Underachievers anonymous

It's really quite simple. Here we are roughly halfway through the 2021 National Football League season and the Browns have either forgotten how to win games or become incapable of doing so when it counts. Maybe both.

Yep, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his 39-year-old body did it again Sunday, stealing a 15-10 victory simply by letting the Browns self destruct, lifting his career record against them to 25-2-1, including 12-2-1 in Cleveland. Suffice it to say, Browns fans will not miss him after he retires at the end of the season en route to his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction..

The loss was the Browns' third in the last four games (including two at home). They now stand 4-4 with victories over Houston, Chicago, Minnesota and Denver, teams with a combined record of 11-19 (not counting late Sunday or Monday night games). The four losses have been dished out by Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona and now Pittsburgh, teams with a combined record of 18-11 (ditto). 

Coming into this season, the Browns were regarded by many in the NFL community as one of the top teams in the entire league. Solid, even dangerous, on offense, on the come on defense with practically a whole new cast via free agency. 

A .500  record at this point was completely unexpected and is unacceptable. Or should be. If this team is better than last season's 11-5 group, why isn't it winning games that must be won? That is how good teams become solid teams. And solid teams become great teams. And great teams become championship teams. Beat the teams you should and split with the others.

The Browns are so far removed from any of those categories now, it will be extremely interesting to see how head coach Kevin Stefanski handles his team from now on. Right now, it is a team with no clear direction. The offense is stagnant and the defense is clueless in the clutch. He's got major damage control to address.

Coaches like to say when things go wrong to "find a way" to do your job better. Well, the Browns sure have a lot of finding to do.

You know it's bad when Jarvis Landry, inarguably the most reliable member of the team, drops key and very catchable passes and fumbles at a critical time. The fumble didn't hurt because of excellent transition defense, but the drops were deflating.

And it's bad when the Steelers hold the Browns, the best running team in the league, to less than 100 yards on the ground even with what is presumed a healthy Nick Chubb. who put up only 61 yards on 16 carries. Pittsburgh's defensive line, which has had problems stopping the run this season, beat the Browns' offensive line off the snap all afternoon with six-and seven-man fronts.

The answer, it sure would appear, is the Browns can't -- and eventually don't -- win the games they need to win even though they are better from a talent standpoint. They almost always come up short when it counts. The offense, in particular, is playing right now with what sure looks like no confidence.

The only good news about the offense Sunday was Baker Mayfield, playing with a torn labrum and broken shoulder bone in his non-throwing arm, came out unscathed from a physical standpoint. He was sacked four times, three of which were of the coverage variety by a solid Pittsburgh secondary.

After the game, Mayfield was realistic. "It's on all on us," he said. "Everybody is going to point fingers at a few plays, but the fact is we just didn't get into a rhythm today, We stubbed our toe a few times. . . . just didn't make the plays we needed to win."

In reality, there was a reason for toe stubbing in play here. The reason worked on the side of the football opposite the Cleveland offense. It's a smothering defense designed to throw off the kind of rhythm so important to the Cleveland attack. 

After a decent first two series that produced 114 yards and a Chase McLaughlin field goal in the opening quarter, the Steelers' defense tightened and racked up back-to-back three-and-outs (combined -5 yards from scrimmage) and permitted just one first down in the second quarter 

A rare bad decision by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin kept the halftime score at 3-3, the lowest score this season at the half in the NFL. A botched fake field goal attempt by Steelers kicker Chris Boswell, who had tied the game with a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter, knocked him out of the game.

Boswell was drilled by Browns defensive lineman Jordan Elliott after his pass fell incomplete in the end zone late in the first half. He did not return, forcing Tomlin to go for two points after touchdowns.

The Browns took a 10-3 lead on their first possession of the second half with an eight-play, 86-yard march, featuring Chubb's longest run of the afternoon (21 yards) and a 21-yard connection with tight end Harrison Bryant, D'Ernest Johnson stepped the final l0-yards after a nice cutback at the point of attack. That, as it turned out was it for the offense.

Roethlisberger answered immediately with a 12-play 88-yarder, rookie running back Najee Harris  scampering the final  eight yards, hurdling over two defenders at the goal line. The two-point attempt failed to keep the Browns in front by a point. Harris was a workhorse with 29 touches and 120 yards from scrimmage.

On their next possession, the Steelers traveled 81 yards and reached the Cleveland two in nine plays. Tomlin gambled on fourth down after the Browns held on the first three plays, 6-5 rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth outjumping Browns safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. for the score. Again, the two-point try failed.

The Browns still had a chance, actually two, but chances mean little if they aren't taken advantage of. Landry fumbled away the first opportunity at the Pittsburgh 20, ex-Brown Joe Schobert raking the ball out of the wide receiver's arms after an 11-yard gain with a Mayfield pass.

On the second, the Browns advanced to the Steelers' 24 with three minutes left thanks in large part to a questionable roughing-the-passer call on Pittsburgh linebacker Alex Highsmith. The drive failed when Landry, who had dropped one pass earlier in the drive, dropped a catchable one in first-down territory on fourth down.

The stats pretty much tell the story of this game, the Browns with one exception looking like a team stuck in mud after a promising start. Their first two possessions produced 21 plays and 108 yards; the last seven only 37 more plays for 200 yards.

The Browns limited the Steelers offense to just 20 plays and 49 yards on the first three series, but Roethlisberger and his crew busted out with 321 yards in 49 plays the rest of the way, Harris doing the bulk of the work. 

There are still nine games left, argue those who lean toward optimism, and this club is starting to get healthier after an avalanche of injuries robbed them of some valuable talent. Not to worry. It will get better.

Sure there are nine games left, argue those who lean toward pessimism -- or, as I like to call it, realism -- and this team better start winning now against a tougher second-half schedule, starting next Sunday in Cincinnati. 

Time for this underachieving team to start overachieving. In other words start knocking off teams it should or last season's fun season will become nothing more than an aberration and a nice remembrance.

Keeping Mayfield vertical

When the Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers get together for the 140th time in their 82-year-old rivalry Sunday on the shores of Lake Erie, the emphasis should be on the game itself. Unfortunately, that will not be the case..

This one has a subtext. It comes in the form of a quarterback for the Browns who, under ordinary circumstances, would sit this one out. What will take place, though, is far from ordinary.

First of all, there is nothing ordinary whatsoever about Baker Mayfield. He has been a lightning rod since that late April day in 2018 when the Browns stunned the world of professional football and made him the No. 1 overall pick in the college football draft.

Since then, he has become the face of the franchise. In his brief career, his highs have been nearly stratospheric, his lows plunging to depths that would damage those who have trouble dealing with failure. His resilience has no boundaries. So, it would appear, does his ability to deal with pain.

When he trots out Sunday for the Browns' initial possession of the game, he will do so with injuries that would at the very least sideline others for at least a brief period of time. It took a fully torn labrum in his left shoulder and a broken bone in said shoulder to tether him to the sidelines for last week's victory over Denver. In addition, his shoulder has popped in and out on several occasions.

All week leading up to this game, no one knew for certain whether Mayfield would miss two games in a row until head coach Kevin Stefanski, after watching him practice for three days and, presumably, with consent from the club's medical staff trumpeted his return to lead the huddle.

"He's met all the requirements medically," Stefanski said. "I feel good about that process and how that went. It's pretty simple,  . . Medically, he's ready to go. . . . Baker feels he's ready and ready to help this team win."

And how does Mayfield, himself, feel about what's going to unfold in a game where he's far less than 100% physically?  "If you go out there (and) you're scared, you're timid. That's how you really get hurt seriously, so I can't do that." 

I guess that means he was scared and timid previously because he was clearly seriously injured enough where he had to miss a game. That's how he got hurt in the first place. Scared and timid? Nah. Careless? Definitely.

Mayfield has been battered all season long. He has been sacked 18 times in six games and either hit or hurried on at least a few dozen other occasions. Part of his problem this season has been his inability to locate open receivers and extend plays with his legs, often getting trapped in the pocket.

One team that thrives on quarterbacks who lack mobility is the one coming to town to visit Sunday. The Steelers, edge rusher T. J. Watt in particular, always seem to take it to another gear for the Browns. And you can bet one of their targets -- maybe No. 1 -- will be Mayfield's left shoulder.

All it takes to exacerbate his condition is taking a shot to that shoulder or falling on it once again while attempting to escape pressure. It has happened too often for it not to happen again. That seems to the gamble Stefanski is willing to take to win.

In what ways has Mayfield protected himself? Correct answer: None. All you have to do is look at his patient chart and the only conclusion you would come to is he has learned nothing with regard to protecting himself. Not protecting himself is what got him into this mess.

Because of that problem, Stefanski, as the playcaller, will almost have to call a defensive kind of game on offense. Low-risk, high-percentage passes that leave Mayfield's hand quickly, Nothing that takes time to develop. Cater to the situation and be conservative. Counter, or at least neutralize, the Pittsburgh pass rush.

The ground game, which leads the National Football League, will take care of itself with the return of Nick Chubb and D'Ernest Johnson and be Cleveland's biggest weapon on offense.

Defensively, the job for the Browns will be somewhat easier. The Steelers, at 3-3 and coming off a bye, have had trouble scoring this season, averaging just 19 points game with season high of 27. Ben Roethlisberger, now 39, is playing like a 39-year-old quarterback unlike 44-year-old Tom Brady, who is playing like a 30-year-old quarterback.

Big Ben, who has feasted on the Browns (24-2-1) since entering the NFL, has thrown for only seven touchdown passes this season and fumbled five times, losing three. He also lost JuJu Smith-Schuster, his most reliable receiver, in week five with a season-ending shoulder injury. But he still has Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington, each of whom has hurt the Browns in the past.

Rookie running back Najee Harris is the Steelers' biggest threat. The dual-purpose back has totaled 632 yards from scrimmage (105 a game) on 136 touches and scored four of the club's 12 touchdowns.

