National Football League

Can Baker Mayfield and the Browns save their season?

Updated Dec. 21, 2021 2:10 p.m. ET

The Cleveland Browns suffered another gut-wrenching loss on Monday, and all Baker Mayfield could do was watch.

Away from the team due to a positive COVID-19 test, Mayfield couldn't participate in the 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, which was decided by a successful 48-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson as time expired.

Coming into the game with 22 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list — including 10 starters, such as Mayfield and WR Jarvis Landry — along with head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Browns were beyond shorthanded.

Even quarterback Case Keenum was unavailable, leaving third-stringer Nick Mullens to run the offense.

However, Cleveland's defense stepped up and held the Raiders to 10 first-half points, then shut out Derek Carr & Co. in the third quarter. A Nick Chubb touchdown late in the third quarter put Cleveland on the board before Carlson extended Las Vegas' lead to 13-7 early in the fourth quarter with a field goal.

Then, it was showtime for Mullens. The undrafted 26-year-old orchestrated a 14-play, 80-yard drive that ate 8:22 off the clock and culminated in a heart-pounding touchdown on fourth-and-goal, giving Cleveland a 14-13 lead.

That sent FirstEnergy Stadium, and, apparently, Mayfield into a rapture.

But, unfortunately for the Browns fans in attendance, Carlson extinguished the euphoria two Raiders possessions later as the clock hit zeroes.

The loss dealt a major blow to Cleveland's playoff hopes. A win would have put the Browns at 8-6 and atop the AFC North after Week 15, albeit in a dead heat with the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens (also at 8-6), with the Pittsburgh Steelers lurking at 7-6.

Instead, the loss puts the 7-7 Browns at the bottom of the division and five spots outside the playoffs.

On Tuesday's episode of "Undisputed," Skip Bayless rued the absence of Mayfield, saying the QB would have been key to sealing a win on Monday.

"What do you think would have happened last night if Baker had played?," Bayless asked. "They would have won and they would have been in perfect position to make their run into the playoffs."

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That defense of the banged-up Mayfield is a rather unique opinion.

Coming into the season, the Browns were touted as potential AFC champions and Super Bowl contenders. But now at 7-7, a lot of the blame for Cleveland's struggles has fallen at the feet of Mayfield, who has posted a 6-6 record in his 12 starts this season.

As it stood ahead of Tuesday's games to close out Week 15, Mayfield ranked 20th or worse in several passing categories, including 20th in passer rating (90.1), tied for 25th in passing TDs (13), 24th in passing yards per game (216.9) and 25th in completion percentage (62.8).

For Chris Broussard of "First Things First," Monday's loss didn't doom the Browns as much as several other bad losses did.

"They're probably out of the playoffs, and this is a nightmare," Broussard said Tuesday. "There's just no other way to say it. There's no excuse. Everybody is battling COVID. Everybody is battling injuries. … There is a drama about this team that I think works against them. … It's like you're waiting on something negative to happen because it's a soap opera."

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To shine a light on that drama, Broussard pointed to several stumbles throughout the season for the Browns.

A Week 5 loss where the Browns gave up 26 fourth-quarter points to the Los Angeles Chargers stood out to Broussard. So, too, did Week 8's loss to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers at home.

The question now is: Can the Browns salvage the season over the next three weeks? Nick Wright said he isn't holding his breath.

"I would argue that the Browns and the Seahawks are the two teams fighting atop the ‘disappointing season’ mountain," Wright said Tuesday. "Like, which season went to hell more and faster? And the Browns are in a really rough spot and I think it's a totally lost season."

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With the 11-3 Green Bay Packers up next on Christmas, followed by the 7-5-1 Steelers in Pittsburgh for Week 17 and the 8-6 Bengals to close out the season, making the playoffs looks pretty daunting for the Browns.

After Monday's heartache, there could be more drama in store for the Dawg Pound.