Is There Value on Baker Mayfield for OROY as he Heads into Cincinnati Week 12?
- Books see the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as a two-horse race between Saquon Barkley and Baker Mayfield
- Mayfield leads all rookie QBs in passing yardage (1,984)
- Barkley leads all rookie RBs in rushing yardage (728)
Baker Mayfield is thriving under the new leadership of the Cleveland Browns.
Since head coach Hue Jackson was handed his walking papers, Mayfield has enjoyed two of the best games of his NFL career under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens.
Baker Mayfield's last two games: 46-of-62, 513 yards, 5 TDs and an INT. He's only been sacked twice.
— Andrew Gribble (@Andrew_Gribble) November 11, 2018
It was enough to move 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick Mayfield strongly into the conversation for the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.
Odds to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley (Giants) | -200 |
| Baker Mayfield (Browns) | +200 |
| Nick Chubb (Browns) | +1100 |
| Phillip Lindsay (Broncos) | +2500 |
| Calvin Ridley (Falcons) | +2500 |
Barkley, the odds-on favorite since the preseason, is still in the driver’s seat, but Mayfield looms larger in his rear-view mirror with each passing week.
Is Baker Concocting a Winning Recipe?
Mayfield is growing stronger and more confident as the season progresses and it shows in his numbers and his swagger.
He’s thrown nearly twice as many touchdown passes (13) as interceptions (seven), tossing for nine TDs in his past four games.
“When I woke up this morning, I was feeling pretty dangerous” – @bakermayfield
(via @Browns)pic.twitter.com/f0oXV6pP01
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) November 11, 2018
In his most recent start, the Browns QB threw for a career-best three TDs in a 28-16 win over Atlanta. Mayfield leads all rookie passers in yardage (1,984), TD passes, completions (176), yards per game (248.0) and passer rating (85.7).
Can He Surpass Barkley?
Barkley tops all rookie rushers with 728 yards and seven TDs, and is coming off the best game of his NFL career, a 142-yard performance against Tampa Bay, along with three TDs -two on the ground and one through the air.
That’s just it – Barkley is more than a runner.
.@saquon found the end zone three times in Week 11! #GiantsPride #HaveADay#TBvsNYG pic.twitter.com/wXuxegTJ7J
— NFL (@NFL) November 18, 2018
He has 64 receptions for 540 yards and three TDs.
Barkley is on pace to become just the third rookie rusher in NFL history to gain 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Barkley could even challenge Eric Dickerson’s NFL rookie record of 2,212 yards from scrimmage.
It’s Saquon’s To Lose
As much as Mayfield is trending upward, Barkley isn’t fading in the least. The Giants revamped their offensive scheme to accentuate his unique skill set.
The first of many! @saquon is the Week 11 NFC Offensive Player of the Week. #GiantsPride
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 21, 2018
Recent history is also on Barkley’s side. Two of the last three and three of the last five NFL OROY were running backs. Just one of those five winners was a quarterback – Dak Prescott of Dallas in 2016, after he led the Cowboys to the postseason.
If this were the 1978 Triple Crown, Barkley would be Affirmed and Mayfield Alydar. Yes, he will be a close second . . . but he’ll still be second best.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
