After Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, which prevented the Cleveland Browns from securing a place in the playoffs, quarterback Baker Mayfield said he “let the team down” after messing around three times.
“Simple and straightforward, I have to hold on to the damn ball,” said Mayfield, who fumbled the last two drives from Cleveland, allowing the Jets to hold on to the 23-16 win at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. . “We had exactly what we needed to win this game. And I wasn’t doing well enough. That’s it.”
Due to tracking down contacts from a player who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Browns had to play without their top four wide receivers. Instead, Cleveland had to rely on Ja’Marcus Bradley and Derrick Willies instead, along with Marvin Hall, who was claimed from waivers earlier this month.
Without their regular receivers, including Jarvis Landry, and aspiring linemen Jedrick Wills Jr. (illness) and Wyatt Teller (ankle), the Browns struggled offensively all day.
As a result, running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt faced a stacked box, averaging just 0.3 meters to contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and combined to finish with just 39 meters of rush. Unable to establish the point or facilitate play-action, the Browns had to broadcast it with Mayfield, finishing with a career-high 53 passes. Thirty-six of those passes went to tight ends or run, the most draws by a quarterback in the past 20 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info research.
Still, Mayfield refused to use those important absences, especially with the recipient, as an excuse, and took the blame for the loss.
“Give me,” said Mayfield, “because I’m not doing my job, because I’m not playing at a high level like I should be, because I couldn’t get these guys going and finishing this game.”
Mayfield only answered one question in his post-game video call, but he also spoke for nearly two minutes. Before running away, he acknowledged that for the first time since 2002, the Browns can still advance to the playoffs and eventually end the NFL’s longest post-season drought by beating Pittsburgh next weekend.
“This one is going to sting for a day or two, but we have the Steelers to win and come in,” he said. “So I’m going to roll with these punches. Back to the wall and we have to win to get in. You know what, this group fought today, but I didn’t do enough. I didn’t play well enough for us to win. And that. is the. “