Baker Mayfield, the offensive line and the rest of the good and bad from the Ravens loss
By Chad Porto
The Good
Baker Mayfield was the only offense
Baker Mayfield threw at least five passes away and had at least another four or five dropped. Two of which at the hands of David Njoku. It’s beyond obvious to those paying attention that the offense does not work without great tackles. Jack Conklin’s potential season-ending injury exposed just how bad the team is without him. Mayfield looked good when he wasn’t running for his life and considering how often Kevin Stefanski left Mayfield in an empty-back, five-wide shotgun formation, that was quite often. The Browns only had three healthy wide receivers, none of whom are fast, and mid-way through the game, the Browns lost arguably their most versatile tight end in Harrison Bryant.
The fact Mayfield did as well as he did with the constant misfires with penalties, the bizarre play-calling, and the lack of competent pair of tackles is impressive. He wasn’t perfect and nearly turned the ball over twice but considering the circumstances, he did well enough.
The Defense stepping up
The Browns defense did just about everything right. They held Lamar Jackson in check, they solved the puzzle and they forced him to throw; which as we all know is his kryptonite. The defense wasn’t perfect. If regular rule-breakers Ronnie Harrison and Malik McDowell would stop making bonehead mistakes, the Browns may have actually won the game. Those are two guys I won’t miss in 2022.
Joe Woods’ game plan
Give it up to Joe Woods because he cracked the code. He solved the puzzle, finished the equation, won the game. Whatever you want to call it for solving the riddle that is Lamar Jackson, Woods did it. He forced turnovers, he blitzed quite a bit, and if it wasn’t for some of his players being far too overzealous, the team would’ve probably won. Then again, if the offensive line didn’t break like dental dam holding back a river, then the Browns may have won as well.