Baker Mayfield has a clearly defined weakness to overcome

Through 18 games of his NFL career, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has a clearly defined weakness. He struggles against teams that present a consistent pass rush without relying on blitzes to generate it. It started with the Houston Texans on the road last year where Mayfield threw three interceptions in the first half and in the three games against the Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers this year, it has held back the Browns offense and consequently, they've lost those games.

In situations where Mayfield can't quickly decipher where a throw should go either because the defense is doing a good job in coverage or he's not making the right read, he holds onto the ball too long, tries to extend plays and takes bad sacks.

And until he's able to come up with a meaningful course of action against these teams and situations, it's going to hold him back from reaching his immense potential. That's what is currently happening with quarterbacks like Jared Goff and Dak Prescott. The difference is the levels of success they've enjoyed while dealing with it. Goff is coming off of a trip to the Super Bowl and Prescott has been to the playoffs.

First and foremost, Mayfield has to accept that every play doesn't have to work. Occasionally, Mayfield will throw the ball away, but it typically results after holding the ball an extended amount of time. There are times when Mayfield has been able to extend plays and make things happen, but the reward is not worth the risk. In multiple games, it has made winning the game far more difficult or straight lost it.

Part of the problem is because Mayfield has been doing this, it's becoming a reputation and opposing pass rushers are playing hard the whole way, thinking they'll have an opportunity to get him on second and third efforts.

The result is Mayfield is beating himself before the opponent has a chance. There are simply too many negative plays that can be laid at his feet. Incomplete passes are better than sacks. Punts are better than turnovers. It's important to note that nothing happening is something that can't be fixed. It's not a fatal flaw and the fact that Mayfield isn't cowering in these situations is important. If anything, he's relying on himself too much, not willing to trust his teammates to do their jobs.

He can also improve his accuracy and make it more consistent, which has been his trademark. His mechanics can continue to get better and he can stop missing passes he shouldn't, typically high.

Mayfield's competitiveness may be part of the issue in why he is unwilling to give up on plays, but it's also the reason it's easy to believe he will get through it. From walk on to transfer to the Heisman Trophy and the top overall pick in the NFL Draft, Mayfield's history is one of addressing and overcoming weakness.

Mayfield has started 18 games. He's immensely talented. There are issues to improve. And that was always what so much of this season was going to be. The Cleveland Browns can win enough games to get in the playoffs this year, figure out who they are and improve. And if the team, Mayfield most notably can improve this year and carry it over to next year, they can make a serious run in 2020.