Judging from some of the comments we have heard from Browns’ fans since Sunday’s win in Minnesota, hopefully the team can lose enough games to finish high in next year’s draft and they can get a new quarterback.
Look, Baker Mayfield didn’t play a good game in the 14-7 win over the Vikings. He completed less than 50% of his passes, threw for less than 200 yards, and yes, missed some wide open receivers.
But the Browns still won! If that type of performance becomes the norm, and the play of the quarterback becomes a deterrent to winning football games, then and only then, should there be conversations about the QB spot.
Our guess is Mayfield will bounce back this Sunday against the Chargers (we really want to write San Diego) and last week’s contest will be a blip on the radar. We are sure the Mayfield critics will not soon forget though.
However, it would seem to prudent for Kevin Stefanski to dial up a run heavy attack against the Chargers considering they rank 4th from the bottom against the rush in the NFL through four weeks. They are 5th vs. the passing game.
By the way, offensively, Cleveland leads the league in rushing yards.
Los Angeles, led by second year QB Justin Herbert, likes to put the ball in the air, ranking 6th in the NFL. By comparison, the Browns are 26th. So, the Browns defensive front will need to put pressure on Herbert this Sunday.
Back to the quarterback play, we are sure everyone knows on the difference in Mayfield’s efficiency when Odell Beckham Jr. plays and when he’s not on the field. In short, the Browns quarterback plays better when Beckham isn’t on the field.
The first four games haven’t done anything to dispel that notion. His passer rating the first two weeks with OBJ still rehabbing his knee injury was 97.5 and 105.0, completing 81.6% of his throws.
The last two weeks have seen his passer rating at 97.0 and 59.5, and his completion percentage fall to 53.1%.
It will be interesting to see if this trend continues because it is disturbing. Of course, we’ve heard folks ask if it means Mayfield cannot play with an elite wide receiver, and their answer is, we will find out when he gets the chance.
It does seem David Njoku has disappeared from the offense the past two weeks, and we feel he can be a huge mismatch problem for opposing secondaries because matching him up with a linebacker or safety is usually a win for the Browns.
Again, it is a small sample size and hopefully Beckham and Mayfield are on the same page on Sunday and this problem is just another question that will be ignored as the wins keep piling up.
Make no mistake, this will be the biggest challenge for Stefanski’s crew since the opening weekend loss to Kansas City. And it’s on the road, the west coast no less.
The Browns, as a team, and not just Baker Mayfield, need to play better in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon. Winning while playing poorly in the sign of a good football team. So is beating another good football team, and the Chargers are that.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 