Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Dawg Pound was rocking for the Cleveland Browns last home game, but Baker Mayfield wants to make sure fans are doing what's best for the team.
- The Cleveland Browns scored their first home win of the season on Sunday, defeating the Buffalo Bills 19-16.
- Still, the win wasn't perfect, and a brutal false start penalty in the waning seconds of the first half prompted Baker Mayfield to ask Browns fans to be quieter while the team is on offense.
- "We need to be able to have silence in our home stadium," Mayfield said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "It's got to be an advantage for us, and then when they get the ball, it's got to be really loud. It's just basic football.''
- Mayfield and the Browns will see if their request worked on Thursday, when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a must-win game.
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It's been a tough season so far for the Cleveland Browns. After building up some great expectations with a fiery finish in 2018 and the offseason acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns sputtered out of the gate, losing their home opener to the Titans in embarassing fashion.
Since then, things have only slightly improved, with Cleveland sitting at 3-6 at the midway point of the season and in need of a near-perfect second half to have any hopes of reaching the postseason.
This past Sunday was at least a cause for minor celebration, with the Browns earning their first home win of the year in front of a rowdy crowd in Cleveland. But even in victory, things weren't perfect for the Browns, to a point that quarterback Baker Mayfield asked fans after the game to please try and keep it down while the Cleveland offense is on the field.
Mayfield's request stems from the Browns thrwarted drive at the end of the first half against the Bills. As the team pushed for a touchdown, a false start on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line forced Cleveland to instead settle for a field goal.
While the field goal wound up being just what the Browns needed - they went on to beat Buffalo 19-16 - the false start still came at an inopportune time, and Mayfield is hoping he can prevent it from happening again with the help of the Cleveland faithful.
"It was just the fact that when we're on offense, we need it to be quiet," Mayfield said, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "It might've ruffled some feathers, once again that's okay, but when we're on offense on a critical down, we need to be able to have silence in our home stadium. It's got to be an advantage for us, and then when they get the ball, it's got to be really loud. It's just basic football.''
Mayfield has a point, as tackle Chris Hubbard said after the game that the noise was a factor in his false start.
"It was so loud down there,'' he said, per Cabot. "It's crazy. I thought I heard a hut, you know what I mean? So it's one of those where I've got to stay composed and look at the ball."
Mayfield and the Browns won't have to wait long to see if their request to the home crowd pays off, as Cleveland hosts division rival Pittsburgh on Thursday night in a must-win game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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