After Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, which prevented the Cleveland Browns from taking a place in the playoffs, defender Baker Mayfield said he “failed the team” after searching three times.
“Simple and easy, to keep my damn ball,” said Mayfield, who fumbled in Cleveland’s last two units, allowing to stand for Jete 23-16 victory on MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey . “I had exactly what I needed to win this game. And I didn’t do well enough. That’s it.”
Due to following contacts from a player who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Browns had to play without the first four wide receivers. Instead, Cleveland had to rely instead on coaches Ja’Marcus Bradley and Derrick Willies, along with Marvin Hall, who was claimed to have resigned earlier this month.
Without their usual receivers, including Jarvis Landry, and front-line Jedrick Wills Jr. (illness) and Wyatt Teller (ankle), the Browns fought offensively throughout the day.
Faced with a stacked box as a result, foundations Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt averaged just 0.3 meters before contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, and combined to finish with just 39 meters in hurry. Unable to establish the race or facilitate the action game, Browns instead had to broadcast it with Mayfield, which ended with a 53-run career attempt. Thirty-six of those passes went to tight ends or backs, most matched by a defender in the past 20 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info research.
However, Mayfield refused to use those key absences, especially at the receiver, as an excuse, and blamed the loss.
“Put it on me,” Mayfield said, “because I didn’t do my job, because I didn’t play at a high level as I should have, because I didn’t direct these guys and they finished this game. “
Mayfield received only one question in the post-game video call, but he also spoke for almost two minutes. Before he left, he acknowledged that the Browns could advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 and finally put an end to the NFL’s longest drought in the postseason, defeating Pittsburgh next weekend.
“It will 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 shots. Back to the wall and we have to win to get in. You know what, the group fought today, but we didn’t do enough. We didn’t play well enough. For us to win. And that’s it. . “