Key to the afternoon for the Cleveland defense lies in the line's ability to take advantage of a mediocre Steelers' offensive line and make life miserable for Roethlisberger, likely making his final appearance in Cleveland.

The Browns have 20 sacks on the season, a robust and near-record nine coming in the Chicago victory. In four games since then, the Cleveland pass rush has mustered only eight sacks, four by Myles Garrett, who seems most of the time to be a one-man gang with 9.5 overall.

All this adds up to a low-scoring game with the Browns building a barricade around Mayfield to keep him vertical, throwing in a few play-action rollouts to keep the Steelers defense honest and mainlining Chubb and Johnson on the ground.

A couple of notes: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 10-4 coming off the bye week, three of those losses coming on the road. . . . And Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are doing the game for CBS. Why do I mention the latter? Because I can't remember the last time those two were in the booth for a Cleveland victory. 

So until that changes, I will continue -- regardless of the situation entering a game -- to pick against the Browns with Nantz and Romo on board. They'll be in Cincinnati, too, a week from Sunday for the Browns-Bengals game. Make it: Steelers 20, Browns 18

Mid-week thoughts

It sure looks as if Baker Mayfield fully intends to start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers despite major injuries that would idle other quarterbacks. "People talk on the outside," he says. "They don't know how I feel nor do they decide whether I can go or not."

He wants to play. Who could blame him? This is the Steelers; the classic archrival. That's the kind of attitude you like to see from one of your team leaders. But realism has a way of interferring with clear thinking. That seems to be the case here.

Nursing a torn labrum and broken bone in his left shoulder, suffice it to say the bravado Mayfield displays is foolish in that the next big blow he receives in a collision sport as he plies his trade very well could turn his career in an entirely different and unfortunate direction.

The guess here is the Steelers dearly want him to start Sunday. They have the kind of defense that inflicts large doses of pain. And being keenly aware of Mayfield's physical problems, his left shoulder becomes a bull's-eye if he starts.

Mayfield has also proven since initially injuring the shoulder in week two against Houston that he hasn't learned how to avoid further damage. His broken shoulder is the result of an awkward landing on his already-damaged shoulder while being strip-sacked by J.J. Watt in the Arizona loss. His shoulder pops in and out routinely it seems.

As if the Steelers needed any more incentive, memories of that 48-37 shellacking the Browns delivered in last season's wild-card playoff game in Pittsburgh still resonate in the their locker room.

The Steelers love teeing off on Mayfield. In six career meetings with Pittsburgh, he has been sacked 16 times and battered unmercifully on numerous other occasions. And with his recent problems with regard to finding open receivers and inability to escape the pocket, he would be a sitting target.

The Steelers are not the kind of football team you want to expose your quarterback to, especially one with significant injures that could seriously jeopardize the difference between winning and losing. At 4-3, the Browns can ill afford to lose this one.

It makes much more sense to sit Mayfield, who is 3-3 against the Steelers and thrown for more than 200 yards just once, at least one more game and let Case Keenum become the game manager. A 100% Keenum gives the Browns a much better chance to win than a 50%, at best, Mayfield.

Right now he clearly is not thinking with his head. This is the time when head coach Kevin Stefanski needs to look at the bigger picture and do what's best for his team, not his quarterback. 

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Question of the week: Is Denzel Ward really a shutdown, or lockdown, cornerback? It's been about three-and-a-half seasons now sinceWard, a native Clevelander, was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2018 college draft by the Browns.

During that time, has Ward been a difference maker? National Football League quarterbacks generally avoid cornerbacks who make plays that affect the outcomes of games. What I've seen of Ward does not fit that description.

Don't get me wrong. He is very good at what he does, but he is not a game-changer like, say, Trevon Diggs of the Dallass Cowboys, or Jalen Ramsey of the Los Angeles Rams, or Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers.

When drafting a corner that high in the draft, you better make damn certain he is a playmaker. When then- General Manager John Dorsey had the chance to draft edge rusher Bradley Chubb with the fourth pick, he went with Ward instead after conferring with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Ward, who has yet to play a full 16-game season with the Browns (he has missed 11 of 55 games), does not seem to be a ballhawk. He had only two interceptions at Ohio State in three seasons and just seven thus far with the Browns. 

Doesn't sound like the player they thought they were getting when they surprised draft pundits by selecting Ward so high. He hasn't been a bust by the strict definition of the word, but he hasn't been a standout, either. The best you can say about him is he is above average. A fourth overall picks should be better than above average.

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The Browns drafted eight young men from the collegiate ranks last May. Five have been either major or significant contributors to the cause on both sides of the football. The other three fall under the category of "he's still on the team? I didn't know that."

Cornerback Greg Newsome II (round one), linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (round two), wide receiver Anthony Schwartz (round three), offensive lineman James Hudson III (round four) and running back/wide receiver Demetric Felton (round six) have made themselves known to the public.

So where are the other three? And who are they? Well, there's fourth-round pick defensive tackle Tommy Togiai from Ohio State; and fifth-round picks linebacker Tony Fields II and safety Richard LeCounte III (the Browns are big on Roman numerals).

Yes, this trio is still on the active 53-man roster. But you'd never know it because they play anonymously on special teams only. LeCounte, who played five scrimmage snaps in the season opener and none since, has logged 47 other snaps on special teams in games one, four, six and seven, Fields has seen 50 ST snaps in games three, four, six and seven.

Togiai, who was expected to challenge for a role along the defensive line, has surprisingly been a healthy scratch for every game. And yet there he is, No. 93 on the main roster. Hmmmmm.

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John Johnson III is by far the busiest member of the defense this season. The free safety has played 98.86% of the plays -- that's 433 snaps -- in the first seven games. Ward is the busiest corner with 357 snaps (81.5%). Defensive end Myles Garrett checks in with 343 snaps ((78.37%), while slot corner Troy Hill has logged 317 snaps (72.37%).

On offense, center JC Tretter, left guard Joel Bitonio and right guard Wyatt Teller are the iron men, playing all 481 snaps. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin have missed either entire games or parts of them. What makes Tretter's feat remarkable is he does not practice during the week in order to protect issues with a knee.

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Finally . . . Why does it seen second-year tight end Harrison Bryant is being targeted less this season? Because he is. He was targeted 38 times as a rookie, catching 24 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and 14 first downs. This season, he has been targeted just 12 times in seven games for 84 yards, no touchdowns and four first downs. He is on pace to be targeted just 29 times this season. What gives? . . . It seems as though Schwartz is being used more as a decoy than one of the prime receivers? If so, why? . . . Notice Blake Hance is the first plug-in at either tackle instead of Hudson in the event of injury? Good move. . . . Eleven players have landed on injured reserve so far this season, Running back Kareem Hunt and JOK are due back by the middle of next month.

Friday leftovers

So what did the Browns' 17-14 victory over the Denver Broncos Thursday night prove? Correct answer: Plenty.

In no particular order, it proved . . . 

The Browns can win a football game with backups at quarterback, running back and offensive right tackle; Case Keenum is Baker Mayfield lite; the depth on offense is better than originally thought; D'Ernest Johnson is the best third-string running back in the National Football League; and the Browns have the best offensive line in the league despite all the injuries. And that's just the offense.

Defensively, it proved . . . 

When unleashed by coordinator Joe Woods, this team flies to the football; the safety blitz is still in the playbook; the tackling improved at least 100% over the last two games during which the D surrendered 84 points; the pass coverage was tighter and much more focused; the pass rush, however, needs more help from the tackles; and the safeties really do know how to play correctly in over/under coverage.

Let's break it down.

Johnson, at least based on his 142-yard effort against the Broncos, is arguably every bit as as good as many starting running backs in the league. Eighty-four of those yards came after contact. He also forced six missed tackles, at least two with classic jump cuts, and broke five more. 

It was a statistical display associated more with Nick Chubb, who watched and enjoyed the performance from the sideline with a calf injury. If Chubb is not ready for the game against Pittsburgh a week from Sunday, suffice it to say Johnson will get his second start.

Even if Chubb is ready to go against the Steelers, Johnson becomes the go-to guy when Chubb needs a rest. Kareem Hunt is on injured reserve. Even so, there will be little to no dropoff in talent with Johnson, though an argument can be made the Steelers' defense is considerably stronger than Denver's.

In the case of Keenum (yes, intentional), head coach Kevin Stefanski got exactly what he wanted out of the 10-year veteran. No egregious mistakes. Terrific game management. Intelligent decisions. He threw for just 199 yards. And was the winning quarterback.

Keenum is never going to put up Mayfield numbers. He doesn't own a strong arm. He tried to stretch the field once against the Broncos and failed. He is best at short- to mid-range passes to tight ends and running backs with occasional rips to slanting wide receivers.. He plays within his limitations. As long as it works, why not continue?

ProFootballFocus was more explicit: "Keenum wasn't spectacular, He didn't need to be." Truth is he rarely is. He is the type who keeps the chains moving. That's been his MO throughout his career. He is a game manager, a throwback field general.

As for the offensive line, it is the heartbeat of that side of the football. No team blocks better in the run game. All five men were outstanding when Stefanski dialed up a run play, On the other hand, the pass protection needs to be a little tighter, although Keenum helped by extending plays with his legs.

Standouts included tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Blake Hance. Wills has battled an ankle sprain incurred in the season opener in Kansas City. He played every snap against the Broncos for the first time this season. Hance, who can play every position on the line, moved to right tackle for Jack Conklin in this one and played well.

Defensively, it was refreshing to see the speed and quickness on that side of the ball utilized to its fullest extent in the first half. Two first downs. A trio of three-and outs. A takeaway, Sure tackling. No blown coverages. Where has this unit been the last two games? 

And the blitzing? More of it, please. Denver quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked only twice, but was forced to get rid of the ball before he wanted on numerous occasions. In many cases, that's the next best result to a sack.

