Cleveland Browns: State of the team after 3-3 start

The Cleveland Browns suffered a big loss in Week 6 to the Arizona Cardinals and fell to 3-3. What is the state of the team after their latest game?

The Cleveland Browns are 3-3 after getting dismantled by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 and now there are a lot of things that need to be answered with this team.

Those answers need to come quickly, as the Browns return to action on Thursday night against the Broncos. The outcome of the game could very well determine what’s to come for this team moving forward.

Safety John Johnson III thinks the game is a “must-win game.”

I’ve gone back and forth on if this game against Denver is truly a must-win. On one side, if the Browns drop a third consecutive game, it could be detrimental to the growth of this team’s confidence to get the job done, but I don’t think it would be a season-ending loss. On the other side, a win would boost the morale of the team and especially the fan base, with a mini bye week coming up as the Browns will have until Halloween to get healthy and better.

Before the season, many believed the Browns were poised for a potential Super Bowl run, but at this moment in time, they are a 3-3 football team. That record is not a death record by any means. In fact, there are five teams with a better record than the Browns and two more with identical records.

Luckily for the Browns, there are 11 games left. That is plenty of time to right the wrongs and play the caliber of football they have shown they can do.

Also, think of it this way; Cleveland has yet to put together a complete game on both sides of the ball and yet they have a .500 record. Far from where the Browns expect themselves at this point, but nothing can be done to change the past. They must learn from these blemishes and correct them.

So who does that start with?

The answer is head coach, Kevin Stefanski, who tells us week-in and week-out that he needs to do a better job of putting his players in a position to succeed.

So when exactly is that going to be put into effect? Every week we see the Browns go for it on fourth down early in the game. As a fan, you have to love the confidence Stefanski has in his offense, but at the same time, the results don’t always equate to success. The Browns are 6-for-15 on fourth down conversions and on five of those plays, Baker Mayfield has been sacked.

Stefanski needs to call better plays and get back to putting his team in positions to succeed and keep the offense on the field, much like he did last year when he won the NFL Coach of the Year award.

These should be the bread and butter plays of the Browns, where they know they can execute at least 90 percent of the time, yet the conversion rate is only 40 percent.

Stefanski knows he and the team must do a better job.

"“We have not been good on fourth down. It is frustrating. It is another one that we have to fix. We have not done a good job. I have to get guys open is the truth.”"

On two of those plays, both happening in the last two weeks, Odell Beckham Jr. has had two crucial drops. To be fair to Beckham, on Sunday against the Cardinals, the DB did get a hand on the ball.

Back to Beckham. So far, it has just not worked out well between the talented wide receiver and Mayfield. That’s not due to a lack of effort, but rather a lack of execution. Baker seemingly doesn’t play well when Beckham is on the field, but mostly because Baker simply does not make the read, or see Beckham clearly wide open.

Can the duo ever make the connection that many people had hoped for? General manager Andrew Berry will have some decision-making to do over the next two weeks. Will he cut ties with OBJ before the November 2 trade deadline or will that be a move for after the season ends? Or will a banged-up shoulder prevent Beckham from even being on the field for the next couple of weeks?

Baker gets a lot of criticism and blame, some rightfully so and some, well not so much. A lot of this is a mental thing and something he can easily overcome. He still believes this team can be successful, despite the 3-3 record and you can hear that at the 4:50 mark of this video.

Has Baker Mayfield played well in 2021? Sometimes, but not nearly enough to have this team in a better position to win ball games. You can criticize and place as much blame on Baker as you want and know that doesn’t mean you don’t believe he is the franchise QB. He can be criticized for his poor play, but he can’t be criticized for things that have no bearing on him whatsoever.

Keep in mind that Baker has an injured left shoulder, that he reinjured against Arizona. He believes he will be able to play through it and as long as the MRI results aren’t anything worth worrying about, he will be under center Thursday evening.

Should the Browns rest him with a mini-bye week upcoming and let backup Case Keenum take the reins? In theory, that would make sense, but ultimately Baker gives the team a far better chance to win than Keenum.

You have to give Baker a lot of credit for playing through the shoulder injury and trying to get better. The dude is tough as nails and that’s the type of player you want leading your team.

It is quite funny how so many people on Browns Twitter were praising Baker left and right and some have suddenly turned against him. With that said, Twitter isn’t a real place, and not every single member of the Browns fanbase has given up on Baker or this season yet.

There are plenty of things that Baker cannot be blamed for. One of those things is play calling. Stefanski says he needs to do a better job in that area and he’s absolutely right. Again, that’s not something to blame Baker for.

Another thing you can’t blame Baker for is how poorly the defense has played over the last couple of weeks. In those two games, the Cleveland defense has surrendered 84 points. Granted they were playing high-octane offenses, but the offseason spent on rebuilding the defense was built to stop teams like this.

Far too many times we’ve seen teams convert on long third downs or on fourth down. That simply cannot happen, especially when the defense puts the offense in a bad spot, having to make a game-winning drive after having a double-digit lead.

The secondary has had way too many blown coverages, which has led to big completions, some resulting in touchdowns. Johnson said that the team must follow what is being called, regardless of what the opposing offense throws their way.

The defensive front has been pretty good at getting after the quarterback, with Myles Garrett leading the way with a league-best eight sacks. Pressure means nothing if the secondary continues to give up big receptions and not taking the ball away.

Another thing the Browns need to do is get healthy. The injuries have been one after another after another.  On Monday, it was announced that running back Kareem Hunt (calf) and rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ankle) will both miss significant time.

Here is a list of players who have either missed time in games or games in general:

–          WR Jarvis Landry (Knee)

–          OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (Ankle)

–          OT Jack Conklin (Knee)

–          QB Baker Mayfield (Shoulder)

–          WR Odell Beckham Jr. (Shoulder)

–          RB Nick Chubb (Calf)

–          RB Kareem Hunt (Calf)

–          CB Greg Newsome II (Calf)

–          DE Jadeveon Clowney (Elbow, Knee)

–          CB Denzel Ward (Neck)

That’s a long list of key impact players that the Browns have been without for either a short amount of time in games or for entire games and weeks. Every team deals with injuries; it just happens that the Browns injury list is piling up with each passing week.

Here’s the truth about this team; they are 3-3 after the first six weeks, which is not the end of the world. It is not what a lot of us had in mind coming into the season, yet here we are. Moving forward, the Browns have a favorable schedule over the next five weeks, hosting the Broncos on Thursday, Steelers at home, at the Bengals, at the Patriots, and back home for the Lions. This all leads up to the Week 12 showdown with the Ravens.

These games aren’t guaranteed, but should some injury and execution issues get resolved, there is no reason this team can’t go 5-0 or 4-1 over the next four weeks. Also, Cleveland has yet to play a divisional game, so their overall record as of now isn’t as important as it will be once AFC North foes are on the schedule.

11 games remain on the docket for the Browns and that is plenty of time to improve this 3-3 record. As Joel Bitonio said, every goal that the Browns set out to achieve is still in front of them.

Everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax. This team is too talented to not right the early-season longs.

On to Denver.