye with no game in Week 10.
Baker Mayfield was already dealing with a shoulder injury, the same one that kept him out in Week 7. Now add to that the knee injury, and things just keep getting more difficult for the fourth-year player and former first round pick.
His next chance to take the field in Week 11 when the Browns are set to take on the winless Detroit Lions.