Who is Emily Mayfield? Baker Mayfield's wife shuts down Browns fans after defeat to Chargers
Baker Mayfield has had a turbulent time in the 2021 NFL season. After Sunday's high-scoring loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland fans targeted their quarterback on social media.
Mayfield's wife, Emily Wilkinson, took to her Instagram to share her frustration with Browns fans blaming Mayfield when things go sideways. She wrote:
“For all of you ‘fans’ who are blaming yesterday’s loss solely on Baker, wake up,” Wilkinson said. “It was one hell of a game and that game could have gone either way. He left it all on the field."
A statement by Emily Mayfield on Instagram today #Browns : https://t.co/Ld21FwmXrx
She added:
“You truly don’t know what you have. I have watched him give his all and change the entire culture in CLE, yet he gets so little credit for it. He never asks for recognition and continues to carry the weight day in and day out, despite the hate. If you’re a true fan, SUPPORT our guys. Baker, and everyone else. The hate does NOTHING for them.”
Is Baker Mayfield to be blamed for the Browns' loss?
In the 47-42 loss to the Chargers, Mayfield threw for 305 passing yards and two touchdowns while putting up 40 points. Usually, that would win teams a lot of games. However, the Browns became the first-ever team in NFL history to score over 40 points, have no turnovers, rack up over 500 yards of offense, and still somehow lose the game.
Mayfield had a season-high quarterback rating of 122.5 on Sunday.
It may be a little harsh to blame Mayfield, but one play towards the end of the game certainly sticks out. Facing a 3rd-and-10, the Browns decided to run the ball straight into the Chargers' defensive line. Many claimed that the Browns did not throw the ball because Kevin Stefanski did not believe Mayfield could get the job done.
Mayfield spoke to the media in his post-game press conference and gave his thoughts on how the game went. He said:
“I thought we were efficient in the pass game. We just didn’t make the plays we needed to, so I’m not going to be happy about it. We didn’t win the damn game. That’s truly all that matters to me. I’m going to be hard on myself regardless. I didn’t do enough today to win the game.”
Mayfield has been heavily scrutinized since he entered the league in 2018. He is looking for a good season as he chases a new contract with his rookie deal set to expire in 2023. Whether he gets it or not remains to be seen.
It doesn't get any easier for Mayfield and the Browns as they face the undefeated Arizona Cardinals and Kyler Murray in Week 6.