Baker Mayfield did not feel like talking to Hue Jackson after beating the Bengals
Hue Jackson entered Week 12 in a lose-lose situation and somehow it turned out even worse for him.
Jackson was on the sideline for the Cincinnati Bengals as they faced a Cleveland Browns team that Jackson coached up until a few weeks ago. In his time running the Browns, Jackson led the team to an 0-16 season and then kept first overall pick Baker Mayfield on the bench behind quarterback Tyrod Taylor as the team sputtered to start the season.
That led to a few awkward moments in Sunday’s 35-20 Browns victory, none of which was more cringeworthy than Jackson’s attempt to congratulate Mayfield after the game.
Hue Jackson went for the hug and Baker hit him with the “we’re just friends” handshake 😂 pic.twitter.com/khycq8Vhik
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) November 25, 2018
Jackson struggled to get Mayfield’s attention and once he did it became clear the quarterback wanted nothing more than to get away. He confirmed as much in his postgame news conference saying that Jackson was a guy who “was in our locker room asking us to play for him and then goes to a different team we play twice a year.”
Of course football is a business, and fired coaches have every right to find new employment as quickly as they can, but it’s hard to expect much else from a fiery quarterback like Mayfield who struggled to see the field under his previous coach.
There was no doubt this was a revenge game for the Browns. Consider that two of the biggest stars on Sunday were Mayfield and running back Nick Chubb. Those are two guys who Jackson was reluctant to play when he was running the team.
Against the Bengals, Mayfield threw for 258 yards and four touchdowns while Chubb tallied a total of 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Even Browns defenders made sure to go after Jackson. After Damarious Randall intercepted Andy Dalton early in the game, he immediately ran over to the Bengals sideline and handed the ball to Jackson.
It was a rough day for the former head coach. The “L” on the field might’ve been the easiest part.
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Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee
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