GM Andrew Berry said he expects Baker Mayfield to play his best football with the team's playoff hopes on the line. Could Mayfield's future with the Browns depend on it? (NFL.com)
Challenged by his General Manager, Baker Mayfield acknowledges, ‘It’s crunch time’
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Four downs on Browns (6-6) v. Baltimore Ravens (8-4)
First down: Reality check.
Repeated lost opportunities have put the one-time division-favorite Browns on playoff life support. Essentially, they’ll have to win all three of their remaining AFC North games, plus the game against AFC West contender Las Vegas next week, and then hope for the right mixture of losses among their division rivals. It’s impossible to accurately project any team’s playoff chances because of the random nature of injuries and COVID-19 casualties that have tormented the NFL this year. Mathematically, a loss does not eliminate the Browns. Psychologically, however, falling below .500 this late in a once-promising season would be devastating. The good news is it seems the players have come to grips with the consequence of another loss to the Ravens. “We can’t even look at the finish line right now,” said safety John Johnson. “It does not matter what other teams do if we do not come out and win,” said running back Kareem Hunt. The defensive and offensive leaders of the team were more blunt. “It’s crunch time,” said quarterback Baker Mayfield. “It’s win or go home right now,” said defensive end Myles Garrett.
Second down: Let’s get physical.
Kevin Stefanski’s opening script of 15 or so offensive plays will set the tone for the day, as usual. Does he correct the mistake of the Nov. 28 game plan in Baltimore and put the ball in the hands of stellar backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in defiance of the Ravens’ line of scrimmage-stacked run defense? Or does he fall to the temptation of attacking Baltimore’s depleted, 31st-ranked pass defense and show confidence again in Mayfield to play out of his two-month slump? Chubb and Hunt combined for 15 carries for 36 yards in the 16-10 loss in Baltimore as the Browns genuflected to the Ravens’ sell-out to stop the run. Mayfield’s inability to connect with receivers resulted in the team’s fifth game in the last six with 17 or fewer points with Mayfield behind center. (Backup Case Keenum quarterbacked a 17-14 win against Denver in that stretch.) The slump coincides with Mayfield playing with injuries to his left shoulder, right knee and left heel. At the beginning of the bye week, GM Andrew Berry challenged Mayfield when he said, “We expect him to play his best football down the stretch after the bye.” For his part, Mayfield pronounced himself “quite a bit” better – physically and mentally – after his bye-week respite spent in Arizona and Texas, and acknowledged Berry’s challenge by saying, “Anytime you can kind of step back, kind of re-evaluate everything, come back with a fresh mindset and realize where we are right now and just have that one week at a time mentality. It is what it is so, that is where our heads are, and that is where I play my best.” In another context, Mayfield observed, “It is going to be a physical game.” Despite Baltimore’s deficiencies in its secondary, pounding Chubb and Hunt remains the Browns’ best option of exerting physicality, imposing its will and controlling the game.
Third down: Numerology in the war of attrition.
Every week – heck, every day -- every team’s roster is watered down by injuries and COVID, shrouding the finish line to 17 games in a tunnel of darkness. In the two weeks since the Nov. 28 meeting in Baltimore, the Ravens have lost cornerback Marlon Humphrey (torn pectoral) and right tackle Patrick Mekari (hand). They are expected to be replaced by Chris Westry and Tyre Phillips, respectively. The Browns have lost tight end Harrison Bryant (ankle), tight end David Njoku (COVID), linebacker Anthony Walker (COVID), punter/holder Jamie Gillan (COVID) and cornerback Greg Newsome (concussion). Malcolm Smith should replace Walker, newly-signed Dustin Colquitt will replace Gillan, and Greedy Williams will replace Newsome. What the Browns do at tight end will require a schematic change more than a “next man up” philosophy, however. They did promote tight end Miller Forristall from the practice squad, but did not additionally activate Ross Travis – which means they will have only two natural tight ends in uniform. So Stefanski will have to abandon his beloved 13 personnel (one back, three tight ends, one receiver) playbook. Thus, Stefanski may dial up more of the following alignments: 11 (one back, one tight end, three receivers), 12 (one back, two tight ends, two receivers), 21 (two backs, one tight end, two receivers), 22 (two backs, two tight ends, one receiver), or even – wait for it – 20 (two backs, no tight ends, three receivers). Might he even dig into the old Freddie Kitchens playbook and shock the world with a 30, 31 or 32 look, employing backs Chubb, Hunt and D’Earnest Jackson together? Don’t laugh. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I would bet it would flummox the Ravens for a series, or two.
Fourth down: SOS, defense.
Once-embattled coordinator Joe Woods’ defense has played its best football in all three division games, limiting Pittsburgh to 15 points, Cincinnati to 16 and Baltimore to 16. In the Nov. 28 meeting in Baltimore, the Browns’ defense intercepted quarterback Lamar Jackson four times and held him to 68 yards rushing, with no run longer than 13 yards. Alas, the Browns’ offense didn’t complement that effort. So what does the defense do for an encore? “Go back, look at the tape, see what we did well and try to do that again,” said safety John Johnson. “See what we did poorly, try not to let that happen again and just go from there. If everyone runs to the ball like we did last game, I think we will be just fine.” The Browns had their best game ever defending Browns-killer tight end Mark Andrews, limiting him to four catches on 10 targets and intercepting four passes intended for him. Two broken plays by Jackson, however, on which the Browns lost coverage of Andrews, resulted in two completions – one in the end zone that proved the difference in the game. So there is plenty room for improvement in the rematch. “I know we had a lot of interceptions, but we did not score any so that is something that we are focusing on,” said linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who had his finest game as a rookie. “Focus on some tracking, as well, in terms of tackling and in terms of filling the gaps to which we may have not had a breakout play on the last one as far as plastering. The quarterback loves to extend plays so making sure we stay on our guys. That is something we are keying in on.”
The pick: Ravens 18, Browns 13.
My record: 7-5.
