Baker Mayfield still hopes to face the Steelers Sunday and definitely has a chance: Browns Insider – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baker Mayfield still hopes to face the Steelers on Sunday and definitely has a chance, league sources tell cleveland.com.

Mayfield sat out Sunday’s 17-14 victory over the Broncos and Monday’s practice with his left shoulder injury, but still wants to play Sunday. In addition to the torn labrum in his left shoulder, Mayfield has a fractured humerus bone, believed to be in the ball that sits in the socket. A source told cleveland.com that it’s non-displaced, meaning it can heal on its own without surgery.

The fracture, which occurred during the 37-14 loss to the Cardinals on Oct. 17, won’t be healed by Sunday, but the shoulder might be stable enough for Mayfield to play, sources said. He must show that he has sufficient strength in the shoulder, and that the swelling has subsided enough for him to wear the harness tightly.

But playing won’t risk his career, especially because it’s his non-throwing shoulder. Mayfield might return to practice Wednesday on a limited basis, but still has Thursday and Friday if not.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he doesn’t plan to prepare differently for Mayfield as opposed to Case Keenum, who earned a 90.3 rating against the Broncos in his first start for the Browns.

“That’s what really stood out to me watching their last game,’’ Tomlin said. “They didn’t lose their personality at all. A solid veteran quarterback who’s been a part of the program like Case has provides that opportunity for them. We’re not overly concerned right now with who their quarterback might be. We’re looking at what it is they do collectively, their run game, their coordinated play-action and misdirection passing game, and how to utilize all the people that they distribute the ball to.”

If Mayfield plays, the Browns will have to keep T.J. Watt from sacking him. Watt, last week’s AFC Defensive Player of the Week, is third in the NFL with 7.0 sacks in just five games. Myles Garrett is first with 9.5 sacks in seven games. Watt has five sacks and two forced fumbles in his last three games, and three strips overall. He also has three passes broken up.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s sprained right shoulder

Beckham has dueling shoulder injuries — the sprained right AC joint suffered in the Cardinals game, and the torn left labrum aggravated by a couple of dislocations in the Bears game in Week 2.

But it’s the right shoulder that’s causing the most problems. A Grade 3 sprain involves torn ligaments that hold the collarbone in place, and a painful bump forms on the shoulder from the end of the collarbone. The Browns were surprised Beckham felt ready to face the Broncos after participating in pre-game warmups. He was in pain, but gutted it out.

Beckham, who went 0-4 on his first-half targets with a dropped pass, was unceremoniously booed by fans despite the fact he was taking one for the team. He reinjured the shoulder late in the first half, but returned in the second half to catch two passes on the game-winning TD drive.

Ebron hasn’t forgotten

The Steelers hope to expunge the memory of that 48-37 loss to the Browns in January’s wild-card round.

“They whooped our a– at our home and sent us home [from the playoffs],” Steelers tight end Eric Ebron said Monday. “If ya’ll can’t get motivated by that, you probably shouldn’t be playing football. Any team that sends you home in your division, you’ve got to come with it.”

The Steelers, coming off their bye week, are 3-3, and the Browns improved to 4-3 with their victory over the Broncos, but are third in the division behind the 5-2 Bengals and 5-2 Ravens.

“We’ll see them on Sunday at 1 o’clock,” Ebron said.

Tomlin, however, has closed the book on the loss.

“I’m sure it comes up in some form or fashion, but not as a rallying cry or not as a focus of a meeting,’’ Tomlin said. “There are a lot of variables that are 2021 that should have our attention. We’ve got a lot riding on this game. We’re going to play a really good team in their venue. It’s 2021. Last year’s game means nothing to Najee [Davenport], it means nothing to KG [Kendrick Green], it means nothing to Dan Moore [Jr.], it means nothing to Pat [Freiermuth], etc., etc.

“You’ve just got to acknowledge that, in the game of football, things change year in and year out and seemingly low hanging fruit is oftentimes irrelevant to some of the people in the room. We don’t spend a lot of time talking about old stories or old news.’’

Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who provided Cleveland with a “Browns is the Browns’’ rallying cry before that game, is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.