Browns to learn whether Mayfield needs Beckham
On other teams, the news that star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is lost for the season with a torn knee ligament might send playoff chances into a death spiral.
Although the Cleveland Browns had their worst fears confirmed Monday, there is no reason to panic. In the long run, the Browns might learn more of what they need to know about quarterback Baker Mayfield without Beckham.
There is no reason for fans to abandon hope of a playoff berth, and not just because the Browns (5-2) have the third-easiest remaining schedule in the league (opponents have a .412 win percentage), according to Tankathon.com.
They still have a wealth of talent on offense, albeit no one with the name cachet of Beckham.
With Kareem Hunt shouldering the load, they boast the third-best rushing attack in the league, even with Nick Chubb on injured reserve. Gamewrecking defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward are playing at Pro Bowl levels.
But what most bears watching is that Beckham’s injury gives the Browns at least nine games — barring a COVID-19 shortened season — to explore whether Mayfield is better off without the threetime Pro Bowl receiver. Mayfield’s performance in the final three quarters of Sunday’s 37-34 victory over Cincinnati indicated he might be.
Without Beckham, Mayfield set a franchise record with 21 consecutive completions, breaking the mark of 16 shared by Bernie Kosar (1989) and Kelly Holcomb (2003).
After going 0 for 5 in the first quarter, Mayfield completed 22 of 23 passes — the only incompletion a spike to stop the clock. Hunt, tight ends David Njoku and Harrison Bryant and receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-jones caught passes.
Even without their best deep threat in Beckham, the Browns racked up big plays. Bryant’s long gain went for 35 yards, Higgins’ for 30, Landry’s for 28 and Peoples-jones’ for 24, that the game-winner with 11 seconds remaining.
Although Browns coach Kevin Stefanski would not acknowledge that Mayfield played more freely, that’s how it looked.
Seemingly gone was the pressure on Mayfield to keep Beckham happy, to get him multiple touches and to constantly look to throw deep. On the play that Beckham was injured, he didn’t seem aware the ball was coming his way. That smacks of Mayfield trying on his own to get Beckham involved, always key to unlocking a big day from him.
Going forward, Stefanski said he didn’t believe massive changes would be required.
“I would not say drastically altered,” Stefanski said. “I think we have to do a good job as a staff understanding the players we have at our disposal, and what they do well, and make sure that we tailor a game plan to those talents.”
Without Beckham, and with Chubb perhaps one game from returning, coaches might have an easier time doing that. There is incongruity in the Browns’ offense with Beckham, questions of whether he’s a good fit. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has said he taught Mayfield the footwork needed for a West Coast system in which the Browns’ scheme is rooted. But as Mayfield struggled through the first six games, he seemed to be fighting that plan.
Although the West Coast system emphasizes short passes and quick slants to set up long runs or passes, Stefanski and his staff tweaked it to a run-first mindset. But Mayfield could have resist
ed that approach because, in his mind, “West Coast” connotes a dink-and-dunk style. That’s not trendy, splashy or headline-grabbing, even though it looks to be Mayfield’s best route to NFL success.
His 21 consecutive completions at Cincinnati were electric and captivating, though, and he may be swayed if there’s more of that to come.
Perhaps Mayfield believes he can’t be both a game manager and a gunslinger. With his bold, daring personality, he probably shudders at the former. But quarterbacks are measured by record, playoff victories and championships, not 50-yard bombs to Odell Beckham Jr.
The unfortunate outcome of Beckham trying to chase down a defender after a Mayfield interception might turn out best for Mayfield’s future if he realizes that. And it might turn out best for the Browns if their quarterback emerges without their gifted star.