It would appear that the Baker Mayfield era is underway for the Cleveland Browns, but can he lead them to an AFC North title in 2018?
Baker Mayfield took over late in the second quarter for an injured Tyrod Taylor in the Cleveland Browns‘ Week 3 Thursday Night Football matchup with the New York Jets. When the rookie No. 1 overall pick came into the game, the Browns hadn’t won a game in 635 days and were trailing, 14-0. All of that changed once Mayfield took over.
As he showed throughout his collegiate career at Oklahoma, Mayfield entered the game and seemingly lit a fire beneath the Browns and the city of Cleveland. In turn, it seemed as if all of the unwieldy history of the franchise was lifted and the window of opportunity was opened. Mayfield quickly ushered his team through it and led them on a 21-3 run to finish the game and ultimately win, moving them to 1-1-1 on the 2018 season.
There is still no official word from head coach Hue Jackson whether or not Mayfield will start moving forward. However, that’s the move that should be made — and the one that you have to assume likely will be made. And rightfully so, Browns fans are ecstatic as the bright future they’ve promised has seemingly arrived.
We ultimately live in an age of overreaction. On the surface, Mayfield came in and performed well against a Jets defense that is mediocre at best and that wasn’t prepared to face him. If he is named the starter, he’ll face better defensive units and those teams will be ready for what he can throw at them.
Having said that, this Browns team based on talent is one of the more promising teams in the NFL. It’s the result of being horrible and selecting high in the draft for years, but that has indeed resulted in quite the collection of talent. All they needed was a spark from the right person, and everything points to Mayfield being that person.
Thus, in perhaps a slight overreaction, the question has to be asked: Can the Browns go on a run over their remaining 13 games and win the AFC North?
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Obviously starting 1-1-1 isn’t ideal for a potential division winner, but they are certainly in it. The Cincinnati Bengals sit at 2-0, but the Baltimore Ravens are at 1-1 and the Pittsburgh Steelers, shockingly, sit at the bottom with a 0-1-1 record as they await a date with the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs. Thus, the Browns aren’t behind the 8-ball out of the gate after their first two weeks prior to the big win on Thursday.
Staying looking at the rest of the division, however, there are a few things that we can see. First is that the Steelers don’t look right. Without Le’Veon Bell, the offense is simply a lesser version of itself and the defense is a sieve that can’t stop anyone. Meanwhile, the Ravens appear to have beaten an awful Bills team and then lost to the Bengals. As for Cincy, they have beaten a questionable Ravens and Colts team to stay unbeaten to this point.
All of that is to say is that the AFC North appears in flux this season. In a division where the Steelers have ruled for a while now, things seem to be shaking out in a way where another team could come up and snatch it from them. Why not the Browns?
As stated, it’s impossible to know what Mayfield will look like moving forward. Personally, I believe in him everything and have since the draft process. He’s a born winner and competitor, and coming in on Thursday only further solidified that feeling about him. Thus, even if defenses are better and better-prepared for him, I believe he’s ready to succeed against them.
Subsequently, there is indeed a chance that the Cleveland Browns could win the AFC North. The division is wide-open at this point and this team is firmly in the mix. However, the safest bet at this point is to wait and see what Mayfield looks like with this team moving forward before defining how legitimate that chance of winning the division actually is.