All in all, it was a game the Browns needed and the closeness of the final score in no way indicates how much the Browns were in control. It was very much a team victory. 

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Now the Baker Mayfield saga.

The young Cleveland quarterback has a completely torn labrum and now a broken humerus bone -- it's called a Tuberosity fracture -- in his left shoulder. Technically, it's a fracture of a bony bump located opposite the head of the humerus, according to orthoatlanta.com.  It interferes with the rotator cuff and generally takes anywhere from six to 12 weeks to heal after surgery,

If that does not scream surgery for Mayfield, nothing does. It seems, however, there is a conundrum within the organization. The Browns, perhaps because they aren't sure how to handle this, are doing so cautiously. They do not want to come right out and use the word "surgery."

Stefanski was asked by the media Friday if resting Mayfield for another week will be beneficial for his quarterback. "I don't know the exact answer to that," he admitted. "I would just tell you we are going to continue to listen to the medical staff on this. When he is ready, he is ready."

A little later, he was asked if the club was hopeful Mayfield would be available for the Steelers game. "We have been very consistent with our medical team with Baker on this injury and I will continue to listen to the medical staff of when Baker is ready to go."  A non-answer.

This all goes well beyond just one game. Mayfield is badly damaged. Exposing him to the possibility of even more damage is reckless. He is still young enough where fixing the problem surgically ensures he will be able to continue his career when healthy. Subjecting him to the possibility of further damage in a collision sport makes no sense.

This is more about Mayfield's future as an NFL quarterback than it is about the 2021 season. Besides, Keenum has been here before, taking over in Minnesota when two quarterbacks went down for the season early and he stepped in to take the Vikings to the NFC championship game. He knows the routine well.

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If Keenum does finish out the season, look for Stefanski to utilize a three tight end look often. In the Broncos victory, he targeted David Njoku, Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant just six times. They were in the game for the most part to block for the ground game and downfield in the passing game.

As he said the other day, Keenum is made for this role. This is what he does. Initially, it was helping Mayfield understand Stefanski's offense and the philosophy that generates it. And now if the shoulder injury sidelines Mayfield for the season, he is ready.

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Best run of the night -- well maybe not the best, but definitely the most important -- belonged to Keenum, whose little five-yard scramble helped set up the touchdown that gave the Browns a 17-7 lead  in the final minute of the third quarter. The 13-play, 75-yard journey was in response to the Broncos' first score of the evening.

Third and three at the Denver six and no one came open for Keenum. So he took off right up the gut, breaking two tackles, gouging out enough for the first down, before being stripped of the ball at the one. Hooper recovered the ball in the end zone, giving the ball back to the Browns at the site of the fumble. Next play, Keenum found fullback Johnny Stanton IV by his lonesome in the end zone.

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Finally . . . Keenum spread the ball around to 10 receivers, It probably would have been 11, but Donovan Peoples-Jones injured a groin muscle warming up before the game and did not suit up. . . . Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, back after a three-game visit to injured reserve, were targeted 13 times and grabbed seven for 60 yards. . . . The Browns controlled the ball for a season-high 37 minutes, including 21 in the first half, and were nine of 15 on third down, , , , On the negative side, nine penalties for 60 yards is concerning. , , , Middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. led the defense with 10 tackles, seven solo. . . . Kicker Chase McLaughlin missed his first placement of the season when his 41-yard field-goal attempt late in the second quarter was blocked by Shelby Harris, who earlier in the possession recorded the only sack against Keenum.

Breathing easier

It wasn't pretty. It didn't need to be. It produced a victory, something the Browns hadn't experienced since winning their third straight game in Minnesota 18 days ago.

It was a game they had to win. Losing was not an option for a team hauling a two-game losing streak into the second game of a three-game homestand, The margin for error was narrow enough that one slip along the way would have been devastating. It never showed up.

The 17-14 victory over the Denver Broncos Thursday night in a game that lived down to expectations saw both teams play plenty of football between the 20-yard lines, treating the red zone as though it was off limits.

The Cleveland offense, behind the outstanding running of D'Ernest Johnson and strong leadership of quarterback Case Keenum, looked sharp for a major portion of the game while the defense came alive for the first time since Minnesota.

The injury-riddled offense, operating with Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and right tackle Jack Conklin in street clothes, shot out to a 10-0 start on their first two possessions of the game and held on because the defense, mainly the secondary, stopped blowing coverages.

A victory is a victory no matter how it is achieved. But this one felt especially good because most of the vibe in the last couple of weeks turned so negative, causing some members of Browns Nation to conjure up thoughts of the first two decades since the resurrection of the franchise.

In a way, it was almost like starting from scratch Thursday night with the offense running a lot of basic plays on the ground and through the air, designed to keep the chains moving and the Broncos' defense on the field. It worked beautifully in the first half when the Browns ran 38 plays to just 16 by Denver.

Nothing fancy. Just grind-it-out football featuring an offensive line that manhandled the Broncos' defensive front, creating nice holes and protecting the second-string quarterback.

Johnson, filling in so beautifully for Chubb one would have thought it was Chubb himself, gulped up 146 yards on just 22 carries and scored the first touchdown of the game as the Browns needed only 2:40 to travel 75 yards in just five plays.

The key play was a beautifully executed middle screen to tight end Austin Hooper that completely fooled the Denver defense. It gained 40 yards on the second play of the drive and set up Johnson, who galloped the next 34 yards, including the final four into the end zone. It was ridiculously easy,

The next possession produced another nice drive, but it was stalled by a Joel Bitonio hold and head coach Kevin Stefanski settled for Chase McLaughlin's 52-yard field goal. McLaughlin's 41-yard attempt with two minutes left in the first half was blocked, but that made no difference because the Cleveland defense was dominant in the first half.

The Broncos ran just 16 plays for 76 yards on four possessions that took a mere 8:49 off the game clock and produced just two first downs. Denver quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was completely baffled by a very active Cleveland defense.

Defensive stats for the first half: A shutout that featured  a trio of three-and-outs, three punts and a pick. The Broncos ran just three plays in Browns territory. The closest they got to the Cleveland goal line in the half was the 31. That drive was ended by free safety John Johnson III, who picked off a poorly thrown ball by Bridgewater in the end zone. It was just the third interception by the Browns this season.

Tha Denver malaise ended quickly at the beginning of the second half when the Broncos, looking like a completely different team, took the opening kickoff and marched 76 yards in 16 plays, Melvin Gordon scoring from nine yards on a Bridgewater pass, breaking a Denzel Ward tackle at the three.

The Browns answered right back and regained the 10-point lead with a 13-play, 75-yarder, Keenum hitting fullback Johnny Stanton IV, all alone in the left flat, from a yard out following a terrific ball fake. 

The Broncos added a little drama with an exhausting 17-play, 80-yard possession, converting four third downs along the way, rookie running back Javonte Williams galloping the final nine yards with a screen pass. .It was a three-point game again with five minutes left in regulation, which automatically triggers angst among Browns fans.

Not this time. The Broncos never saw the football again. The D'Ernest Johnson Show wrapped up the victory in stylish fashion, running the ball seven times in nine snaps, picking up 52 yards and forcing the Broncos to exhaust all their timeouts. They knew he was going to get the football and still couldn't stop him. Sort of like Chubb.

Keenum was the ringmaster, though. He managed a mistake-free game, distributing the football to 10 different receivers. His offensive line was terrific, opening up sizable holes for Johnson, who also displayed his ability to break tackles and gain extra yardage.

Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr.'s sprained ankle held up well and Blake Hance, who moved over to right tackle for Conklin, more than held his own.

Even though the Browns never lost the lead, they had trouble putting the Broncos away. And yet, it was the kind of victory fans can look back and point to as a small turning point in a season where injuries have greatly dictated the club's direction. 

It served as momentary salve following the news Mayfield had suffered a broken bone in his left shoulder in last week's loss to the Arizona Cardinals. His status for the Pittsburgh Steelers game a week from Sunday will be determined between now and then. 

Singing the losing blues

The Cleveland Browns -- or a reasonable facsimile thereof -- take to the national television stage Thursday night with an offense that resembles a M*A*S*H unit and a defense that gives defense a bad name.

Word Wednesday that Baker Mayfield's starting streak as the Browns' quarterback will end at 51 games as soon as Case Keenum takes his first snap changes the entire complexion of game seven of the National Football League's 2021 season against the invading Denver Broncos.

The Cleveland offense is a battered and bruised mess. Gone for the time being are the starting quarterback, starting running backs, best wide receiver and, likely, starting tackles. Besides, the three tight ends are having trouble catching the football as is the second-best receiver.

No one knows what to expect from an offense with backups at every key position except the center, who hasn't practice at all this season, and two guards. The vaunted running game is no longer vaunted. It will be handled by D'Ernest Johnson, Demetric Felton and John Kelly behind a suddenly-suspect line. Oy!

Head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski will be supremely challenged to navigate extremely choppy waters against a decent Denver defense (compared to the Browns'; more on that later). And because it's Keenum in this one, look for Stefanski to go ultra, ultra conservative.

There will be nothing fancy. Primarily basic stuff for a quarterback who hasn't started a game in nearly two years, one not noted for throwing a football at anything resembling or approaching dazzling velocity. He is the polar opposite of Mayfield.

But he knows Stefanski's offense. At least that's what those in the know say. That's why he's in Cleveland. Here's a sliver of evidence to back up that conclusion.

Back in 2017, Keenum came off the bench with the Minnesota Vikings and had the only career year in his well-traveled 10-year career, fashioning an 11-3 record as a starter. The Vikes finished 13-3 and won the NFC North. Stefanski was his quarterbacks coach. Thus the connection.

Since then, the 33-year-old Texan has failed twice-- with Denver and Washington -- in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately department. We are on the verge of finding out now that he is reunited with Stefanski whether he can summon the old magic.

