Mid-week thoughts

As the Browns prepare for the final five games of the 2021 season, a glimmer of hope arrived on the scene that is destined to serve only as a tease for those who still believe they will make it consecutive years to the postseason.

The Baltimore Ravens, Sunday's opponent in Cleveland for the back end of their unusual split-week doubleheader as they resume the season following their bye week, lost last Sunday. So did the Cincinnati Bengals and the AFC North grew tighter from top to bottom.

So why won't they? Simple. The defense has overtaken the offense as the most dominant unit, a stark reversal of last season, when the offense steamrollered opposing defenses because their defense couldn't  stop anyone.

This season, the defense -- with two notable exceptions -- wins games and keeps it close in losses. The offense, meanwhile, has fallen apart to the point where it is broken. The Ravens shut down the vaunted Cleveland ground game a week ago. Brace for a repeat Sunday.

It's interesting that fans quarrel with the playcalling of head coach Kevin Stefanski. But -- again with a couple of exceptions -- the playcalling has not been that bad. The execution, on the other hand, has been awful.

That's because the line, at one time ranked among the top lines in the National Football League, has been anything but the last two months, especially at the tackles. Right tackle Jack Conklin, when healthy, is the best player of the unit. But he has played only five full games out of 12. And now he's gone for the season.

Jedrick Willis Jr. is not playing like a No.1 draft pick at left tackle. He's decent in the run game, but is a semi-turnstile when attempting to protect his quarterback. 

The middle trio -- center JC Tretter and guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller -- have played every game and been solid, although their pass blocking this season has been spotty on occasion.  The key to the success of the offensive line however,  is playing well as a unit, One breakdown can blow up a play. Lately, though, the breakdowns have increased.

That's been the main problem of an offense that has encountered difficulty reaching opposing end zones with any regularity lately. Since week six, the Browns have scored 112 points in six games, misleading because of a 41-16 outlier victory in Cincinnati. The other five produced just 71 points.

It turned ugly in the 16-10 loss to the Ravens about 10 days ago in Baltimore, the offense converting four Lamar Jackson interceptions into a measly three points, which would have been zero had Chase McLaughlin's field-goal attempt not caromed off the left upright and over the crossbar.

If nothing else, that alone stands as a microcosm of just how poorly the offense has played for a major portion of this season. What once was labeled a scary offense has turned into a meek unit that is too easily stopped by the opposition.

Why is this happening? A semi-crippled quarterback -- okay, I'm exaggerating, but Baker Mayfield has not been even remotely the picture of health for the last eight games -- is just one of the reasons why. He hasn't been the same quarterback since injuring his left shoulder in week two trying to make a tackle after a pick. 

Teammates, coaches and front-office types marvel at how tough Mayfield is. They don't say anything about how ineffective he is. General Manager Andrew Berry went so far as to say he said expects Mayfield to play his best football in the final five weeks. (If he makes it that far,)

The failure of the head coach to acknowledge his quarterback is not healthy mystifies. It was blatantly  obvious in the Baltimore loss when he limped off the field after every possession. Backup Case Keenum began to throw at one point.

Mayfield has thrown only 11 touchdown passes (and six interceptions) in 11 games this season. For perspective purposes, he threw nine scoring passes in the final three regular-season games in 2020. He has been sacked 29 times this season because he holds on to the football too long and is not a running threat because he is at best semi-mobile because of numerous injuries. 

The wide receivers corps is no longer dangerous with a combined four touchdown receptions, Donovan Peoples-Jones has three of them. Jarvis Landry checks in with none, his only score this season coming on a run play that was supposed to be a pass play. The tight ends lead with five scoring receptions, while the running backs account for three. 

It's an offense that has trouble staying on the field and keeping the defense rested. Successfully converting third down has been particularly disastrous. In the five games since Keenum engineered a 17-14 victory over Denver in week seven in his lone start, the Browns are 16 for 56 on that key down. That's 28.6%.

Throw out Keenum's nine for 15 on third down against Denver and the Browns -- really Mayfield -- have converted only 34.1% on third down. It's a statistic Stefanski undoubtedly is aware of and yet despite his declaration that he -- and presumably his staff -- needs to coach better, that hasn't happened with only five games remaining.

These are grim reminders of just how mediocre, at best, this football team has become when owning the ball. Even though the Browns are technically not eliminated from the postseason, they have placed themselves in a position where anything less than winning out won't get the job done.

Unlike last season when the offense rescued the defense to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2002, it will be the opposite this time with the rapidly improving defense holding the key to playing meaningful football in mid-January and beyond.

Odds of that happening lie somewhere between "no way" and "do you believe in miracles?"