The Cleveland Browns were able to sneak away with a victory against the Detroit Lions, but it was not pretty. There was no excuse for what the Browns showed today and they are lucky that they came away with a victory.
If the Browns want to make a deep playoff run and even get into the playoffs they cannot play as they did on Sunday against the Lions. Cleveland is right there to take over the AFC North. If they want to do that they're going to have to get by some tough opponents. They play the Baltimore Ravens twice, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Green Bay Packers.
Let's take a look at some takeaways for the Browns win over the Lions.
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Browns Week 11 Takeaways
3. Baker Mayfield has to be better
It's tough to blame an offense on just one guy. At the end of the day, an offense is good when your quarterback is good. Baker Mayfield has not been good enough this season for the Browns to compete for a Super Bowl. He continued below-average play today as he went 15 for 29 with 176 yards and two interceptions. He did have one touchdown on the day. That was the only one that the Cleveland Browns were able to score.
If the Cleveland Browns want to make a deep playoff run or make the playoffs, Baker Mayfield has to be better. He's too good to be playing the way that he has been the past few weeks and he needs to start turning it on.
2. A win is a win
At the end of the day in any sport, a win is a win. This is especially true in the NFL. One game can very well be the deciding factor of a playoff spot or going home. The Browns didn't win pretty by any means but they still walked away with a victory and that's all they needed to do.
The division is right there for Cleveland to win and taking on the Baltimore Ravens in their next two contests is the perfect opportunity for them. If they're going to want to beat Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, they need to play a lot better than they have been.
3. There's a lot of work to do for the playoffs
If anything has shown the past few weeks, it's that the Browns have the potential to be a very good football team and a very bad football team. There are times when they look like one of the league's best teams. Other times they look like a below-average team in the NFL. If they're going to want to get a playoff spot in a tough AFC North then they are going to need to figure this out as soon as possible. They can't continue to keep playing mediocre football on some days and then play great football the next week. It is going to come back to bite them and it's going to lead them to miss the playoffs.
Cleveland has the talent to make a deep playoff run but they just haven't gotten it to click yet. There isn't a lot of time left and the Browns are hoping that they can figure it out soon.
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