Is he still the same quarterback who led the Vikings to the NFC Championship game four seasons ago? Or is he just a proverbial journeyman who was fortunate his old quarterbacks coach in Minnesota is now a head coach and believes he still has the talent to replicate, at least on a brief level, that season's wizardry?

If nothing else, Keenum is quite confident, perhaps overly so. "I feel very ready," he says. "I've been ready. You don't have to get ready if you stay ready and I've been ready since I got here (in 2020).  I'm excited. . . . I'm built for this. This is what I've done my whole career."

As for Keenum making his Cleveland starting debut, Stefanski said via the club's public relations machinery, on Wednesday. "We have full confidence in him to lead us and do the things necessary to put us in a position to win."

The other backups also have their coach's weighty confidence. "I honestly have a ton of confidence in all of our backups," Stefanski told the media in a very Stefanskian way Tuesday. "I really do. I think these guys stay ready so they don't have to get ready. (Sound familiar? Check above.) I think they do a great job in the meeting room and on the practice field."

When a coach uses words like "honestly" and "ton of confidence" and "I really do" to bolster thoughts,  my skepticism gene kicks in. It's nice the players do well in meeting rooms and in practice. That's not the problem, It's how it all translates to game day that has been the largest concern lately.

Over the years, I have seen players terrible in practice, but show up big time on game day. Conversely, I have seen terrific practice players fail to show up for games. I prefer the former type of player. Often times, there's too much emphasis on practicing. 

The Cleveland defense, with the exception of rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's trip to injured reserve, seems to have improved in the health department. It is vitally incumbent that side of the football rescues their brethren on the other side in a time of need. That offense, such as it is, is not nearly strong enough anymore to merely outscore teams when the defense is absent.

The only way the Browns win this one is if the defense does what it is supposed to do, which they failed to do the last two games with spectacular ineptitude. It made last season's ugly defense, which lingered pretty much all season, look downright pretty by comparison.

With no Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and ostensibly Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin and a Denver defense that had been stingy until last Sunday, it's difficult to be optimistic about what lies dead ahead. The lone saving grace? The Broncos arrive on the heels of a three-game losing streak.

A season that looked so bright for the Browns as recently as two weeks ago is now teetering with two straight crushing losses. The likelihood of a momentum change, especially with such little time to prep for the Broncos, has been railroaded by an onslaught of injuries (19 names on the injury list). Thursday night will be an important litmus test.

There are too many negatives surrounding the Browns entering this one. The offense obviously is a shadow of the dangerous crew that opened the season. The defense, while getting better from a health standpoint, is not from a performance standpoint.

Denver's running game with Melvin Gordon and rookie Javonte Williams and a passing game featuring wide receiver Courtland Sutton and tight end Noah Fant is strong enough to continue baffling the Cleveland secondary, complementing Teddy Bridgewater's 70% passing accuracy. The heart wants to say the Browns end Stefasnki's two-game losing streak. The head says the streak reaches three games. 

Make it: Broncos 20, Browns 13

Reality slap

Murphy's Law paid an extremely painful visit Sunday to the stadium the Browns call home. Actually, there are seven of them. The first and seventh applied to what unfolded in the club's ghastliest performance of the young 2021 National Football League season.

The first says, "If anything can go wrong, it will." That one lasted all afternoon against the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals. From a ragged beginning to an even more ragged conclusion, the Browns were nowhere close to being ready to play a football game.

The seventh law says that "left to themselves, things have a tendency to go from bad to worse." That one was written with the Browns in mind following their 37-14 battering by the still unbeaten Cardinals witnessed by a full house of stunned fans.

Nothing worked. The offense was offensive and not in a good way. The defense was even more offensive, again not in a good way. The same mistakes that plagued them in last Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers showed up again and again and again.

The Browns didn't stand a chance in this one. They kept beating themselves as quarterback Baker Mayfield personally gifted the Cardinals defense with two fumbles and an interception -- not to mention the five times he was sacked -- in the club's most inept and sorry performance since the Hue Jackson era.

Entering the season, the Browns were one of the favorites to not only reach the postseason for the second season in a row, but seriously challenge for their first-ever appearance in the Super Bowl. Right now, thinking like that falls under the category of dreaming.

This clearly is the worst a Kevin Stefanski team has looked in his 23-game tenure as head coach. He has an awful lot to unpack as he tries to put this 3-3 team back together and he has only a few days until a Thursday night date at home against the Denver Broncos.

He has an awful lot of correcting to do at 76 Lou Groza Blvd. in Berea. There's a whole mess of cleaning up to do. The head coach does not like excuses so let's not talk about the absence of offensive tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin and running back Nick Chubb.

Why the Browns ran only seven times in the first half is a question only Stefanski can answer as his offense sputtered on its first four possessions as Cards quarterback Kyler Murray led his offense to five straight possessions that put points on the scoreboard, 23 to be exact.

In a believe-it-or-not moment, the Browns actually pulled to within a deceiving nine points on the final play of the first half when Mayfield and Donovan People-Jones hooked up on a 57-yard Hail Mary that, as it turned out, gave people false hope this one was far from over.

Yes it was because the defense, which is becoming more clueless by the game, still can't defend against the pass. And here we are after game six. It's supposed to be the other way around by now. Opposing receivers continue to come wide open due to blown coverages. Confusion reigns in the secondary.

Denzel Ward and rookie Greg Newsome II were back from injury. Made no difference. Ward was flagged twice for pass interference. Newsome, back after a three-game respite on injured reserve, looked just like, well, just like a rookie.

The offense does not escape blame for a second half that produced a robust zero points. Mayfield was battered throughout the game by a relentless Cardinals pass rush that sent him to the medical tent with a recurrence of his left shoulder injury in the first half and the bench late in the game when Stefanski mercifully yanked him.

To make matters worse, the Browns lost running back Kareem Hunt, filling in for Chubb, with what appeared to be a right calf injury with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter. He pulled up short on a fourth-and-4 pass at the Arizona seven that was dropped by Odell Beckham Jr. in first-down territory.

The pain was bad enough that he had was placed on what some used to call the meat wagon, which wheels players to the dressing room if they can't walk back. Not a good sign especially with Chubb temporarily shut down. 

It comes down to this with the next game just a few days away. Stefanski has been putting out so many fires in the last couple of weeks, there isn't nearly enough time to right this ship by then. What looked so good after the first four games despite a few warning signs has turned into a disaster in progress.

It wasn't supposed to be this way at this juncture. The secondary, most of whom apparently are slow learners, is getting worse. The pass rush has all but disappeared. The crisp tackling that stood out early in the season, has gone stale.

And the head coach/playcaller seems to have lost his way philosophically. Just because he lost his top running back doesn't mean you turn over the game to a quarterback who has shown lately he has lost his ability to make plays.

Extending plays used to be one of Mayfield's strengths. Not anymore. 

Combine that with a defense that has regurgitated 84 points in the last two games and you get a football team on the verge of turning a season that included "Super Bowl" in the thoughts of many throughout the NFL universe and trashing it.

It will be interesting to see how Stefanski handles his first genuine crisis since taking over. He has enjoyed the journey thus far. The hard part of the job has arrived.

Another slugfest?

As if it wasn't bad enough facing -- and losing to -- a high-powered team last weekend in Los Angeles, it could conceivably be even worse for the Browns Sunday when they return home to entertain the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals.

For the second week in a row, the Cleveland defense that saved games two, three and four with outstanding efforts and collapsed against the Los Angeles Chargers will be challenged to stop a team that couldn't be stopped until San Francisco slowed them down but lost, 17-10, Sunday.

The Cardinals' undefeated streak drips with good fortune. They should be be 4-1 for this one. In week two in the their home opener, the Cardinals led by a point with seconds left and the Minnesota Vikings threatening. Vikings kicker Greg Joseph, who earlier had made a pair of 52-yard field goals, was wide right from 37 yards on the final play.

The Cards entered Sunday's victory over the 49ers averaging 35 points a game after bludgeoning the first four opponents and becoming the talk of the league.  Even though they lost, the 49ers appeared to unlock the secret to slowing down head coach Kliff Kingsbury's high-powered offense featuring quarterback Kyler Murray.

Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods, possibly still dazed at how Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and his cohorts slapped his defense back to reality Sunday by savaging a secondary hampered by injuries and blown coverages, might want to look at the game tape on that one to figure out how to stop the elusive and very accurate Murray.

Unlike the Chargers game, where cornerbacks dropped like flies, Woods will have close to a full complement for Murray.

Like the Browns did in weeks 2-4, the Arizona defense rescued the offense and shut down the 49ers, probably because starter Jimmy Garoppolo was injured and rookie Trey Lance was overmatched. 

The smallish Murray -- at barely 5-10, he's two-plus inches shorter than Baker Mayfield -- is rarely brought down due to his twitchy quickness and great speed. It's like trying to catch a gnat. Because of that, he is difficult to hem in the pocket, making plays that oftentimes defy description.

He is also deadly accurate now that he has been furnished with one of the best wide receivers rooms in the NFL, completing 75.5% of his passes to the likes of DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, A. J. Green, the ex-Cincinnati veteran, and flashy rookie Rondale Moore, a 5-7 stick of dynamite.

And with a howitzer attached to his right arm, the stocky Murray is able to squeeze throws through the tiniest windows with just four interceptions in 165 attempts. He doesn't fit the prototype of an NFL quarterback, but somehow gets the job done.

Defensively, the Cards are opportunists with 10 turnovers and a +5 turnover ratio. But Sunday, they'll have to do it minus half the starters on the defensive line, edge rusher Chandler Jones and tackle Zach Allen back in Phoenix with COVID-19. Joining them will be Kingsbury, who ceded control of the game to quarterbacks coach Cam Turner and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.  

The strength of the Cards' defense lies in the back seven with Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins, a pair of young 6-4 linebackers, and ubiquitous free safety Budda Baker, who anchors the secondary.

Woods isn't the only Cleveland coach efforting to restore order on his side of the football. His boss, the head coach and playcaller on offense, also faces a challenge after what went down in the stretch run last Sunday against the Chargers.

