By: Andy Davies

Last season, the Cleveland Browns earned their first playoff appearance since the 2002 campaign and their first postseason win since New Year’s Day in 1995. 

As a result, they went into the 2021 season with plenty of hype. However, it hasn’t worked out like this. The team’s current record is 5-5 and they are in a division where every team has at least 5 wins. 

So, what has gone wrong for a team that many had down as AFC North division winners? Is there still a chance to win it?

Inconsistent Division

The short answer is yes, they can. The AFC North is fast becoming one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL, but no team has managed to get some sort of consistency. Baltimore Ravens fans will certainly tell you that. 

They had a 5-1 start, which included a 46-35 win over the reigning AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs. The week after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 34-6, a team that many have as a Super Bowl dark horse, they lost 41-17 to division rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. On Thursday night, they lost 22-10 to the Miami Dolphins, who were 2-6 before the game. More worryingly for the Ravens, the Dolphins appeared to show the entire league the blueprint as to how to beat them. 

The Cincinnati Bengals were briefly top of the division just a matter of weeks ago but now sits in 3^rd place. We have seen the excitement of the Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase partnership but have equally seen the defense allow at least 34 points their last two games as they suffered defeats to the Browns and New York Jets.

There was a difficult start made by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite the surprise 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week One, they lost their next three games to go 1-3. However, they have not lost a game since and now sit 5-3-1. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but they still have to face the Chargers, Ravens twice, the current AFC number one seed in the Tennessee Titans as well as Cleveland.

Cleveland themselves have to also play the Packers on Christmas Day and the rest of their AFC North rivals, but also get to play a 0-8-1 Detroit Lions and an inconsistent Las Vegas Raiders. Their schedule is fairly favourable, but they have to cut out their own erratic performances if they are to succeed.

Sorting Out Their Own Inconsistencies

The Browns have really struggled for consistency this season. They won three straight games after their opening day loss to the Chiefs but have failed to win consecutive games since. 

If a team is to win championships, then they have to win games consistently. Whilst is it more important how you play in January than how you play in October or November, but you have to make sure you play in January past the regular season.

What have the great New England Patriots sides done in the past? Gotten a consistent run of good form down the stretch. This is exactly what the Browns need to do as runs like this help build momentum and confidence in the crucial postseason games.

The Baker Conundrum

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is easily one of the more polarising players in his position. There are some that feel he is the guy. There are others that view him as nothing more than a ”˜game manager’. 

So far in 2021, he has 1,990 yards, 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. This has him projected to finish the campaign with just under 3,980 yards but crucially just under 18 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. This would have him at around his career best in terms of yardage but his worst season when it comes to touchdown passes.

His career so far has defined patchy. He had amazing seasons in both the 2018 and 2020 campaigns but has been poor in 2019 and 2021. He will be expecting a good season in 2022 judging by how his time as a pro has gone, but there is no guarantee he will earn his new contract. This ends after the conclusion of the 2022 season, which may see him raise his game. He has to be careful that he doesn’t suffer a further dip in form. 

Quarterbacks such as Jimmy Garoppolo and Tua Tagovailoa may be available that would fit into the game manager role and allow the excellent run game to flourish. He will have plenty of suitors due to being the number one overall pick in 2018 and the two excellent seasons he has had but he will want to succeed in Cleveland. This is clear to see. One thing that hasn’t helped is the broken-down relationship with wide receiver OBJ.

The OBJ Dilemma

Say what you want about Odell Beckham Jr, the dynamic around him and Baker’s relationship cannot have helped things in Cleveland. Throughout Beckham’s time in Ohio, the talk of a lack of chemistry between the pair has been a constant talking point.

There is substance to this, with the fact that the Browns made the playoffs last season with Odell injured. 

The loss of running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to injury hasn’t helped, despite the best efforts of D’Ernest Johnson. The one-two punch of both backs reduced the need for Baker to throw to ball to. Instead, these injuries have meant Baker has had to throw to ball to. This can be seen by his stats, with Baker projected to throw for career highs in completed passes and his second highest total in attempted passes. 

OBJ’s dad has posted videos on social media of the amount of times Beckham has been open and not received the ball. There is clear frustration from the Odell camp. Now that he has gone, along with the return of Chubb and Hunt, will help ease the tension at the franchise. Should the struggles ease, with such a good plethora of offensive and defensive talent, this should see head coach Kevin Stefanski guide them to another playoff appearance (or two). Should things further unravel, then Baker will be vastly looking over his shoulder at Free Agency and the 2023 draft quarterback prospects.

The post Looking at the Browns Inconsistent 2021 Season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

With the NFL Draft over and Free Agency remaining very quiet, we’re getting to a point where teams will focus on the players on their roster and the decisions to be made. The Cleveland Browns made several great moves this off-season, and that means the pressure is on for a few players to prove they should be on the team. There will be tough choices to be made from GM Andrew Berry and challenging hills to climb for a few players that have been with the team for a few years. Let’s check out the players with the most to prove in OTA’s and Training Camp.

Greedy Williams – CB

It wasn’t long ago that Greedy Williams was the starter alongside Denzel Ward in the secondary. He had impressive flashes in his 2019 rookie season and also showed plenty of areas to improve on. Either way, the future seemed bright for the LSU product. Unfortunately, Greedy began dealing with a nerve issue in his shoulder before the 2020 season started and he didn’t play one snap. It quickly became concerning because nerve damage is something that can stick around forever, so many wondered if Williams would even play again. Earlier this year, he took to Twitter to announce he was coming back. As exciting as this is for him, the Browns have a stacked secondary after drafting Greg Newsome out of Northwestern and signing Troy Hill from the Los Angeles Rams. All of the sudden, Greedy will have to work even harder to prove he still has the talent to make the roster. He hasn’t played football in a long time, so hopefully he hasn’t lost a step. You can never have too many cornerbacks, so at least he has that in his favor.

Jordan Elliot – DT

One room that has gotten crowded fast for the Browns is the defensive line room. Jordan Elliot was drafted by Andrew Berry in the 3rd round of the 2020 draft and he saw some rotational playing time last season. He finished with 12 tackles, 1 forced fumble and a 55.3 Pro Football Focus grade. There were several moments where he looked like a first string player, but he still has an uphill battle to make the roster and earn playing time in 2021. Cleveland drafted Tommy Togiai out of Ohio State in the 4th round, signed Malik Jackson, and they have Andrew Billings coming back after opting out in 2020. In addition to them, veterans Sheldon Day and Damion Square will be competing for roster spots. Things will be interesting with Jordan Elliot and the defensive line room.

The Browns had arguably the best offensive line in football last season. The starters are set for years to come, but that doesn’t mean depth isn’t needed. Drew Forbes was drafted by John Dorsey in the 6th round of the 2019 draft out of Southeast Missouri State. He hasn’t seen any playing time, but at one time there were rumblings of him having tremendous upside at the pro level after a few years of development. Forbes chose to opt out of the 2020 season, so making the roster in 2021 is going to be very challenging. The Browns have since drafted James Hudson and Nick Harris, both of which can play all over the offensive line. They also brought in Blake Hance who came up clutch in the playoffs against the Steelers, as well as Michael Dunn. Forbes will have his work cut out for him if he wants to wear the brown and orange in 2021.

The post Three Browns Players with the most to prove this Offseason appeared first on Pro Football Mania.