The Cleveland Browns Proved They Were Never Contenders

I’m all for being optimistic, but thinking the Cleveland Browns had any chance of winning the AFC North is just delusional. They have received a ridiculous amount of unjustifiable hype. Last year, everyone was banging the table about how the Browns were playoff-bound. We all know how that went, total implosion. Heading into the 2020 season, Cleveland enjoyed more of the same unjustifiable hype; getting blown out 38-7 only amplifies the hype was unwarranted.

Cleveland Was Out Matched

The Browns never matched up well against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While Cleveland’s offensive line has improved, it was nowhere near enough. The Pittsburgh defense was living in Cleveland’s backfield. The Steelers had four sacks, two interceptions (including a pick-six by safety Minkah Fitzpatrick), and one forced fumble. The Cleveland Browns were horrendous on third and fourth down, going 1 for 12 and 0 for 3, respectively.

Baker Mayfield Was Lost

Baker Mayfield was feeling the heat and got knocked around by Blitzburgh. Mayfield tried to do more than he was physically capable of doing. When feeling the pressure, Mayfield tried to run around and extend plays like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers.

Simply put, Baker Mayfield is nowhere near the athlete that Russell Wilson is. It’s insane to think that Baker can even come close to how Wilson plays, and that’s how he kept getting drilled today. Mayfield was clearly over his head when trying to extend plays. He took shot after shot and was pulled from the game in the middle of the third quarter and replaced by backup quarterback Case Keenum.

Baker Mayfield was never the reason the Browns were in games. The Baltimore Ravens embarrassed Cleveland 38-6 in Week 1. The Browns beat up on the bad teams and got hammered by the competent ones. This should surprise no one.

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