WHAT WE LEARNED: NFL WEEK 7

BY ADAM GREENE

Every week brings the state of the league more into focus. It’s time for teams to push the panic button and for others to think seriously about the future.

THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS WILL STRUGGLE TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS

If the playoff started today, not only would the 3-4 Kansas City Chiefs not be one of the seven seeds, they wouldn’t even be the eighth or ninth team on the outside looking in. It’s an understatement to say the 2021 season has been a disaster for the defending AFC Champions. It’s been a dumpster fire of rat fetuses punctuated by a humiliating 27-3 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game after going 20 of 35 for just 206 yards and an interception. It was his ninth pick of the season to lead the NFL. To put that number in perspective, Mahomes threw six picks all of last season and five the year the Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

There’s an idea out there, and I’m as guilty as anyone thinking it, that the Chiefs can just turn it on and fix this with their offense. Well, obviously they can’t. It’s “on” and it’s bad.

Their schedule gives very little reprieve the rest of the way. They get a break Monday night when they host the New York Giants, but then face off against the Green Bay Packers, the Gruden-less (for the better) Las Vegas Raiders and then the Dallas Cowboys after that. While you would think Kansas City could score with those teams, can they? They sure as hell can’t stop any of them from racking up points.

In the AFC, it’ll probably take 10 wins to make the playoffs. There are seven spots and I don’t think anyone would disagree with me that that Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers are going to claim six of them.

That leaves one spot for the Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts and maybe the New England Patriots to fight over. Do you have confidence that Kansas City, with what they’ve shown so far, can do it?

Counting the three teams I already mentioned, they face six squads over their last 10 games that currently have winning records. One of the others is the 3-3 Steelers, who are battling for that last spot too.

There’s no reason for the Chiefs to give up on the season, but there’s also no reason not to go ahead and start making a plan to fix what’s wrong, starting with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. It’s time for him to start updating his resume.

THE BROWNS SHOULD LET BAKER MAYFIELD PLAY OUT HIS FIFTH YEAR OPTION

Baker Mayfield is a tough guy and a popular guy who makes good commercials. He’s also, as far as I can see, the bare minimum you can expect to get out of an NFL franchise quarterback. You can win with him and the Browns have, but he’s yet to have that iconic game, that come from behind moment, where he shows he deserves to mentioned amongst the league’s best.

And he’s had the opportunity, twice this season, and blew it both times. Against the aforementioned Chiefs in Week 1, Mayfield got the ball down 33-29 with 2:49 to go in the game and threw an interception five plays into the drive.

In Week 5, Mayfield got the ball down 47-42 to the Los Angeles Chargers with 1:31 to go in the game and never got his team to the 50 yard line. They turned it over on downs.

Put Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers in that situation and what do you think happens?

So Mayfield has a lot to prove. I say the Browns should make him prove it.

This past offseason they picked up Mayfield’s fifth year option as they should have. It’ll keep him under contract through next season and pay him $18.858 million. Josh Allen, taken after Mayfield, already has signed a long term deal. Lamar Jackson likely will at some point. Sam Darnold, of course, will be lucky to still be in the NFL next year. It was an interesting class.

But Mayfield, taken No. 1 overall, is easily the third best QB of that group and probably the most replaceable considering, as I mentioned above, he’s fine and can play, but he’s not proven he’s the guy that can put the team on his back and take them to the promised land. So why should Cleveland pay him like he is?

Mahomes is the NFL’s highest paid passer, making $45 million a season. Allen is now second, making $43 million. Mayfield is not worth that money. He can think he deserves real starting QB money, probably in the $30-33 million range, but the Browns shouldn’t even think of paying him more than that. He’s not Josh Allen. He’s not Dak Prescott ($40 million). He’s probably not Carson Wentz ($32 million).

If Cleveland makes the playoffs again this season and wins a game, Mayfield’s bargaining power will increase. While I can easily see them making the postseason (they’d be in if it started today as the seventh seed), I don’t see them winning a game. Not against the likes of the Bills, Titans, Chargers or Ravens.

I think Cleveland should buy some insurance at back up QB, better than Case Keenum, and let Mayfield earn his contract on the field in 2022. There are a lot of interesting No. 2 QB options that could possibly thrive in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. I’m looking at a guy like Marcus Mariota or Mitchell Trubisky and feeling pretty good about my chances with them running the same attack Mayfield does. Mariota has the exact same number of playoff victories as Mayfield and Trubisky has twice the number of postseason appearances with far less talented teams.

And they’d do it for next to nothing compared to the $40 million that Mayfield’s agent is absolutely trying to secure right now.

The Browns need to learn from the mistakes the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles made with Jared Goff and Wentz respectively. Look at how much better off the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are specifically because they didn’t give Mariota and Jameis Winston long term deals after their fourth seasons.

I’m not saying toss Mayfield out. I am saying he’s not worth $40 million and, honestly, I’d find it tough to pay him $30 million for what he brings to the team. Not with the free agent crop out there and guys like Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo on the trading block.

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