Should the Browns bench Baker Mayfield for his own good?

After a 37-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, it might be time for Baker Mayfield to sit out Week 7 and take a moment to recover his game. 

Baker Mayfield has never missed an NFL game due to injury.

And he doesn’t plan on starting now, saying that he will “absolutely” suit up versus the Denver Broncos in Week 7.

The problem is, it’s a Thursday night game, and Mayfield dislocated his left shoulder twice on Sunday. He arrived at the press conference in a sling.

But the J.J. Watt strip sack that ripped it out of place happened in the third quarter, long after Mayfield had already made two costly turnovers.

His fumble and interception in the first half weren’t the fault of his receivers or his offensive line. Mayfield held onto the ball for too long and made poor decisions, which must be considered when determining whether or not he’s ready to buck up against the Broncos.

Baker Mayfield needs time to recover from shoulder injury and level of play

Mayfield was able to execute an incredible Hail Mary to close out the first half, but it was too little and too late for the Browns to take their fourth win. Sunday marks the second of the first pair of back-to-back losses the Browns have seen under Kevin Stefanski.

Mayfield is aware that he made bad decisions against the Cardinals, and it wouldn’t be unusual for any team to get rattled against the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team. Couple that with the fact Mayfield probably had shoulder pain on his mind all game, and it makes sense that he was off by a mere fraction of a second.

With all of this in mind, it’s probably best to let Mayfield sit this one out on Thursday and send in Case Keenum to play in his stead.

Keenum didn’t do so well the last time he covered for Mayfield in Week 6 of last year. After Mayfield suffered a rib injury in the third quarter, Keenum completed just 5-of-10 passes for 46 yards over the course of three drives. Still, the Browns are better off with a healthy Keenum managing the game than forcing an injured Mayfield to take the helm.

Mayfield will reportedly undergo MRI scans on Monday to survey the extent of the damage to his left shoulder. As much as he absolutely wants to be on the field for TNF, it looks like this will be the first game Mayfield will miss due to injury. If he does, he’ll give his body at least two weeks to recover before taking the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.