Mullens could start at QB for Browns today
“Next man up” is a favorite adage of every football coach.
But “next 20 men up?”
That’s the predicament the Cleveland Browns are in for their upcoming game against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, due to a COVID-19 outbreak that could leave the Browns without their starting quarterback, their backup QB and their head coach, among others.
As of Sunday, the Browns had 23 players and three coaches on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to cleveland.com. And given the gravity of the situation, the NFL moved the game to 2 p.m. today from Saturday in an effort to give the Browns a chance to return some of their players to active duty. Still, the list is long.
The Browns learned Wednesday that starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and head coach Kevin Stefanski tested positive and landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. On Thursday, backup QB Case Keenum reportedly went on the COVID list after testing positive, leaving fourth-year quarterback Nick Mullens as the probable starter. On Friday, the Browns added running back Kareem Hunt to the list officially. And Sunday, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney was added to the list while offensive guard Wyatt Teller was removed from it.
Yet the Browns (7-6), who started Week 15 outside the AFC playoff picture after Sunday’s 24-22 home victory over AFC North leader Baltimore, are projecting confidence in the face of mounting odds.
“That is where we are,” Stefanski said. “We have been here before. I do not feel much different than I felt yesterday in terms of everybody has to step up depending on who is available.”
Cleveland is in the NFL’s enhanced protocols, which means daily testing for all tiered personnel, and full-time masking.
If Mayfield and Keenum can’t play today, Mullens would start his 17th NFL game, with special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer as interim coach and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt calling plays if Stefanski remains out.
All of Mullens’ starts came for the 49ers from 2018-20.
Priefer and Van Pelt guided Cleveland to a 48-37 first-round playoff win at Pittsburgh in January when Stefanski was sidelined due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the Raiders (6-7) are pretty much in win-or-else mode after a 48-9 defeat last Sunday at Kansas City dropped them three games out of first in the AFC West with four games remaining. To sneak into a playoff berth, the Raiders probably need to win out and get help down the stretch. But one thing that interim coach Rich Bisaccia says won’t enter the equation is frustration or disappointment after such a poor performance.
“I think it’s a wasted emotion,” he said. “I’m just trying to look at from my perspective, as coaches, ‘What can we do better? How can we help them, put them in better situations or better positions to help them play a little better?’
“I think all the emotions are just feelings that we have of what we didn’t do very well and how we’d like to fix them.”
Las Vegas has lost five of its last six games after going into its bye week at 5-2.
Fields, Bears face Vikings
Justin Fields isn’t judging his progress by the numbers. When it comes to the final four games, the Chicago Bears’ prized rookie quarterback wasn’t about to list any specific benchmarks he wants to hit.
“I didn’t really have expectations coming into the season,” he said. “I’m taking it day by day. You know I didn’t put a number on how many touchdown passes I was supposed to have, this and that.”
Fields’ arm and mobility have the Bears thinking he can develop into an elite quarterback and stabilize a position that has haunted the founding NFL franchise.
The former Ohio State star also has room to grow and could be tested when Chicago (4-9) hosts Minnesota (6-7) tonight.
The Vikings in eight seasons under coach Mike Zimmer and his long-lauded defensive strategy are 7-3 in games against a rookie starting quarterback, including 7-1 since the start of 2017. They beat Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears twice that season. In those 10 games.