Nothing wrong with the running game and the passing game, dormant for a few games, has once again come to life. More than anything, Kevin Stefanski must clean up the mess he engenders with his strange playcalling in the final moments of games that can be won, but aren't.

What he needed against the Chargers was a large dose of Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield's most reliable wide receiver who has been idled since game two against Houston. And he just might get that Sunday with Landry placed on the active squad Friday. If he's ready, he's playing. That, if nothing else, boosts the effectiveness of the offense.

Like Woods, Stefanski is dealing with injury concerns that robbed him of his starting tackles for the entire last quarter against the Chargers. The man needs a bye week, but won't get one until week 13. It's entirely posssible Jedrick Wills Jr. (ankle) and Tony Conklin (knee) will not be ready for the Cardinals.

If that is the case, it will be Blake Hance and rookie James Hudson III and cross your fingers. Adding to the dilemma will be the absence of Nick Chubb with calf miseries, which means Kareem Hunt will get a majority of the carries with D'Ernest Johnson and rookie Demetric Felton ready just in case. Hunt is an established starting running back in the NFL, so there will not be any dropoff in production

It is possible Stefanski, since he does not have all his weapons on offense, will pull back a bit and become more conservative and eschew long-developing pass plays, especially if his starting tackles can't go.

The Cardinals game is the first of three outings in a 14-day span for the Browns, who welcome Denver on a Thursday night and then the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks from Sunday. They are 8-2 at home under Stefanski, who has never lost two games in a row as a head coach.

A look at the Cardinals stats suggests this one, too, could turn into another slugfest. Four quarters of dynamic and entertaining football, The Browns have compiled 2,088 offensive yards from scrimmage; the Cardinals sit at 2,066. Both teams have shown the ability to play solid defense on occasion. Tough call.

One of these days, the Cleveland offense and defense will climb onto the same page and lay a whipping on some poor unsuspecting team. Hasn't happened yet. It says here Sunday will be that day, leaving the NFL with zero undefeated teams.  

Hunt will continue battering opposing defenses -- the Cards cough up 139 infantry yards a game on defense -- and get help this time from a rebounding Mayfield, a defense that neutralizes Murray for the better part of four quarters and a head coach/playcaller who learns lessons the hard way and keeps his losing streaks to just one game. Make it: Browns 27, Cardinals 17

Monday leftovers

It has been Kevin Stefanski's way of being a respected head coach to protect his players publicly. It's a hard and fast rule to never speak negatively about any of his players.

He will always take the selfless route in the postmortems of games. "Blame me on that one," he will say about a bad or ill-timed play call. "That one is on me. I've got to clean that up." Pointing fingers of guilt at someone else is not in his playbook. The players love him for that and play harder.

It has become a staple to the point where you can expect it somewhere in the breakdown of every game. It's all very admirable. But every now and then, he should be taken literally instead of shrugging off the notion he is just deflecting.

Case in point took place three times in Sunday's disappointing loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles. The club's chief playcaller on offense, normally an aggressive, in-your-face type, went conservative and in the mind of numerous fans cost the Browns a victory.  

Waning seconds of the first half, Browns up 17-13 and the defense makes a play deep in Chargers territory, safety Grant Delpit causing a turnover with a jarring hit on running back Austin Ekeler at the LA 22. Thirty-eight seconds left and not one shot at the end zone. A 31-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin was the parting gift.

More coaching brain farts occurred late in the zany fourth quarter on consecutive possessions as Stefanski took his foot off the pedal. The most egregious arrived shortly after the Browns ducked a bullet when Chargers kicker Tristan Vizcaino missed his second point-after of the afternoon and maintained a one-point lead at 42-41 with 3:15 left in regulation. 

Three ineffective plays, including a puzzling draw play on third and 10 that gained three yards, had Browns fans wondering what the hell was happening. Such a peaceful surrender with the lead was antithetical to Stefanski's basic offensive philosophy.

The resultant Jamie Gillan short punt was returned into Cleveland territory, setting up the Chargers' winning touchdown against a worn-out Cleveland defense, setting up Stefanski's third tactical and/or strategic error of the day.

After allowing (helping?) Ekeler to score that touchdown, the Browns still had 91 seconds (and no timeouts) to maneuver into position to be in position to win the game. The Browns ran 10 plays (including two spikes) in that span and advanced the ball just 22 yards.

Noy once did Baker Mayfield attempt a sideline pass to stop the clock. Everything was in bounds and relatively short. Not one receiver made himself available to make a play. In situations like this, Mayfield needed his most reliable receiver. But Jarvis Landry, who always seems to come through in the clutch, is stuck on injured reserve with a sprained MCL.

Yes, Stefanski has to work with whoever is available, But if it worked for the first 50 or so minutes of the game, there was no reason to believe it wouldn't at that point of the game. The fact it didn't makes me wonder whether Stefanski in games like this with so much going on and whose outcome is determined in the final moments needs help. It happened in the season opener in Kansas City and now this.

He is the head coach who is responsible for all aspects of the team. Maybe it's time in moments like this he cedes temporary control of the offense to Alex Van Pelt, whose lone responsibility as coordinator is to  just that side of the ball. 

His deflection this time takes on a greater meaning because of the result of the game. Once again, he pointed fingers at himself. "I need to do a better job," he said for the umpteenth time. "I share in that loss just like everybody else does. . . We're going to win these games together and lose these games together. I need to do a better job."

He might start by looking at the big picture instead of the one he has taken on himself. No, this one he blew all by himself by not being himself when it counted most.

*      *       *

There seems to be a growing conclusion that Mayfield and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are just not a good fit. Mounting evidence points heavily in that direction

Ever since Beckham arrived in a trade from the New York Giants a couple of years ago, he and his quarterback have rarely been on the same page. He was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle, bringing along a sterling reputation as one of the best receivers in the NFL.

And yet, the two have connected roughly 55% of the time in 26 games. That is not nearly enough for this tandem. They have played together enough now to have serious doubts whether they will ever become effective.

In the Chargers loss, it was as though Beckham was a spare part. He was on the field for 58 (of 71) snaps and was targeted just three times. Three measly times for the club's No. 1 receiver. Donovan People-Jones and Rashard Higgins were thrown to 12 times.

Beckham caught two passes for 20 yards, but it was the one he didn't catch fans will remember. Mid second quarter, the Browns trailing 13-10 and driving nicely. Fourth and two at the Los Angeles 17 and another Stefanski fourth-down gamble instead of a field goal.

Beckham runs a shallow cross right to left and Mayfield targets him for the first time and hits him in stride in first-down territory. The perfectly thrown pass leaks through his hands into his pads and flutters harmlessly to the ground. Browns Nation gasps. 

With the trading deadline looming in about three weeks, what else do the Browns need to see to convince them that holding on to Beckham isn't in the best interests of the team? Hasn't General Manager Andrew Berry seen enough?

As much as Beckham made his reputation in New York with Eli Manning, it has been quite the opposite in Cleveland. There is no evidence that points to the situation changing. Ignoring him Sunday was borderline insulting to the star, who complains when he doesn't see the ball enough.

It would not surprise if he quietly asks to be shipped out to a team that appreciates his talents and has a quarterback who can cater to them.

*      *       *

I come from the school that believes officiating does not determine the outcome of games. Players and coaches do. There are way too many mistakes by players in the game of football that factor into the equation. 

Yes, officials make mistakes. They are human,. That's why instant replay has been used as an officiating tool to correct those errors. And generally, it has been effective.

I bring this up because a couple of bad calls against the Browns Sunday have been used as reasons they lost Sunday.  Uh, no. The Browns lost because the defense collapsed. It had nothing left in the tank in the fourth quarter when the Chargers scored touchdowns on four straight possessions, gaining a robust 262 yards that took only six minutes and 26 seconds off the clock.

That is what lost that game. Not the officiating, although I can't quarrel with the terrible call on Browns cornerback A.J. Green, who was flagged for pass interference against the Chargers' Mike Williams on a fourth and four from the LA 41 midway through the final quarter.

Replay clearly showed Willians tugging at Green's jersey as the two wrestled for the pass, which fell incomplete. The nearest official to the play only watched. The trailing official did not see the jersey tug and threw his flag. The 33-yard penalty enabled the Chargers to go on and tie the game at 35-35. Marginal call at best, but it happens.

No mention of the final play of the Minnesota game when Browns cornerback Greedy Williams all but mugged Adam Thielen of the Vikings in the end zone on a Hail Mary and did not draw laundry. Somehow, these things have a way of evening out.

*      *       *

It's time for the front office to reevaluate punter Jamie Gillan and perhaps bring in some free agents to challenge him because he seems to be regressing. 

His fine rookie season saw him average 46.2 yards a boot and 28 of his 63 punts land inside the 20-yard line. Last season, his average dropped to 44 yards per with only 14 of his 51 punts landing inside the 20. This season, the average has dipped to 41.8 yards with only five of his 15 punts inside the 20.

His diminishing numbers is a warning sign right now, His lack of distance has to be a concern. And who can forget his mishandling a snap in the season opener in Kansas City that led directly to the Chiefs' comeback?

The Scottish Hammer seems to have lost his effectiveness as someone coached to dictate field position for the defense. His weak 42-yard punt late in the fourth quarter Sunday enabled the Chargers to begin their game-winning drive in Cleveland territory. 

*      *       *

Finally . . . The Browns became the first team in National Football League history to lose a game where they scored at least 40 points and did not turn the ball over. Until Sunday, NFL teams were 463-0 in such games. . . . Now that he has proven he can be a dangerous target, it's time to integrate tight end David Njoku more heavily into the offense. His seven-catch (on seven targets), 149-yard, one touchdown day was a personal best and should elevate him over Austin Hooper. . . . Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt keep getting better. Since a modest 116-yard opener, the duo has combined for 502 yards on the ground in the last four games and accounted for nine of the club's 16 touchdowns overall. . . . Reviving the Andy Janovich meme: Why is he still on the roster? Only six snaps against the Chargers. 

