After Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, which prevented the Cleveland Browns from settling a playoff match, the quarterback Baker Mayfield He said he „failed on the team” after fumbling three times.

„Easy and simple, I gotta catch the damn ball,” said Mayfield, who faltered at the last two Cleveland leads, allowing the two planes to go on to win 23-16 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. „We had exactly what we needed to win this match. And I didn’t do enough. That’s it.”

Due to contact tracing from a player who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, Browns had to play without the top four wide receiver. Instead, Cleveland had to rely on coaching squad summons Ja Marcus Bradley And the Derek Willis, With Marvin HallOf the waivers that were claimed earlier this month.

Without the normal receivers, incl Jarvis Landry, The starting line workers Jedric Wells Jr.. (Disease) and White Teller (Ankle), Brown fought offensively all day.

Faced with a stacked box as a result, their backs are turned Nick Chubb And the Karim Hunt It averaged just 0.3 yards before calling, according to ESPN Stats & Information Research, and combined with only a 39-yard lunge. Unable to establish a run or facilitate play, Brown had to instead air it with Mayfield, who ended up with 53 high-pass attempts. Thirty-six of those passes went to tight ends or sprinted backwards, and have tied more by the midfielder over the past twenty seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info research.

However, Mayfield refused to use those major absences, especially at the recipient, as an excuse, and blamed the loss.

Mayfield said, „Put it on me, because I didn’t do my job, I didn’t play as high as I should have done, and I didn’t convince these players to get out of this game.”

Mayfield only received one question on his post-match video call, but he also spoke for about two minutes. Before leaving, he admitted Brown could still advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, and finally end the longest post-season drought in the NFL with a beating Pittsburgh next weekend.

„This will sting for a day or two, but we have the Steelers to win and enter,” he said. „So, I’m going to roll with these punches. Their backs are against the wall and we have to win to get in. You know, this group fought today, but I didn’t do enough. I didn’t play well enough. For us to win. And that’s it.”