CLEVELAND — The first five weeks of the 2019 NFL season has been a grind for the Cleveland Browns, and not just because of the opponents, but also, inconsistent start times and days of the games.
The Browns will play their third prime time game in a four-week stretch when they travel west to face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in front of a national television audience on Monday Night Football, and to the coaches and players, handling the scheduling differences all comes down to finding a routine.
“It has been a little bit difficult to get into a routine,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “I think the staff has done a good job of when we have an extra day on the week or a shorter week they are doing a good job of keeping us somewhat in the routine.
“If we have to take the pads off, do a slower tempo and get more mental work, they are doing a great job of that. After we get past this Monday, I feel like it is going to be smooth sailing besides that Thursday game. We are one week at a time focus, so that is why we are having success.”
Despite the roller coaster of the short weeks following the prime time appearances and extra time to wait on game day, the Browns did something Sunday that they have not since December 22, 2002, and that is earn a regulation victory over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore last Sunday.
Behind a stout rushing performance from running back Nick Chubb, a breakout showing from tight end Ricky Seals-Jones and a career day from Jarvis Landry before he suffered a concussion, the Browns (2-2) earned a 40-25 victory over the Ravens (2-2).
It was the Browns’ first road win at Baltimore since October 11, 2015, which came in overtime, and it was a critical one, as the victory put Cleveland into first place in the AFC North Division after the first quarter of the 2019 regular season.
“They did not make it easy on a first-year head coach,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said with a laugh before practice earlier in the week. “Everyone likes a routine. Everyone likes getting up in the morning, grabbing your coffee and driving to work or whatever you do. Everyone likes to do the same thing every day. If anything changes, you adjust to it, of course.
“We maintain the same schedule every week. We get to the hotel the same time every week. Our travel is not dictated by the time we leave. It is dictated by the time we get to the schedule because I want everything being constant for those guys in a consistent manner.”
Offensive lineman Joel Bitonio got “used to one o’clock Sunday games” as the Browns struggled through a 3-36-1 stretch under former coach Hue Jackson, but now, he and his teammates are learning to navigate the waters of being a team that everybody wants to see and has high expectations for in 2019.
“We’re just trying to focus on keeping your routine,” Bitonio said. “Guys have a specific routine for them and they do things on certain days.
“We’re just trying to keep that as similar as possible. The travel stuff, everyone has to work with, you try and hydrate more, eat a little bit healthier. You try and be right for that game. For us, it’s fun. We get to play night games under the lights and kinda bring you back a little bit.”