A few more mid-week thoughts

A bold prediction: Baker Mayfield will not start and/or play in all 16 games for the Browns this season.

Not after what his head coach said a few days ago.

Why, Freddie Kitchens was asked, was Mayfield still in the game in the final moments with the 23-3 victory clearly secured Monday night? The quarterback had taken another physical beating and should not have been exposed to more, particularly with the game won.

Seven minutes remained in regulation and the Jets were all but cooked. And yet here comes Baker, who burned all but a minute off the clock before absorbing his third sack (and eighth in two games) on third down when the drive stalled.

 “He’s our quarterback,” Kitchens said in a conference call with the media Tuesday, explaining he didn’t even contemplate sitting Mayfield down.  “I wanted to make that last third down. Not to say (backup quarterback) Garrett (Gilbert) couldn’t. I wanted Baker to do it.”

Why?  “We’re going to finish the game,” he said in defense of his decision. “That’s what we preach . . . finish the game. That’s what we were trying to do. We were trying to get a first down.” Ignorant stubbornness.

Question: What’s more important, a first down or the health of your quarterback? Wonder if that ever crossed Kitchens’ mind, especially with a porous offensive line operating in front of the face of the franchise.

Where is the wisdom of dialing up a pass play at that point on a third-and-8 at the Jets’ 33? What was there to gain with a 20-point lead and a little more than a minute remaining? Where’s the sense in that?

“We have certain things we’re not going to do,” Kitchens said. “I am not going to call a play that has no opportunity to be successful.” As if the playbook contains such plays.

In theory, every play is designed to be successful. Of course that final play was designed to succeed. At that point, though, common sense dictated something involving the ground game, not a forward pass.

And it failed because of bull-headed coaching. It didn’t have to. Hand the ball off to either Nick Chubb or D’Ernest Johnson, pick up as many yards as possible and kick the field goal.

With ex-Browns interim coach Gregg Williams calling the shots on defense for the Jets, it was evident all game that his men were out to punish the Browns as often as possible. Mayfield was exposed to a slice of that on third-and-8 and paid the price.

He hurt his throwing wrist in the season-opening loss to Tennessee, but seems to have escaped serious damage against the Jets.

Kitchens complains his quarterback is taking too many hits. That obvious observation is coming from the man who can do something about it and hasn’t yet.

He is indirectly responsible for many of those hits, not adjusting to the fact he has a mediocre at best offensive line.

The coach got lucky this time. Mayfield is still vertical. Bruised, but vertical. But for how much longer?

If Kitchens intends to plays Mayfield to the end of games regardless of the score, whether it’s a blowout one way or the other, this prediction has a good chance unfortunately of being correct.

Unless, of course, the head coach sees the error of his ways and adjusts. Right now, that seems more unlikely than likely.

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The Browns have faced 23 third-down situations this far and have converted only five, an embarrassing 21.7% rate of success. A closer look at the numbers pinpoints the reason for the embarrassing total.

The offense has faced third and long (seven yards or more) on 15 of those occasions. Of those 15, 10 were in double-digit yardage, due in part to penalties. No wonder they are struggling.

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Jamie Gillan had quite a day against the Jets, picking up AFC special teams player–of-the-week honors in the process. The Cleveland offense played a large part in helping the Scottish Hammer win the award.

He averaged only 38.5 yards in his six punts, but five landed inside the New York 20-yard line (all fair catches), a factor instrumental in keeping the Jets as far away from the Cleveland goal line as possible.

He punted from the Cleveland 46, midfield, New York 49, Cleveland 35, Cleveland 41 and New York 41 with the five fair catches, Even more remarkable was the absence of a Cleveland penalty on all six punts.