CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 the Fan) – They say it's never good to peak too soon.
For the Browns, who have gone 1-20-1 in season openers since 1999, that's never been a problem but having won five of their last six, it's safe to say they are peaking at the right time.
Baker Mayfield is playing his best football, and the Browns, who pinned their hopes of a resurrection for the franchise on the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, are on the brink of ending the longest playoff drought in the NFL, and finally bringing some holiday cheer to a downtrodden fanbase.
In a normal year, Cleveland would be electric with the Browns amid their best season in generations at 10-4. The streets would be bathed in fans dressed in orange and brown. FirstEnergy Stadium would be bursting at the seams on game days.
“It is obviously not the typical year,” Mayfield said Wednesday. “With protocol, you can’t go out to restaurants and hang out and be around the town. Obviously, there is no tailgating and not as many fans at our home games. It is just different. You can kind of sense [the excitement], but I do not think it is the full effect.”
Entering Week 16, the Browns remain alive for the AFC North title, are currently the top Wild Card and No. 5 seed in the AFC yet even with an 11-5 finish, could still not make the postseason should they end up in a four-way tie with Miami, Baltimore and Indianapolis.
The Browns can clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2002 with a win over the Jets Sunday plus a Ravens or Dolphins loss or tie; or Colts loss; or tie with New York and a Dolphins or Ravens loss.
Should the Steelers lose their last two, including Week 17 to the Browns, and Cleveland beat the Jets this weekend, Cleveland would hoist it’s first division title since 1989.
“It is just noise in the background,” running back Nick Chubb, who is fifth in the league with 931 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing, said. “We are focused on playing the Jets this week. That is all.”
The national networks and publications are noticing the Browns. ESPN finally included them in their Wild Card promo too.
Do Mayfield and the Browns now have to guard against the hype and distractions that come with being in the middle of a playoff race?
“I would say yes, but this team did not listen to it when everybody threw us in the trash, so no,” Mayfield said.
The Browns have thrived in the adversity and sometimes chaos the COVID-19 pandemic has created this season.
“We have just tried to make the best of it,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said.
The 10 wins are the most in a season since 2007 and that is also the last time the Browns went through a season without losing back-to-back games at any point.
The 2020 campaign began with 32-point loss in Baltimore, which was followed by four straight wins.
Lose by 31 in Pittsburgh, win in the final minute the next week at Cincinnati.
A 10-point loss to the Raiders was followed by another four wins and a heartbreaking loss to the Ravens on Monday Night Football saw them rebound with a convincing 20-6 win last week against the Giants on Sunday Night Football.
“I would just say with all of the schedule changes and everything, we have become extremely adaptable,” Mayfield said. “When adversity hits or if something changes and you are not expecting it, we do not flinch. That is pretty key for us when it comes to game situations that you do not flinch, you just move on to the next thing and that is always the most important.”
Mayfield has grown by leaps and bounds – on and off the field – in his third season and that has helped him become the same steady influence for his teammates week in and week out.
“That is something that I tried to learn early on,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, I was not able to do that last year, but that is very important. You do not want to change. You want to be the same leader each day. I saw a quote of somebody from Tampa talking about Tom Brady that it does not matter how good he is playing or if it is not going well, he is always the same person. That is important to be a leader.
“During the good stuff, they are always looking up at you. During the bad stuff, they are going to look at you, as well. It is key to find that medium.”
Mayfield has been sensational over the past four weeks throwing for 1,232 yards, 10 touchdowns, and interception while completing 70.2% of his passes and registering a 117.7 rating.
“He has been the same guy,” Chubb said. “Success never got to him. He has been successful his entire career so that is nothing new to him. He has been the same guy and been a great leader for us. It is paying off for him now.”
Mayfield has said multiple times that this year compared to last is night and day and there’s plenty of evidence to support his claim.
For the season, Mayfield is completing 64.0% of his passes with a 25-8 touchdown-interception ratio and a 99.4 rating, which is the third-best in franchise history.
“Obviously, not turning the ball over helps,” Mayfield said. “Eliminated a lot of negative plays. I said my job is to get the ball out quickly and get it to the playmakers and put us in position to win. Yeah, there are a lot of differences, that is for sure.”
For the Browns, the difference is the month of December isn’t spent combing through GM and head coaching candidates, hoping for losses to improve draft position or debating who the team should take early in the draft.
A welcome change in what is definitely not a typical year.
