Baker Mayfield had the look of a player pushing through a cracked rib early in Sunday's road game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and a person familiar with the injury, speaking to the USA TODAY Network on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the ailment, confirmed that's exactly what Browns quarterback is enduring.
But Mayfield bounced back from his nightmarish outing a week ago in a blowout loss in Pittsburgh and his rough start in Cincinnati to complete a franchise-record 21 consecutive passes and ultimately help the Browns prevail 37-34 over the Bengals.
The Browns improved to 5-2, their best record through seven games since 1994, when they defeated the Bengals 37-13 on Oct.