The playoff destiny for the Cleveland Browns is right in their collective hands. The next two games (with the bye in between) are against the division leading Baltimore Ravens, and four of the remaining six games are against teams from the AFC North.
If Kevin Stefanski’s squad starts playing their best football starting Sunday night, they stand a good chance of playing beyond the 17th game of the year.
We think 11-6 will get a spot in the tournament for sure, but 10-7 will give you a decent chance in this year’s AFC, but you will be subject to the tie breakers. So, Cleveland needs to go at least 4-2 the rest of the way.
A split vs. Baltimore keeps them in it, but losing both (and the Browns have certainly struggled recently against the Ravens lately) has them looking toward next season.
Here are some thoughts on the Browns heading into this critical stretch:
**There has been a great deal of discussion about whether or not Baker Mayfield should be playing while he is battling his injuries. We feel it indicates a lack of confidence in Case Keenum. Remember, the coaching staff seemed reluctant to start Keenum in the Denver game.
It is crazy to think while Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt are watching practice and see Mayfield hobbling around and not being able to make plays, that they think screw it, we are just going to play Baker even though Keenum is probably better.
Conversely, we don’t believe for a minute that Mayfield is “forcing” his way out on the field.
Our guess is the Browns will have a different backup QB in 2022.
**There is no question the Browns need to upgrade the wide receiver position in the off-season. This is not an indictment on how the team handled the Odell Beckham Jr. situation either.
Jarvis Landry hasn’t been a 100% since early on, and although Donovan Peoples-Jones has stepped up, he’s been hurt lately. Anthony Schwartz can fly, but seems to have trouble getting off the line against press coverage, which can be addressed by getting stronger.
Beyond DPJ and Schwartz, no wide out is averaging over 12 yards per catch. If they were open, we think Mayfield would find them (and yes, we know Landry was open on the first pick he threw against the Lions).
**The defense against the run has slipped badly since the beginning of the season. In the first four games, the most yards given up by the defense on the ground was 82. In the seven games since, they’ve allowed more than 100 yards rushing in five of them.
We know the Browns can run the ball, and the old rule in the NFL (which still holds true, by the way) of “you can’t win if you can’t run the ball and you can’t stop the run”, only holds to Cleveland on the defensive side of the ball.
They allowed 168 yards on the ground against Detroit even though the Lions were playing an extremely inexperienced quarterback.
Is Jadeveon Clowney’s injury that much of a problem?
The Ravens love to run the football, so if Joe Woods and his staff don’t address this before the game Sunday, it could be a long night for the visiting team.
All of the concerns and worries about the Cleveland Browns can be eased by a victory in Baltimore. Win, and you get a week off to heal up before coming home for three of the last five, including a rematch with the Ravens.
It’s right there for Kevin Stefanski and his team.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 