Side note: There will be no mid-week thoughts this week.

A gleam in a loss

This might be hard to believe, but there was good news Sunday out of Los Angeles even though the Browns lost a didn't-see-that-coming, point-scoring festival to the Chargers that saw defense leave SoFi Stadium midway through the third quarter.

This one was a 12-round battle that saw lethal punches delivered with regularity, the lead change hands eight times and the two 3-1 teams compile 1,042 yards of offense in a 47-42 slugfest with 41 of those points (26 by the Chargers) scored in the final 15 minutes. At the end, both teams were gassed on defense. 

Neither could stop the onslaught as Mayfield and Justin Herbert of the Chargers were well protected for the most part, keeping both secondaries extremely busy. Herbert torched the Browns for 398 yards and four touchdowns, two of which were the result blown coverages.

Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams was the beneficiary of both. The first, a 72-yard strike early in the second quarter was due to a missed assignment by a safety; pretty much the same on the second, a 42-yarder early in the fourth quarter. The closest Brown was in the next county.

So what's the good news out of this mess? The Browns' offense is back. Baker Mayfield & Co. awakened from their slumber to put 531 yards on the stats sheet, 230 on the ground with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt taking turns gouging out yards.

Mayfield rebounded nicely with 305 yards and touchdown passes to Rashard Higgins and tight end David Njoku (a 71-yard bomb in the third quarter), doubling his season total. His throwing was much sharper than in recent weeks. Under ordinary circumstances, the outcome Sunday would have been different.

But this one was not destined to be ordinary in the final 15 minutes as the teams traded touchdowns on five consecutive possessions. It was the kind of game where the last team that owned the ball last had the best chance to win. 

That team was the Browns after the Chargers had taken a 47-42 lead with 91 seconds left in regulations on the third of Austin Ekeler's three touchdowns. Head coach Kevin Stefanski wisely allowed Ekeler to score from three -- in fact, it looked as though the Browns pushed him into the end zone -- so his offense could get the ball back with significant time remaining.

The strategy failed as the offense, with no timeouts left, advanced to their 47, but three straight incompletions by Mayfield ended the drama. 

In some ways, it seems a shame such a solid offensive output was wasted. It was due mainly -- and ironically -- to the poor performance of a defense that had been mainly responsible for the three-game winning streak the Browns brought into the game.

Turning points? It's almost nonsensical to pick one out in a game like this, but here goes, anyway.

After the  Browns stretched their 20-13 halftime lead to 27-13 on a 52-yard scoring romp by Chubb to cap the opening drive of the second half, Chargers coach Brandon Staley must have sensed his defense wasn't going to be a factor and his offense needed a boost.

The Browns had all the momentum at the time and probably felt pretty good about themselves. The defense forced a fourth and two at the Chargers 24-yard line on the subsequent possession. Every team punts from deep in their territory, right? Not on this day. 

Still plenty of time left in the game. Why not go for it? Stupid? You bet. 

Apparently feeling this one was slipping away and couldn't be won, the rookie head coach chained his punting unit to the bench and went for it. The daring and very unorthodox against-the-book gamble produced a nine-yard run by Ekeler right up the gut.

Ten plays later, Herbert scored the first of his two running touchdowns and the Chargers were right back in it. It provided that side of the ball the momentum change it badly needed. Staley punts and who knows where this game would have gone. It turned out to be a smart emotional and psychological move, one where he would have been roasted had if failed.

It seemed to have a profound effect on the Chargers' offense, which went on to score touchdowns on four of the next five possessions, including the last four straight. The Cleveland defense flat out disappeared in the final 30 minutes after playing moderately well in the first 30 minutes.

The reason the Browns were able to stay with the Chargers is simple. Think last season, when they played numerous games where they simply outscored the opponent to win because that defense was embarrassingly awful.

This offense is built to win -- and sometimes lose -- games like this. There will be other games this season where something like this is repeated. As soon, perhaps, as the next game back home against the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals.

Some would argue injuries was a factor Sunday. Cornerback Denzel Ward went down in the first half with a neck injury. Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney (elbow) watched the game on the sideline. Offensive right tackle Jack Conklin (knee) left in the third quarter. Corner M. J. Stewart exited with a hamstring.

Part of the game. Some coaches would argue excuses are for losers. And they would be correct.

Making a statement? 

In the coaching lexicon of the National Football League is what is loosely called a statement game. It's usually a singular targeted game -- every now and then maybe one or two more than that -- during the season when a team's record is deceiving and needs to be more clearly justified with a strong performance.

Take, for example, the Browns. They are 3-1, in the midst of a three-game winning streak and atop the AFC North with Cincinnati and Baltimore. And yet, it is not what you would call a comfortable position. Not with three disappointing offensive games in a row against teams with a combined record of 4-8.

Heading into the 2021 season, just about everyone in the NFL orbit believed the Browns, not even arguably, had one of the most potent and dangerous offenses. Outside of a terrific opening game in Kansas City, that has not been the case. Far from it.

And that sets up what will be the Browns' first statement game of the season Sunday in Los Angeles against the 3-1 Chargers, who are coming off consecutive victories over division rivals Las Vegas and Kansas City. 

What better statement can the Browns make than by knocking off one of the league's hottest teams led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the league and on the road? It doesn't get much better than that. It would certainly silence those who see blemishes despite the record.

The Browns have not won those three games because of Baker Mayfield. They won those games in spite of a series of below-average performances by the Cleveland quarterback. If the offense plays Sunday like it did last Sunday against Minnesota, that winning streak will come to a screeching halt.

Yes, the Browns' defense has sparkled the last two games, And yes, middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. is back after spending the last three games on injured reserve. It's the offense, based on what we've seen lately, that poses the problem.

Mayfield, partially torn left labrum and all, needs to play that statement game with his buddies on Sunday. The kind of game that sends a message to the rest of the league that the Cleveland offense is far from approaching life support territory despite owning the NFL's best ground game.

The Chargers' defense is quite capable of shutting down that infantry and force Mayfield, whose three-game snooze has produced just two touchdown passes and whose completion percentage the last two games hovers way too close to 50%, to beat them through the air.

Adding to the concerns -- guessing head coach Kevin Stefanski calls them something else -- is the temporary loss of left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who has been given the week off to give his injured ankle time to heal, which revs up the next-man-up machine.

Next man up would have been Chris Hubbard, but he undergoes season-ending triceps surgery next week. Next next man up is pick your poison (or cross your fingers) -- Blake Hance or rookie James Hudson III. Both men have filled in for Wills. Hance is more experienced. That is his only edge.

Either way, the quality quotient of that unit takes a solid hit with Wills and Hubbard unavailable. Losing one starting part really does make a huge difference. As a result, its status as one of the best offensive lines in the league temporarily drops. 

Wills' absence, even if it's for just one game, weakens the unit overall. It negatively affects its rhythm as a whole. You can be fairly certain that whoever replaces Wills will get help from a tight end when Stefanski dials up a pass.

Overall, the coach probably has to moderately restructure his playcalling philosophy and play design if he wants to keep his quarterback vertical against a decent Chargers pass rush that features Joey Bosa, who has yet to really bust loose this season. Ostensibly, he'll battle with right tackle Jack Conklin.

While Mayfield attempts to pull his offense out of its slump -- sure feels odd writing that during a winning streak, but it's true  -- in an effort to balance out the overall output by locating and fixing his passing woes, the defense faces its biggest challenge of the season since the opener.

The plan is to get up close and personal with 6-6, 235-pound quarterback Justin Herbert, who connects on nearly 70% of his passes and averages nearly 300 yards a game. The pro sophomore checks in with nine touchdown throws and just three picks, and converts at a 50% rate on third down.

His offensive line protects him, statistically speaking, better than just about anyone, limiting the opposition to just seven sacks in four games. Another challenge for a Browns defensive line that has played well since Kansas City.

The Cleveland secondary must contend with standout wide receivers Keenan Allen (6-2) and Mike Williams (6-4) and 6-5 veteran tight end Jared Cook. Tall receivers have given them trouble in the past.

Most of the pressure, though, will be on Mayfield, who maintains he is not worried and will pull out of this. That there is nothing about which to be concerned. All he has to do is go out and prove his optimistic approach is not just an attempt at staying positive.

Oddsmakers still like the Browns, however, installing them as only point-and-a-half underdogs on the road. That's most unusual considering teams from the Eastern time zone do not generally fare well on the west coast.

Even though I think Mayfield will rediscover his accuracy Sunday, it will arrive well into the final quarter, too late to save the game, which will by dominated by Herbert, who will be virtually untouched by the Cleveland pass rush as he adds three more scoring throws to his total, and the defense, which holds Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt under 100 total yards. That statement game will have to wait. Make it: Chargers 27, Browns 15

Mid-week thoughts

Just one very big one today . . . 

The surprising news that Baker Mayfield has played the last two games with a partially turn labrum in his left shoulder seems to be treated rather cavalierly by the Browns.

The injury, originally incurred while attempting to make a tackle in the Houston victory a few weeks ago, appears to have had a negative effect on his ability to throw a football if the statistics of the last two games are any indication. He disagrees.

It's almost as though the club's approach to the situation seems to downplay the fact Mayfield has worn a shoulder harness in those games to protect his non-throwing shoulder and there's nothing here about which to be concerned. 

Originally it was reported and confirmed Mayfield late in the second quarter had suffered a dislocated shoulder that was quickly popped back into place and all was well. He finished the game, but head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski called fewer pass plays seemingly to protect him.

The defense came alive in the next two games to take the pressure off an offense that sputtered, especially in the passing game. Mayfield completed an uncharacteristic 51.5% of his passes for a paltry, for him, 401 yards.

