Getty Baker Mayfield delivers a pass over the reach of T.J. Watt.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield refuses to let a bum shoulder get the best of him.
For the first time since Mayfield became the Browns starter in 2018, an injury was significant enough to sideline him. The quarterback suffered a full labral tear in his left, non-throwing shoulder versus the Houston Texans in Week 2. But he kept on keeping on. Four games later, Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt strip-sacked Mayfield, which caused him to land awkwardly on his injured shoulder. On October 21, he disclosed to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer that, on top of the torn labrum was a broken humerus bone.
Baker Mayfield fumbles! The #RedSea defense recovers the football! #ARIvsCLE #NFL #NFLTwitter
According to Mary Kay Cabot, Browns beat writer for Cleveland.com, doctors urged Mayfield not to play — doing so would risk further damage and hasten the surgery timeline due in the offseason. Mayfield accepted his fate — for all of one game. He stayed idle to heal just enough for medical clearance to return for the big-time brawl with division rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though not fully recovered, he’s better. Associated Press sports writer Tom Withers reported that Mayfield was cleared by both team doctors and a second medical group on Thursday night. Per Withers, the rest improved Mayfield’s range of motion and reduced inflammation, allowing him to strengthen his shoulder. He’s been fitted with a new stabilizing harness to help prevent his shoulder from popping out.
ALL the latest Steelers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Steelers newsletter here!
Decades-Long Drought
In the years since rejoining the NFL in 1999, the Browns were bad. Like, laughable bad. Like, 101-256 bad. Twelve head coaches and 31 different starting quarterbacks bad. You get the picture.
But when Kevin Stefanski took over as head coach in 2020, something clicked. They enjoyed their first winning season since 2007 and even made it to the second round of the playoffs. To get there, Cleveland defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in two consecutive games.
If Mayfield keeps his shoulder in its socket and manages to take down the Steelers on Halloween, he’ll be the first Browns quarterback in three decades to do so thrice straight. Jake Trotter, who covers the team for ESPN, shared on Twitter that the last Browns QB to upset Pittsburgh in three straight matchups was Bernie Kosar.
Baker Mayfield will attempt to become the first #Browns QB to win three straight against the Steelers since Bernie Kosar (‘88-89)
Until 2020 — it was a weird year, right? — the Steelers had owned the Browns. They were 24-1- in the Ben Roethlisberger era. Cleveland will be looking to create a string of successes, while Pittsburgh will look to avoid bad history.
History-Makers
Speaking of history, the Cleveland Browns run game is making it. Per Dawg Pound Daily, the team leads the NFL in rushing (1,193 yards), rushing average per game (170 yards), yards per carry (5.3), and rushes over 20 yards (nine games). When all is said and done, this Browns team will be one of the best in franchise history at toting the rock.
Their success is due primarily to starter Nick Chubb, coming off two consecutive Pro Bowl nods and two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He and fellow running back Kareem Hunt were sidelined with calf injuries for Week 7, but it didn’t matter because D’Ernest Johnson took over. Yes, that D’Ernest Johnson. In his first professional start, he darted all over the Denver Broncos defense for 157 yards and a tuddy.
In a recent interview with NSPN’s Blake Anthony, Johnson praised Pittsburgh’s defense and one defender in particular. “T.J. Watt, he’s good — good as hell,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a challenge, but you know we are always up for the challenge.”
Chubb was taken off the Browns injury report, per DraftKings Nation, but with Hunt on injured reserve, Johnson rotate in.
Cleveland’s ground attack will keep the seventh-ranked Steelers run defense busy on October 31. In the final week of the 2020 regular season, Chubb gashed them for 108 yards on 14 attempts for an astounding 7.71 yards per attempt (Pro Football Reference).