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

We enter week 3 in the NFL this week and the Cleveland Browns sit at 1-1 on the season, tied for first place in the AFC North. After a sluggish win against the Texans in week two, Cleveland looks to bounce back for their first convincing win of the 2021 season.

Rookie Justin Fields will be making his first career start against the Browns on Sunday. There have been criticisms of how soft Joe Woods’ defense has looked, especially against the Texans in week two. There appears to be a lot of zone being played and just an overall conservative approach. There are a lot of new faces on defense, so maybe it is taking some time for them to gel. Either way, this game should be one where things look different on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s take a look at the winning formula for the Browns this week.

Pressure, pressure, pressure

It feels like the Browns have barely blitzed at all this season. In addition to that, the defensive line hasn’t gotten the pressure that most expected at this point. With a rookie quarterback under center, it will be crucial to put pressure on him multiple times throughout the game. Expect more safety blitzes from Grant Delpit, who had an impressive debut last week with one sack and one tackle for a loss. It’ll be important to rattle Fields early and force him to make mistakes. Joe Woods cannot be timid this week. Dial it up.

Hit a few big plays

After Baker Mayfield dislocated his shoulder last week, the play-calling from Kevin Stefanski became a lot more reserved in order to protect the injury. Jarvis Landry is out this week with an injury, but Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to make his season debut, and it would be wise to try and hit a few big plays with him early. If he does play, the Bears probably won’t expect anything dynamic right out of the gate, which is why hitting a double move early on could be beneficial. Aside from OBJ, don’t be surprised if rookie Demetric Felton gets more involved this week too.

Get a lead going into halftime

Momentum is huge in football games. Last week, the Browns went into halftime tied with the Texans. That is better than being down, of course, but it would be ideal if Cleveland has the lead at halftime. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt absolutely thrive in the second half, so having a lead means you can start feeding them the ball earlier. Plus it will be good for the team’s confidence as a whole to have a lead and then convincingly beat a team that is inferior.

Don’t give the ball away

In both games this season, the Browns have had multiple giveaways. Doing that each game will lead to more losses than victories, so they will have to clean it up against the Bears. No fumbles, no interceptions, just play mistake-free football. This is a game where Baker Mayfield needs multiple touchdowns and no interceptions, and everyone just needs to take care of the ball.

The post Cleveland Browns have a tough matchup against Justin Fields and Chicago Bears appeared first on Pro Football Mania.