Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns might have to adjust their game plans going forward. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Mayfield is playing with a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder that won't require surgery. 

Mayfield suffered the injury in Week 2 while making a tackle after an interception during a win over the Houston Texans. 

"Obviously, not an ideal situation,"  he told reporters after that game. "Trying to force him back inside. I think he realized it was me standing right there so he put his head down and ran right after me. It kind of popped in and out, but I will be good. Nothing too serious."

Despite the injury, Mayfield was a full participant in practice leading up to Week 3 and hasn't been listed on the injury report for the past two weeks. 

Mayfield is off to a slow start in 2021. The Chicago Bears are the only team with fewer touchdown passes than Cleveland (two) through the first four weeks. He completed 15 of 33 attempts for 155 yards in the Browns' 14-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. 

The 26-year-old has had an up-and-down career. After a promising rookie season, he struggled in 2019, throwing for 21 interceptions, taking 40 sacks and completing just 59.4 percent of his passes. 

But he rebounded last year, finishing with 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions, completing 62.8 percent of his passes while taking just 26 sacks and leading Cleveland to an 11-5 record. 

Mayfield also helped the Browns end a playoff drought dating back to 2002 and knocked the divisional rival Pittsburgh Steelers out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round. While the Kansas City Chiefs ended their season a week later, it was an excellent year for Cleveland, which came into the 2021 campaign as a Super Bowl contender. 

All of that would go down the drain without the Oklahoma product at the helm, though. There are still questions about whether he'll ever be a great quarterback or simply a good one, but Case Keenum would be a significant downgrade regardless.

Baker Mayfield had a tough Week 4, finishing 15-of-33 for 155 yards and three sacks in a 14-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings. 

On Wednesday, Mayfield took to Instagram to talk about working through those struggles:

Mayfield was pretty blunt in his assessment of his own play after the Minnesota game.

"That piss-poor performance by me isn't going to cut it," he told reporters. "I've got to be better. It's just that simple."

“Just didn’t get into a rhythm,” he added. “A lot of easy throws there I missed. I pride myself on being extremely accurate. And today I don’t know what the hell that was.”

One factor might be an injured left shoulder and a harness he was wearing during the game, though Mayfield downplayed that idea:

Mayfield had to have his non-throwing shoulder popped back into place after taking a hit following an interception in Week 2. But he hasn't offered that as an excuse. 

"It’s attached," he said of the shoulder on Sunday. "I'm all right."

Head coach Kevin Stefanski also didn't seem particularly alarmed when discussing Mayfield's struggles with accuracy in Week 4. 

"You can always point your finger at a few things, but we missed a couple of guys, and we are going to work really hard to make sure we hit them this week," he told reporters. "I have seen Baker have great success in games, and I have no doubt that we will work at it this week."

Getting Mayfield back on track will be vital for the Browns, however, as they head into a tough matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. The 3-1 Browns have looked like viable contenders thus far, but they'll only go as far as Mayfield can take them. 

Baker Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2, telling reporters it "popped in and out," but sources told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com it "wasn't a factor" in his struggles versus the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday's 14-7 win.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski added in his Tuesday press conference that he didn't think that injury was affecting Mayfield's accuracy "based on what I see at practice."

Mayfield, 26, finished 15-of-33 on Sunday for 155 yards, without a touchdown or interception. He was sacked three times.

He credited the team's defense for earning the Browns the win.

"[The defense played] good enough for us to win when I'm playing quarterback like that," Mayfield told reporters after the game. "Thankful they played like that. That's a really good offense [the Vikings have], so for [our defense] to play lights out like that, we're lucky to have them on our side. I have to pick it up because if I think that piss-poor performance is going to cut it, it's not. So I'll get better, but luckily we can lean on those guys and run the ball when we need to."

Free safety John Johnson III had Mayfield's back.

"On the sideline and in the locker room you could tell he was a little frustrated, but we kept him up and we told him we'll get the ball back for him and we trust in him and stuff like that," he said. "It's one of those games, everyone has those games. I don't think it was that terrible. It was good enough to win the game, that's how I look at it. I know for sure the type of guy he is, he'll bounce back."

