BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Baker Mayfield’s bruises aren’t as black and blue as they were before the late, but much-needed bye.

What You Need To Know

  • The Browns (6-6) are facing a win-or-else situation on Sunday when they host the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens (8-4)

  • A win would move the Browns within a game of the division lead, and closer to a wild-card spot

  • A loss could push their playoff hopes past the perilous stage

The Browns’ record is still shaded in mediocrity.

The one-week break gave Cleveland’s quarterback a chance to heal and recoup from a 12-game battering and mentally prepare himself for a grueling five-game finish to maybe save the season and cement his future with the Browns.

“It’s crunch time,” Mayfield said Wednesday.

Is it ever.

The Browns (6-6) are facing a win-or-else situation on Sunday when they host the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens (8-4) in the second matchup between the rivals in three weeks. The scheduling oddity fits right in with his quirky season in which they have yet to separate from the pack.

A win would move the Browns within a game of the division lead, and closer to a wild-card spot.

A loss could push their playoff hopes past the perilous stage.

“Everything that we can accomplish is still in front of us so if we handle it correctly, that will happen,” Mayfield said. ”“I feel confident where I’m at, where we’re at and where we’re headed.”

During the time away, Mayfield relaxed for a few days in Arizona before visiting family in Austin, Texas. It was a welcomed chance for his body to recover after playing with a torn labrum and fractured humorous bone in his left shoulder, a bruised right knee and left heel and groin issue.