Browns QB Baker Mayfield ‘no doubt’ will play vs. Patriots in Week 8, says coach

The Cleveland Browns have a Week 7 bye before playing the New England Patriots on the road in Week 8, and this extra time off gives the team's injured players some much-needed rest before a critical stretch in their 2019 season.

One of those players dealing with an injury is starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. The second-year QB suffered a hip injury in the third quarter of Cleveland's loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Mayfield described the area as "kind of tender" after the game.

Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens told reporters Tuesday there is "no doubt" that Mayfield will play when Cleveland travels to Gillette Stadium to play the defending Super Bowl champions on Oct. 27.

Revis praises Tom Brady as 'the ultimate competitor'>>>

The Patriots defense will present plenty of challenges for Mayfield and the Browns offense. New England's D leads the league in sacks, interceptions, takeaways, yards allowed per game and points allowed per game.

Mayfield has struggled through six games. He's completing just 56.6 percent of his passes with just five touchdowns and a league-high 11 interceptions. The Browns have fallen way short of expectations with a 2-4 record, and even though they aren't totally out of the AFC playoff race, the margin for error is quite slim.

The Browns offense will need to be very efficient to beat a Patriots team averaging a league-leading 31.7 points scored per game. Mayfield must lead that charge by taking better care of the football against a Patriots secondary loaded with talent and experience.