The Nantz-Romo factor 

Numerous concerns floating out there as the Browns, deep in a slump and struggling to stay relevant in post-season conversation, begin a stretch with three of the next four games on the road beginning Sunday in Cincinnati against the Bengals.

Coming off a three-game homestand that barely managed to produce a 1-2 record thanks mainly to the defense, and a drama-filled week that saw the rancorous departure of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., it's anybody's guess what to expect at this point of the 2021 season.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski, sensing the importance of this one, went so far as to declare his team "desperate" for a victory. "We're desperate and that's where our focus is," he said.  Quite out of character for the normally staid, even-keel coach. 

Stefanski's offense, for all practical purposes, is broken. Only 41 points generated in those three games in front of full houses of disgusted fans. Strangely, it's the same offense that scored 42 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in week five.

The passing game is way off kilter as Baker Mayfield gamely -- and futilely -- attempts to be a very good National Football League quarterback while playing with torn and fractured body parts in his non-throwing arm.

He maintains a torn labrum and broken shoulder bone are not affecting how he conducts business. Why, then, are most of his passes of the short- and medium-distance variety? Don't remember when he last really cut loose and tried to hook up deep. 

That's because wearing a harness tightly strapped to his side to restrict movement of his left arm alters his throwing motion just enough to prevent him from being his normal self. He is clearly not the freewheeling -- and very accurate -- gunslinger we saw in the second half of last season during the team's post-season run.

Statistics indicate injuries are a factor. Like only two games this season with (just barely) 300+ yards and an embarrassing six touchdown passes in seven games. Two went to tight ends, three to wide receivers, including a Hail Mary, and one to a running back on a well-executed screen. 

For comparison purposes, Mayfield had seven overall scoring throws against the Bengals last season, including five in one game. All were with Beckham out with an ACL, bolstering the notion he was a better quarterback with OBJ out of commission.

Want more evidence it's not the same this season? Mayfield has thrown zero scoring passes in three games. He was blanked just four times overall last season. Suffice it to say this offense is not playing even close to inspired football. It seems at times as though that side of the ball is going through the motions. 

But, argue those who tend to glom onto a positive outlook, there is always the run game. After all, the Browns still lead the league in rushing. And Nick Chubb is back and reportedly healthy. What about that?

The answer to that is provided here by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who held Chubb to just 61 yards in last Sunday's loss, a game that was very winnable. The run game is hit and miss. Various injuries to Chubb and Kareem Hunt, as well as tackles Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin, have stunted the infantry attack.

What most fans have not seen this season that worked so well last season are rollouts, bootlegs, counters  and misdirection plays, especially against teams that can be easily influenced by the initial flow of the blocking.

Get Mayfield out of the pocket on designed plays. Remaining in the pocket this season seems almost like imprisonment. Okay, an  exaggeration, but pocket presence is not one his strengths. How many times have we seen him hopelessly unable to find open receivers and get sacked when reacting too late?

Stats time again: Mayfield has been sacked 22 times already this season in seven games. He was dropped 26 times all last season. In five of those games, he was not sacked once. Can't say that this season. 

This is the team that will be in Paul Brown Stadium Sunday, facing a team playing the brand of fan-fun football the Browns played last season. The Bengals have scored 106 points in the last three games. It is also a team spitting angry after being upset last Sunday by the lowly New York Jets . . . and look who's next. 

They are also a team on the rise with second-year quarterback Joe Burrow throwing the football like a seasoned veteran and managing an attack that averages 27.5 points a game with a defense whose strength threatens the Browns' biggest strength. 

Burrow threw for 726 yards against the Browns last season in two losses with six touchdown passes. This season, he and college teammate Ja'Marr Chase have reunited and combined for 786 yards, seven touchdowns and three 100-yard-plus games, including a 201-yarder while upsetting Baltimore.

The vastly improved Cincinnati defense allows just 98 yards a game on the ground. The defensive line, which owns 18 of the club's 21 sacks, might be the best in the AFC North. The Browns' offensive line will be severely tested.

Where the Bengals are most vulnerable, as are the Browns, is in the secondary, giving up 10 touchdown passes and 267 yards a game. (The Browns have allowed 17 TDs.) That's what Mayfield and the OBJ-less receiving corps must exploit if they have any chance to win because Burrow will strafe the Cleveland back end all afternoon. 

The Browns no longer have an offense that can keep up in the event of a shootout. That's how far it has fallen. Unless, that is, Stefanski and his offensive staff have somehow managed to rediscover the formula that surprised the entire NFL last season. A lot also depends on whether Mayfield can recapture the magic that made him relevant last season. As it now stands, that's way too much to ask of him.

Having seen both teams quite a bit this season, there is no question the Bengals have a better team. Not a better, more talented  roster. A better team. And right now, that is the biggest difference between these teams. The Bengals overachieve. 

The Browns are struggling; the Bengals are not. And since Jim Nantz and Tony Romo, who haven't covered a Cleveland victory since can't remember when, are doing the game for CBS television, this pick is easy. Make it: Bengals 34. Browns 17