Giving Mayfield chance to heal in Baltimore a logical idea
When Baker Mayfield isn’t feeling dangerous, his passes usually sail high.
But the Browns quarterback wasn’t just off in Sunday’s 13-10 win over the Detroit Lions. He was way off.
High. Low. Wide. He even inexplicably sprinkled in some pinpoint accurate passes a few times. Go figure.
Injuries played a role in Mayfield’s wild inconsistency. The relevant questions are to what extent and what the Browns will do about it with crucial back-to-back AFC North games against the Baltimore Ravens on deck.
If Mayfield is healthy, he’s better than backup quarterback Case Keenum, but Mayfield isn’t healthy, and he has struggled mightily the past two games.
If the Browns (6-5) were to sit Mayfield on “Sunday Night Football” in Baltimore, it would give him two weeks to heal before the rematch with the AFC North-leading Ravens (7-3) on Dec. 12 in Cleveland. A Week 13 bye is sandwiched by the games.
Last in the division, the Browns really need to win both games to turn their disappointing season around and position themselves well in the playoff race.
“We have a two-game series versus Baltimore with a bye in the middle of that,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after Sunday’s ugly win, “so we have to be at our best moving forward.”
Stefanski can’t possibly believe the Browns can win in Baltimore if he gets the type of quarterback play he did against the winless Lions (0-9-1).
The logical approach would be to rest Mayfield.
Mayfield should not have even finished the game against the Lions, not after he started limping on the Browns’ final possession of the third quarter.
Mayfield finished 15-of-29 passing (51.7%) for 176 yards and a touchdown with two
interceptions for a rating of 53.2. He went 11-of-18 passing (61.1%) for 124 yards and a touchdown with an interception for a rating of 77.1 in the first half. He went 4-of-11 passing (36.4%) for 52 yards with an interception for a rating of 14.2 in the second half.
Mayfield went 1-of-7 passing for minus-1 yard with an interception on the Browns’ final four possessions of the game. Those possessions
unfolded after he started limping.
Mayfield had another awful outing in last week’s 45-7 loss to the New England Patriots (7-4), throwing for a careerlow 73 yards.
Yes, Mayfield played well two weeks ago in a 41-16 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, but his health has significantly changed since then.
Mayfield has been playing through an injured, left non-throwing shoulder since the second game of the season on Sept. 19. He has been wearing a harness in hopes of preventing the shoulder from repeatedly dislocating.
But Mayfield’s newest injuries seem to be his greatest obstacles now. He injured his left heel Nov. 7 in Cincinnati and suffered a bruised knee Nov. 14 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Are Mayfield, Browns on the same page?
There seems to be a disconnect somewhere.
For the first time in his NFL career, Mayfield wasn’t gung-ho about pushing through injury when he spoke about it in the buildup to the Lions game. Stefanski sounded more confident about it in the middle of last week.
Then Mayfield played, had trouble doing so and stayed in the game despite Keenum throwing passes on the sideline to start the fourth quarter, a warm-up Stefanski said he didn’t know had happened.
Did Stefanski consider removing Mayfield from the game?
“He was cleared to go in there,” Stefanski said. “I think you guys know he’s toughing it out, and he’s battling.”
Mayfield wasn’t himself. Instead of celebrating the win with his teammates on the field, he made a beeline to the locker room immediately after the game. Then he left the stadium without meeting with Browns beat writers. Mayfield has never done that before.
Mayfield has never been this beaten up in his career, either, or booed by the home fans the way he was in the fourth quarter Sunday.
The hope Mayfield and the Browns shared entering the season that he would play himself into a long-term contract extension has not at all gone according to plan.
Now Mayfield and the Browns must have an open, honest conversation about what will be best for the franchise in Baltimore.