Baker Mayfield catches game-tying 2-point conversion on Browns' version of Philly Special
Trick plays are all the rage in the NFL.
Now a rookie quarterback making his pro debut is getting in on the action.
No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield took his first NFL snap late in the second quarter Thursday after Cleveland Browns starter Tyrod Taylor left the game with a concussion. He led the Browns to their first score of the game to spark a comeback from a 14-0 deficit in a 21-17 Browns win.
Baker Mayfield on receiving end of trick play
But that drive isn’t what turned heads. It was how the third quarter ended when the Browns closed the gap with the New York Jets to 14-12 with a Carlos Hyde touchdown.
Trailing by two, the Browns opted for a two-point conversion attempt. Their first crack failed when offsetting penalties set them up for another go.
At that point Browns head coach Hue Jackson pretty much said screw it and pulled out the trick play to tie the game.
Mayfield lulled defense to sleep pre-snap
Mayfield lined up in shotgun before casually drifting to line up behind left tackle. Before the Jets knew what hit them, running back Duke Johnson had lined up behind center to take the snap.
Johnson swept right before flipping the ball to wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who found Mayfield wide open in the end zone.
Baker Special?
The goal-line trickery is an obvious nod to the “Philly Special” play that the Philadelphia Eagles used to catch the New England Patriots off guard at the end of February’s Super bowl.
The Eagles also dialed up a tweaked version of the play to spark their Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
How does this play still work?
And now the Browns are using it. How the play catches defenses napping at this point is a bit of a mystery. Maybe coaches thought prior to Thursday that it was illegal for a team other than the Eagles to use it.
It also seems something the Browns might save for a touchdown situation. But with Mayfield thrust into the spotlight and a win-hungry team desperate for a spark, it was apparently time to make the call.
The result is Mayfield logging a two-point catch before throwing his first NFL touchdown to help log a win in his professional debut.
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