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Browns vs. 49ers: Monday Night Football preview for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 30: Chris Ogbonnaya #25 of the Cleveland Browns is tackled by Donte Whitner #31 and Justin Smith #94 of the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 30, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 30: Chris Ogbonnaya #25 of the Cleveland Browns is tackled by Donte Whitner #31 and Justin Smith #94 of the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on October 30, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with fans after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Levi’s Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates with fans after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Levi’s Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /

Quarterback Comparison: Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Baker Mayfield

Being turnover prone is one of the few things Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo have in common on the young season.

Garoppolo has tossed four picks, compared to Mayfield’s six, albeit having played in one fewer game.

Yet the similarities on the season largely end there.

Jimmy Garoppolo

The interceptions haven’t drastically cut into Garoppolo’s performance this season, as his 69.0 completion percentage and 96.3 passer rating rank eighth and 15th, respectively, among qualifiers.

What’s arguably more telling, however, is Garoppolo has been sacked just twice on the year. Credit to his offensive line, yes. But Jimmy G is also getting the ball out at 2.53 seconds on average, according to NFL’s NextGen Stats, which is good for seventh quickest. Usually, the 2.5-second mark is when protection starts to break down.

Garoppolo isn’t exposing himself at length here, which is a good thing.

Baker Mayfield

In contrast, Mayfield’s time-to-throw average on the year is 2.9 seconds — 34th in the same ranking — which might help explain why he’s been sacked 12 times.

There are many other factors working into this equation, sure. But it’s hard to completely avoid the correlation.

What’s not disputed, though, is Mayfield’s 59.0 completion percentage, putting him 31st among 34 qualifiers in this category. The only QBs behind him are Ben Roethlisberger (IR) of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton and second-year Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen.

Mayfield’s 77.2 passer rating also ranks 30th among qualifiers.