NFL Panic Index 2019: Can this marriage between Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns be saved?

Trading for Odell Beckham was an achievement for the Browns. After a decade-plus of languishing at the bottom of the AFC North — and the NFL in general — the All-Pro wide receiver was supposed to link up with an ascending Baker Mayfield to make Cleveland a division champion for the first time since 1989.

Instead, Mayfield has thrown more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15), Beckham has fewer catches than 32 other players in the league, and the Browns are 6-7 and just barely clinging to the hope of an unlikely wild card bid.

Beckham is playing through a sports hernia that first perked up back in training camp, and Mayfield has concerns about how his own franchise has handled the injury.

“I’d say that it wasn’t handled right. He’s not able to run as well as he as should be able to, as well as he knows. And that’s frustrating for him. You can sense some of his frustration, where that comes from. It wasn’t handled the right way, in our training room. It is what it is. His not 100% is still good enough for us.

Beckham has averaged 4.5 catches and 64.9 yards per game — enough to put him on pace for a 1,000-yard season, but both career lows by a significant margin. He was vague when asked about his future with this team when talking to reporters leading up to Week 14, and later attempted to clarify his comments via Twitter.

But even after that, Fox insider Jay Glazer reported Beckham had broadcasted his dislike of Cleveland to teammates and other NFL staffers throughout the week.

The former Giant has been forced into a supporting role behind Jarvis Landry, who has emerged as one of the league’s top wideouts while recording 115 targets to Beckham’s 108. Would a fully healthy Beckham earn more looks and elevate Mayfield back to the late 2018 form that pushed him into rookie of the year consideration? Or do Cleveland’s flaws run deeper than a star wideout who’s played hurt in 2019?

Panic index: A trip to the postseason would be the balm to soothe the aches created in any rift between Beckham and the Browns. Unfortunately, the New York Times’ playoff odds calculator gives Cleveland just a 4 percent shot at extending its season. Beckham will undergo surgery in the offseason, giving him time to get healthy and the Browns a chance to sell him on his future in Cleveland.

If Beckham truly wants out, the club can release him while leaving just $2.75 million in dead cap space behind. Beckham could also be traded again, with teams like the Cowboys, Saints, and 49ers mentioned as possibilities. It would be a pretty short-sighted move — but these are the Browns, so let’s not rule anything out.

The LA Rams entered the month of December sitting at 6-5, with longshot playoff hopes only one year after making the Super Bowl. Quarterback Jared Goff hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass the entire month of November. They had just gotten outclassed by the Ravens in a 45-6 beatdown at home on Monday Night Football.

But through the first two weeks of December, the Rams have found their groove, with two straight wins over the Cardinals and the Seahawks. In his last two games, Goff has looked much improved compared to what he did the month prior. He put up some of his best numbers all season, completing 73 percent of his passes for 711 yards and four touchdowns (along with two INTs). He had a passer rating of 110 and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt, too.

It’s not just Goff, either. Running back Todd Gurley has been more productive in the last couple weeks, rushing for 174 combined yards, two touchdowns, and another 54 yards receiving. The defense held the Cardinals to just seven points and 198 total yards in the Rams’ 34-7 victory. In Week 14, it didn’t allow Russell Wilson to throw a touchdown pass for the first time all year, while Seattle’s 12 points were its lowest output of the season.

Despite the turnaround, it may be too little, too late for the Rams. They’re currently on the outside of the playoff picture and have to play the Cowboys in Dallas this Sunday, followed by another road trip to face the 11-2 San Francisco 49ers. As it stands now, the Rams have just a 34 percent chance of making the playoffs, per the New York Times.

Panic index: The Rams are already eliminated from NFC West contention, so they’re competing with the 9-4 Vikings and 7-6 Bears for the No. 6 spot in the NFC. The Rams’ best bet to land the wild card bid is to win out. But even if they win the last two out of three, they still have a chance, especially if the Vikings stumble.

Either way, the Rams aren’t in complete control of their destiny. They could have been if they hadn’t slumped so hard in the middle of the season — or, simply, if Greg Zuerlein hadn’t missed his last-second field goal attempt in Week 5.

Deshaun Watson is doing his best to drag Houston into the playoffs. The Texans are tied with the Titans for the AFC South title and — even if they don’t win that — they could beat out the Steelers and company for a wild card berth.