Mayfield has had an up-and-down season. An interception on the team's final drive in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs cost the Browns a chance at a comeback win. He's taken eight sacks in the past two weeks and has completed just 53.1 percent of his passes in those games.

But the Browns are also 3-1 and Mayfield is on pace to throw just eight interceptions this year, largely avoiding detrimental turnovers. The Browns don't need Mayfield to be spectacular to win, given their defense and run game. They just need him to manage the game and show the ability to make clutch throws down the stretch, which of course is easier said than done.

Mayfield has mostly done the former, save for some struggles this past week. The jury is out on the latter. It will continue to be a fascinating storyline throughout the season for a Browns team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.

Giving everyone a ticket to the gun show apparently isn't without consequences.

Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett revealed Monday he was selected to be randomly drug tested, one day after a 14-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in which his physique was on full display:

Ten players from a given team are randomly selected to be tested in a given week. Garrett's example will add to the perception the process may not be as impartial as people are led to believe.

It doesn't appear Garrett was tested after posting 4.5 sacks in Cleveland's Week 3 demolition of the Chicago Bears. He was wearing long sleeves for that outing, so the right wardrobe choice could be the key.

Baker Mayfield was not pleased with his performance in the Cleveland Browns' 14-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

"I need to pick it up," Mayfield told reporters. "Because if I think that piss-poor performance is gonna cut it, it's not. So I'll get better."

Mayfield, who praised the team's defense for holding an explosive Minnesota offense to just seven points and 255 yards, said he was disappointed in his lack of accuracy Sunday.

"I need to do a good job of taking advantage of my opportunities," he said. "Just staying on track. For me, I pride myself on being extremely accurate. And today, I don't know what the hell that was."

The 26-year-old finished just 15-of-33 for 155 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was sacked three times. Mayfield came into Sunday's game completing 73.8 percent of his passes, but only completed 45.5 percent against Minnesota.

There remain major questions as to whether Mayfield is good enough to get the contending Browns over the top. Those questions were never more obvious than during a tough Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when Mayfield played well for most of the game (21-of-28 for 321 yards) but threw an interception with just over a minute remaining and the Browns trailing by four, sealing the loss.

Mayfield and star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. have also struggled to build chemistry or consistency in their two seasons together, with Beckham catching just two passes for 27 yards against Minnesota in his second game this season. It was a disappointing showing after Beckham caught five passes for 77 yards last week.

Mayfield taking accountability for a tough afternoon is always a good sign. It will be a bit easier for his teammates and coaches to accept after the team still pulled out a win, going 3-1 on the year.

But the team's upside is directly tied to Mayfield's level of play. Come January, Sunday's performance isn't going to cut it.

Baker Mayfield thought Cleveland Browns teammate Myles Garrett was not of this world in Sunday's 26-6 win over the Chicago Bears.

"He's a Monstar," Mayfield told reporters of the star edge-rusher. "He lived up to the hype, and they delivered."

Garrett had 4.5 sacks and six hits on Bears quarterback Justin Fields in Week 3. The two-time Pro Bowler set a Browns record with his sack total.

Seven sacks is the single-game record, set by Derrick Thomas in 1990. Chandler Jones flirted with history in Week 1 when he had five against the Tennessee Titans.

It was a dominant defensive showing from Cleveland. The team got to Fields nine times and held the rookie to one net passing yard since the 67 yards he lost in sacks nearly canceled out the 68 yards he gained through the air.

This is what the Browns were hoping to see when they handed Garrett a five-year, $125 million extension. Almost from the moment he entered the NFL in 2017, he has wreaked havoc on opposing offenses.

And Sunday was a display of what the team can do as a collective unit. The front office fortified the pass rush by signing Jadeveon Clowney, who had two sacks of his own against the Bears, and selected Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round of the draft.

How far the Browns go this year will likely hinge on the performance of Mayfield more than any other player. But Garrett's play will also be pivotal toward punching a ticket to the playoffs for the second straight year.