Medically speaking, a shoulder labrum is a thick piece of tissue (cartilage) attached to the rim of the shoulder socket that keeps the ball of the socket in place, according to hopkinsmedicine.org. That it's not a complete tear is the only good news, if you can call it that.

Never mind it's the non-throwing shoulder. If the tear was complete, Mayfield most likely would have needed surgery. There I go again practicing medicine without a license, but a torn labrum, no matter which side, is surgery waiting to happen.

If it wasn't for an NFL Network report by Ian Rapoport Thursday revealing the partial tear, the public, particularly members of Browns Nation, might never have known the extent of his injuries.

Mayfield was asked about whether the harness would affect his throwing. His answer was interesting, but concerning. "It shouldn't, no," he replied. Not "isn't" or "won''t,", causing suspicion on my part that it already has.

Again, the aforementioned statistics do not lie. Something is wrong. As the risk of repeating myself, this Baker Mayfield in no way resembles the one who opened the regular season a month ago with a spectacular game even though the Browns lost.

It is hard to believe he will experience no problems in running a pretty good offense, one that relies heavily on him to be effective. The ground game right now is the only aspect of the offense that is saving the Browns.

From a physical standpoint, the shoulder harness has to, at least a little, affect normal movement of a quarterback from snap to snap. The trick is to avoid thinking about it and concentrate on the play called. That's easier said than done.

The snap itself, especially when Mayfield is under center, has to feel somewhat jarring to the arms and shoulders as it arrives briskly in his hands as he moves his feet to execute the called play. 

Knowing he is not completely healthy and that his production has fallen off dramatically, it won't be long before opposing defenses start crowding the line of scrimmage in an attempt to take away the run game and challenge him to throw.

Mayfield has the right attitude, which helps tremendously. He has identified the problem and seems to be singularly focused on rectifying the situation. That's his MO. He takes setbacks like this and turns them into personal challenges. Just another chip on his amply-chipped shoulder. 

As a remedy, he might consider changing one aspect of delivering the ball. For some reason lately, he seems to get his hand too much under the ball on most on his field-stretching throws and they sail well past wide open targets. When he gets behind the ball and steps into a pass, he is much more accurate.

Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt do not seem worried while working on preparations for the Los Angeles Chargers game Sunday on the west coast. "I see him throwing it accurately in practice, so I don't attribute that to the injury as much as just having an off day," said Van Pelt.

Considering the Cleveland offensive line is no longer among the best in the National Football League at protecting the quarterback (Mayfield has been dropped 12 times already), it would behoove Stefanski and Van Pelt to design pass plays that develop quickly in order to protect the non-throwing shoulder.

Either that or utilize more bootleg rollouts against the grain that freeze defenses and enables Mayfield to escape the pass rush and deliver passes without being physically challenged. They were notably absent against Minnesota last Sunday.

In the meantime, have you noticed all that early Super Bowl talk involving the Browns has quieted down with Mayfield operating at less than peak efficiency? The next two games against teams with terrific young quarterbacks and defenses that meet regularly at the quarterback present significant challenges for the Browns with their star quarterback well shy of 100%.

Monday leftovers

The manner in which the Browns knocked off the Minnesota Vikings Sunday got me to thinking. They are taking the expression "winning ugly" to new and misleading heights.

That's two games in a row now the offense has sputtered and been rescued by the defense. Can't remember the last time a Cleveland Browns defense hogged the spotlight like this.

Sure winning is great, but it sometimes covers up blemishes that ultimately crop up and hamper the ability to sustain the ability to win.

While celebrating its emergence as one of the National Football League's stingiest defenses, a troubling and yet vital part of the offense is clearly on the downgrade. It needs fixing in a hurry because the defense can't keep this up the next couple of games against high-powered offenses.

Baker Mayfield is in a three-game slump. It's that simple. He is not the same quarterback who thrilled Browns Nation the last half of last season and the season-opener this year against Kansas City with his throwing accuracy. It is MIA. It should not be ignored because the record is 3-1 with a three-game winning streak. He's not the reason they are.

An outstanding running game and rebirth of the defense have helped keep the Browns remain tied atop the AFC North with Baltimore and Cincinnati. Without either of these attributes, the Browns would probably be 2-2 at best, 1-3 at worst and sharing the basement with Pittsburgh.

Last season, it was Mayfield and the offense that kept the Browns in contention in spite of an awful defense and ultimately a ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2002.

Mayfield, whose confident nature and bold command of the huddle are among his greatest assets, has looked different during that win streak. He seems uncertain where to throw the football. A great example of that occurred during the first possession of the second half Sunday in Minnesota.

Third down and a couple at their 33, the Browns up, 11-7. Mayfield drops back to throw and locks in downfield, completely failing to see rookie running back Demetric Felton sneak out into the right flat. Wide open. The Vikings paid no attention to him. You and I could have completed a pass to him.

The protection finally broke down after what seemed like at least six or seven seconds and Mayfield was sacked. Instead of completing an easy pass and extending the possession, the Browns punted. A blown opportunity. That's not Kevin Stefanski football.

Mayfield seems to have lost his pocket presence, his pocket awareness. He has lost the ability to escape it. He often looks confused, uncertain where to deliver the football. Locating open receivers has been a common problem. And when receivers are open, his throws lately have had a tendency to sail. Others are poorly thrown. His accuracy is AWOL.

Since his terrific game against the Chiefs, Mayfield is a 62% passer with only two touchdown throws and 614 yards, just 205 a game, and he has been sacked 10 times. Narrow that to the last two games, he has thrown for only 301 yards, completing 54.8% of his passes with eight sacks.

He has yet to connect with a wide receiver for a touchdown, his scoring throws going to tight end Austin Hooper and Felton on a screen. The return of Jarvis Landry in a few weeks should help.

After the game, Mayfield's self assessment might be step one toward correcting the situation. "I pride myself on being accurate," he said. "Today . . . I don't know what the hell that was. . . .  I have to pick it up because if I think that piss-poor performance is going to cut it, it's not. . . . I'll get better."

He had better because if he doesn't, the run game and defense will carry them just so far.

*     *     *

Stefanski tried to absolve Mayfield of any blame by blaming himself. "I've got to do a better job of getting the guys open," he said. A typical selfless move by the head coach of taking some heat for failures. Sorry, coach. Doesn't wash.

Stefanski can take blame for bad playcalling. That's legit. Getting guys open is a matter of drawing up the plays and expecting the players to execute them properly. Which they were doing Sunday, but Mayfield kept missing them. The receivers ran the correct routes.

It's the quarterback, coach. You probably know that. Your quarterback needs a crash course in how to handle trouble in the pocket. It's something he has done before and done well. A good start might be choreographing plays that allow him to get rid of the ball quickly with high-percentage throws.

The thought of Mayfield busting the slump, combined with the ground game and new defense maintaining their excellence, bodes well for the remainder of the season. 

Stefanski's best call of the game was made in the waning seconds of the first half. Third down and 20 from the Cleveland 36, with an 8-7 lead, he dialed up a draw for Kareem Hunt. It clicked for 33 yards to the Minnesota 41. Five plays later, McLaughlin connected on a 48-yard field goal and a four-point lead. 

*     *     *

It might be time for Stefanski to make a temporary change at left offensive tackle. Jedrick Wills Jr. has played a majority of the last three games on a bad ankle. It's getting worse. He had to leave the Vikings game late in the third quarter.

Rookie James Hudson III replaced him and was flagged for a false start on fourth-and-one at the Vikings 42 as Stefanski's penchant for gambling on fourth down in enemy territory continued. It resulted in one of Jamie Gillan's seven punts. (Six of the Browns' seven second-half possessions ended with punts.)

It was believed the more seasoned Blake Hance would replace Wills should the ankle act up. Based on the limited time I've seen Hudson, he is not ready to step in at the most important position on offense after quarterback and be effective. He is too slow with his kick step.\

*     *     *

I'm getting tired of screaming at the television screen every time the Browns advance deep into enemy territory only to see Stefanski gamble on fourth down, thumbing his nose at the field goal. "Take the points," I rant. "Take the damn points." The idea is to put points on the scoreboard.

Last season, Stefanski went for it on fourth down 24 times and was successful just eight, a robust 33% of the time. This season, he has gambled on fourth down eight times, succeeding half the time. He is on pace to take the gamble 26 more times.

Guessing that analytics, with which Stefanski is madly in love, suggest there is a higher chance of succeeding than failing on fourth down when the enemy's goal line is in sight. In doing so, he ignores kicker Chase McLaughlin, who is perfect in placements this season, including three field goals from 50 yards and beyond.

With a leg like that and an offense that lately has trouble putting points on the board, Stefanski might want to reconsider and take the points more often.

*     *     *

Veteran Malcolm Smith deserves a sizable amount of credit for filling in capably at middle linebacker during the absence of Anthony Walker. He led the club in tackles in two games, intercepted one pass and called signals.

Walker, signed as a free agent to help the unit come together cohesively, pulled a hamstring the Thursday before the Houston game and was immediately placed on injured reserve. It is unknown whether he will be ready for the Chargers game Sunday.

*     *     *

Finally . . . Based on how well he has played in the first four games, I'm beginning to think Jadeveon Clowney was a wise addition in free agency. He doesn't crush the scoresheet, but his disruptive style of play makes it easier for someone like Myles Garrett to flourish. Now all he has to do is stay healthy. . . . Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer sure noticed after the gane. "Those two No 1 draft choices were a pain on our guys," he said. . . . Stefanski, on struggling to score against the Vikings: "I wished we scored (more), but to keep (the Vikings) offense on the sideline was a big part (of the victory)." . . . The Browns owned the football for 35:32, 39:34 and 35:05 of the last three games. That's an incredible 40 more minutes than the opposition, or 60% of the time.  . . . Now I know why the Browns keep Andy Janovich on the roster. The fullback caught an important pass for a successful two-point conversion after the Browns' lone touchdown against Minnesota.