While Watson has the Texans in the top 10 in total offense, the defense is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Only four teams have allowed more passing touchdowns than Houston, despite a trade that brought in cornerback Gareon Conley and the addition of cornerback Vernon Hargreaves off the waiver wire.

Instead of getting better with those acquisitions, the Texans’ pass defense is headed in the other direction. Opposing quarterbacks now have a 101.7 passer rating against the Texans, fourth-worst in the NFL. Tom Brady’s only 300-yard passing day in the last two months came in Week 13 against the Texans. Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock ripped the Houston secondary to shreds a week later in a 38-24 win that was his second ever NFL game.

J.J. Watt is on injured reserve and Jadeveon Clowney was traded away to the Seahawks before the season began. Without them, Whitney Mercilus is the only player on the defense with more than four sacks.

Their inability to stop any quarterback may lose them a spot in the postseason, and if the team still manages to get in, an early exit could be on the way.

Panic index: Houston is two wins away from the playoffs and anything can happen in January. If the Texans can make a run, they certainly wouldn’t be the first team with a shaky defense to get to the Super Bowl. After all, they already beat the Chiefs and the Patriots this season.

The 41-7 loss to the Ravens in November is a bad sign, though. The Texans need to find a way to get some stops or force some turnovers, and fast.

The 49ers have succeeded this season despite a long list of injuries that included both starting tackles, both starting running backs, their kicker, and their second-best pass rusher. They’d been getting healthier over the past couple weeks, but their win over the Saints came at great cost.

They lost starting center Weston Richburg to a torn patellar tendon. He’ll miss the remainder of the season and the postseason, meaning the 49ers will have to turn to Ben Garland at center.

Perhaps worse is the injury to cornerback Richard Sherman. He’s missed time already this season, but he’s now dealing with a hamstring strain that will have him miss “a couple weeks.”

Sherman has been among the best cornerbacks in the league this season.

He’s locked down his side of the field, so much so that the play of safety Jaquiski Tartt has been overlooked because Sherman does such a good job of taking away everything on that side. Sherman missing time could be huge, especially as the 49ers battle for seeding. They currently hold the top seed in the NFC, but face must-win games to stay ahead of the division rival Seahawks.

Panic index: Garland played well when Richburg left the Saints game, but the play of Ahkello Witherspoon behind Sherman has been spotty. The 49ers’ much-feared defense is a lot less fearsome without Sherman in there. Obviously, resting up and being ready for the playoffs is important, but if “a couple weeks” turns out to include the Week 17 matchup against the Seahawks, then the 49ers could easily drop from first seed to fifth.

The Saints have lost shootouts before, though usually they happen early in the season. The Saints have lost heartbreakers due to defensive breakdowns before, though usually they happen in the playoffs.

In Week 14, they did both — and it might end up costing them a coveted top seed in the playoffs.

After jumping out to an early 20-7 lead against the 49ers, and then a 27-14 lead, the Saints fell behind right before halftime. They battled back-and-forth with the 49ers for the second half, and then Drew Brees brilliantly engineered a seven-play, 76-yard drive to put the home team up 46-45 with less than a minute to go.

That’s when the New Orleans defense, which was already in the midst of its worst game of the season, collapsed. On fourth-and-2, the Saints let Jimmy Garoppolo find his favorite target, George Kittle, and proceeded to let the tight end go full Beast Mode on them:

Not only did it take three Saints to tackle Kittle, but they also got called for an obvious facemask penalty. That set up Robbie Gould to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired.

The sequence vaulted the 49ers to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and moved the Saints down from the top seed to the No. 3 seed. That means that if the playoffs started today, the Saints wouldn’t get a first-round bye and they wouldn’t get to host a possible NFC Championship Game either. That’s a big deal for the Saints, who are 6-1 in playoff games at the Superdome since Brees has been their quarterback.

Panic index: The good news is that no matter what, the Saints are in the playoffs and can’t finish any worse than the No. 3 seed (thanks to the god-awful NFC East). The Saints have a manageable schedule in the final three weeks, and New Orleans can jump right back up into a top seed. The bad news is that they need the 49ers and/or Packers to falter to do that — and now the Saints are without one of their best defensive playmakers, Marcus Davenport, for the rest of the season.