The new NFL season is officially underway, and we’re two weeks in for the Cleveland Browns. Whilst it didn’t get off to the best of starts as the Browns lost on their travels to the Kansas City Chiefs 33-29, it was an extremely close battle on the field. And things did pick up in week 2 with a much better performance at home against the Houston Texans, eventually running out 31-21 winners.
Sadly, getting the win against the Texans wasn’t the main thing on people’s lips that night, and instead the focus was drawn to a couple of injuries picked up by the Browns. Both Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry left the field due to injuries they picked up during the game. And it has now been confirmed just how bad the damage is for either player, and it’s a mix of both good and bad news.
The good news is that both players underwent MRI scans, and neither player should be kept out too long. However, missing both players will be a blow for the team and will likely affect NFL picks for the upcoming weeks unless any replacement players can really step up their game. But let’s take a little look at both injuries and what the verdict was on both players following their scan results.
Baker Mayfield (Quarterback)
The initial situation causing the injury to Mayfield happened when there were just 10 minutes remaining in the 1st half, and he did it to himself. Rather than picking up the injury by being sacked, as you may expect. That’s because Mayfield went to tackle the Texans’ defensive back Justin Reid after he had intercepted a pass and was looking to make some ground, or even score a touchdown.
Instantly though, it was clear that something was wrong, his face displaying the look of a man who was in serious pain. He was taken off to the locker room, and inspected by the coaching staff, who could clearly tell something was wrong with his left shoulder. But crazily, he continued to play in each offensive play, and actually did rather well considering that knock he took; gaining 213 yards, and contributing to 2 touchdowns.
Fortunately, the MRI scan that Mayfiled would have following the game returned good news. As it was ruled out that there was any structural damage on his injured left shoulder. Suggesting he should be fine to return straight to action, but may have to rest his shoulder a little and put ice on it to keep any inflammation down. But it will be a welcome bit of news for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, who doesn’t have to look for a replacement and keep his QB who managed to help them to the win over the Texans.
Jarvis Landry (Wide Receiver)
Landry’s injury happened earlier in the game, but unlike Mayfield who carried out the rest of the tie, Landry’s injury was too much to push through, and he was forced off in the 3rd quarter. The injury initially happened on the Browns’ 2nd offensive play of the game, when he had made a 9-yard reception and was tackled. After assessment on the sidelines, he went for further checks in the locker room, where coaching staff declared him unfit to play.
The suspected injury at the time was a sprained Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) which is located in the knee. And whilst it was welcome news for Mayfield, sadly for Landry, the MRI wasn’t as kind, as it confirmed the coaches suspicions. Now, the time taken for him to recover could be anywhere to a couple of weeks to a couple of months. But Browns’ running back Nick Chubb picked up the same injury last season for 4 games. So we’d expect it to be similar for Landry.
If this is the case, then we’d assume that Landry would be placed on the injured reserve list, allowing for potential movement in the roster to bring more cover in for the position. Doing this would rule out Landry for a minimum 3 games though, so depending how bad of a sprain it is, whether he’ll need the full time off or not. But it would mean missing some big upcoming games either way, it’s just whether Stefanski wants to risk him being rushed back sooner, and potentially exacerbate any injuries.
For the time being, whilst it may be good news for Mayfield, it’s not as great as it could be for Landry. But hopefully, they both recover well and are back on the field as soon as possible. And they can help the Browns to more wins this season as they battle to make the playoffs.
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