All grown up

We -- and by we I mean every skeptic including yours truly -- were warned it will take time. We were told to be patient. It will come.

Well, it arrived Sunday in Minneapolis, Minn., and was the main reason the Browns hung a 14-7 bruising on the Minnesota Vikings in what looked very much like a throwback to the good old days of slugfest playoff football. 

This was the day the semi-maligned Cleveland defense finally grew up.

Putting as many as 10 new faces on that side of the football does not come together right away and perform well at the snap of a finger. It really does take time. Head coach Kevin Stefanski said so. So did defensive coordinator Joe Woods. 

We now have prima facie evidence, based on the last two games, that the Browns now have another unit that can change games, joining an offense that turned dangerous last season. The defense shed its growing pains and grew up in a major way,

It began last Sunday with a nine-sack beatdown of the Chicago Bears. The only similarity between the Bears and Vikings is they reside in the same division. Let's see what they can do against a better team.

The Vikings are much more powerful offensively. This was a more stringent test. And brother did they respond despite losing two starters in the secondary. Rookie cornerback Greg Newsome II (calf) didn't dress and strong safety Ronnie Harrison Jr. was concussed in the opening quarter.

After a game-opening drive that resulted in what turned out to be the Vikings' only points of the afternoon, the Cleveland defense choked off an offense that averaged 425 yards and 25 first downs a game. Sunday, it was 255 yards and 16 first downs.

The Bears game, as it turns out, was a sneak preview of what was to come. Woods' defense was quick, aggressive, rarely out of position and arrived at the football with stunning speed. The pass rush began slowly, then got downright nasty, throwing off the timing of Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, causing him to deliver the ball often times before he wanted to.

Woods, whose soft approach on defense has been criticized by more than a few, beautifully choreographed a fusillade of blitzes that arrived from numerous different parts of the field and appeared to confuse and then frustrate Cousins. 

Sometimes, it showed up from the middle on a late blitz. Other times, it came from a blitzing cornerback after initially lining up in press coverage. The timing on most of them was exquisite. Cousins was sacked only twice, but was hit 10 times and hurried at least a dozen other times, 

The longer the game went, the better the defense played. And it was clearly needed on an afternoon where the Cleveland offense was just good enough to bleed the clock and keep Cousins on the bench. Solid defense on both sides was the clearly the story in this one.

The Minnesota ground game was, for all practical purposes, grounded, gaining just 65 yards. Cousins, a 74% passer entering the game, was a mere 53% passer against the Browns. With one exception, the secondary was solid against the Vikings wide receivers Adam Thielen, Justin, Jefferson and K. J. Osborn.

The only misstep occurred on the opening drive with the Vikings traveling 75 yards in 14 plays in 7:34, Jefferson hauling in a 12-yard strike as cornerback Denzel Ward, expecting inside help from free safety John Johnson III, and not getting it, reacting as if asking where was the help.

The Browns responded with s 15-play, 57-yard drive, climaxed by yet another fourth-down deja vu moment, reminiscent of what happened twice last Sunday when the Bears sacked Baker Mayfield on fourth down on the first two possessions.

This time, the Cleveland quarterback on fourth and four from the Vikings six was dropped by Everson Griffen, who beat left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. 

Two possessions later, Stefanski crafted and Mayfield captained an 18-play, 64-yard scoring march that took 8:39 off the clock. It was climaxed by a Kareem Hunt one-yard burst only after getting significant help as Stefanski did his fourth-down thing again. 

Mayfield's fourth-down pass from the Vikings two fell incomplete, but Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks was flagged for holding. Three plays later, Hunt barged in. And then the Vikings' special teams messed up on the point after.

Ex-Brown Sheldon Richardson was late getting off the field as the teams lined up and the Vikings called time out. Problem was they had exhausted their timeouts and were penalized for delay of game. After the the ball was placed at the one, Stefanski reasoned two points sounded much better.  Enter the seldom-used Andy Janovich.

The fullback lined up slot left, tight to the formation. He motioned right and slipped into the end zone at the snap, arriving all by his lonesome. The only thing that could mess it up was dropping the ball. He didn't and the Browns had a lead they never relinquished.

The Browns tacked on a couple of Chase McLaughlin field goals -- 48 and 53 yards -- to make it a seven-point game, but the Vikings were not coming back in this one, not the way the Cleveland defense played.

After their big opening possession, the Vikings' next 10 drives, which consumed just 16:51, resulted in 48 plays, 188 yards (101 on the last two desperation drives), five three-and-outs, six punts, two turnovers on downs, and a pick by cornerback Greedy Williams on the play following McLaughlin's 53-yarder with about six minutes left in regulation. It was Cousins' first interception of the season.

It has been a long time since Browns fans have enjoyed this kind of defense. Even though the score was close for a long time, the lead did not really feel threatened at any time. The game ball in this one without question should go to Joe Woods.

Beware: Shootout ahead

When the Browns' 2021 schedule was initially released, I engaged in the fun game of predicting how many games they would win before training camp even began. Thus far, I have nailed the first three.

Gave game four against the Minnesota Vikings only a cursory thought before quickly marking it a victory even though the game was on the road. Didn't think the Vikings could survive the Browns' dangerous offensive machine.

Then the season began to unfold and those early thoughts about the outcome of Sunday's game have caused me to think my original thoughts might have been incorrect.

The Vikings are 1-2 so far, though, right? Well, yeah. But I can argue that with a degree or two of luck they could be unbeaten. The notion they are what their record says they are doesn't hold true here. Look deeper into the circumstances that brought about the 1-2 and you'll see danger lurking.

Opening game in Cincinnati: The Vikings battled back from 21-7 deficit with kicker Greg Joseph booting a 53-yard field goal with no time left to force overtime. In OT, the Bengals recovered a Dalvin Cook fumble inside the Cincinnati 40 and went on to kick a field goal with no time left in a 27-24 victory.

Game two in Arizona: The defense took a vacation as a shootout broke out with the Cardinals. It came down to the team owning the football last in the best position to win, That was the Vikings, who trailed, 34-33, before moving into position. With mere seconds left, Joseph, who earlier had kicked two field goals from 52 yards, was wide right from 37 yards.

Game three, home opener against Seattle: Another comeback, this time from a 17-7 deficit early in the second quarter. And then the defense showed up, slamming the door in a 30-17 victory. Seattle ran only 19 plays in the second half, The Vikings ran 45, setting up three more Joseph field goals. Head coach Mike Zimmer called it "the best offensive performance I've seen in the eight years I've been here."

That's the team the Browns take on Sunday up north. Two bad breaks created the difference between 1-2 and 3-0. This is a much better team, at least offensively, than at first believed.

We knew Kirk Cousins was a solid, not great, quarterback. He was steady. Rarely made mistakes. And now he, like Baker Mayfield, is surrounded by some very talented individuals. As a result, he has become a very good game manager.

The Vikings offense averages 25 first downs and 425 yards a game, nearly 300 through the air.  Cousins, who has yet to throw his first pick, has completed nearly 75% of his passes to a trio of wide receivers arguably believed to be one of the best in the National Football League in Adam Thielen, Justin Jefferson and K. J. Osborn.

They catch 75% the passes thrown their way. Thielen is a third-down-converting machine. Jefferson is coming off a rookie-record 1,400-yard season. And Osborn has developed into a nice third option.

Throw Cook, one of the best all-around running backs in the league, into the mix along with a solid offensive line -- Cousins has been sacked only five times -- and you have a team that should look somewhat familiar to Browns fans.

It is the closest to a mirror image of the Browns on offense as any NFL team. And with good reason since Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was the Vikes' offensive coordinator before deciding he wanted to be a head coach in Cleveland. That Minnesota offense has hardly changed.

A slow-healing ankle injury might keep Cook on the sidelines Sunday. No matter. Alexander Mattison filled in against Seattle last Sunday and responded with a 171-yard afternoon.

It definitely looks like a busy afternoon for the Cleveland secondary, a preview of what lies directly ahead with Justin Herbert awaiting in Los Angeles with the Chargers a week from Sunday and Kyler Murray and his high-octane Cardinals offense a week later back home.

The biggest difference between the Browns and Vikings on offense is how they score touchdowns. Each team has 10. The Vikings have eight through the air; the Browns have eight infantry style with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.

Another difference lies on defense where the Browns, at least statistically, hold the edge. Main reason for that is their dominance of the Chicago Bears last Sunday that skewed the numbers. And while the Minnesota offense averages 425 yards a game, the defense surrenders 410 a game. 

Think the Browns can book another nine sacks this week? Yeah, right. But don't look for four or five, either. The Minnesota offensive line is decidedly stronger than the Bears'. Myles Garrett and Co, will be brought down to earth. 

This one very well could turn into the shootout that erupted a couple of weeks ago in Arizona with neither team strong enough to stop the other. And with Cleveland defensive coordinator Joe Woods insisting in sticking with a zone defense for the most part, Cousins could have a field day.

Like the Arizona game, this one also could come down in the dwindling moments of the game to whichever team has the ball last in a close game, one that could be decided by a field goal. Which brings us full circle to the common thread in the Vikings' interesting journey this season. 

Greg Joseph kicked for the Browns after replacing Zane Gonzalez, who was cut after the first two games of the 2018 season. Made 17 of 20 field goals, but missed four extra points. He lost his job when the Browns drafted Austin Seibert in 2019. After making brief stops in Carolina, Tennessee and Tampa Bay, he signed with the Vikings earlier this year. 

Given their performances thus far, Joseph and the Browns' Chase McLaughlin, who has converted field goals of 52 and 57 yards this season and has yet to miss a kick, must be considered important players in the outcome of this game.

That said, all indications point to the shootout with both quarterbacks finding success and both defenses struggling in a point-producing bonanza enjoyable for those who hate defense. And yes, a field goal will decide it in the waning seconds of regulation. This time, Joseph's 37-yard attempt with his team down a point, will be . . . right down the middle. Make it: Vikings 36, Browns 34