Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield struggled during Saturday's 24-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and some Cleveland Browns fans have apparently taken their criticism of the quarterback too far.

As TMZ Sports noted, Mayfield's wife Emily took to social media to reveal that the quarterback received "death threats" and "blatant disrespect" following the loss.

"For the record—I pray for those of you who even think those thoughts, let alone type them out," she wrote. "I hope you can find some happiness so you stop trying to steal it from others."

Mayfield threw four interceptions in the loss, which undercut a solid showing from Cleveland's defense and its running game. Nick Chubb tallied 126 yards and a score on the ground, and it isn't a stretch to suggest the Browns would have won the game against Green Bay if they received better quarterback play.

Still, it appears the team's fans took their frustrations out in the wrong way and threatened the signal-caller.

Next up for Cleveland is a Monday night showdown with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. 

It is a must-win game for the Browns if they are going to make a late playoff charge considering they are 7-8 and 12th in the current AFC playoff picture. There are five AFC teams ahead of them with seven losses, so Cleveland essentially has to win out and get some help to make the postseason.

If that doesn't happen, the hope is fans will not respond by threatening the team's quarterback on social media once again.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield had the first four-interception game of his career in Saturday's 24-22 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

On the final pick he threw, there appeared to be some contact between his intended receiver and Packers defensive back Rasul Douglas, but pass interference was not called.

When speaking to reporters after the game, Mayfield refused to use that as an excuse, saying, "Little bit of contact, but you can't bank on that being called."

Mayfield, who also had two touchdowns, threw three of his four interceptions in the first half. His last pick came in the fourth quarter as Cleveland was attempting to put together a game-winning drive.

It was Mayfield's first game back since being cleared from the NFL's health and safety protocols. He was forced to miss Cleveland's Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday after testing positive for COVID-19.

Mayfield told reporters he feels responsible for Saturday's loss because he believes the rest of the team played a solid game.

"It's frustrating," he said. "Like I said, I thought the defense played great, I thought our skill guys played well. Offensive line, the same thing. The [running] backs, obviously, played their tails off. That's why it's frustrating for me. Like I said, I hurt this team, there's no excuse. It is what it is."

Mayfield has thrown for 2,825 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. He also has three lost fumbles. It's the third time in his four-year career that he's thrown double-digit interceptions in a season.

Cleveland has not yet made a decision on signing Mayfield to a long-term contract extension but did exercise his $18.9 million fifth-year option for 2022. Saturday's performance did not inspire confidence in him being the team's answer at the quarterback position beyond next season.

Mayfield and the Browns will return to action next Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Green Bay Packers earned their fourth straight win by defeated the Cleveland Browns 24-22 on Christmas Day. Aaron Rodgers threw for 202 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay improved to 12-3.

Rodgers surpassed Hall of Famer Brett Favre's franchise passing touchdowns record of 442 in the victory. Rodgers now has 445 passing scores in his career. 

With the win, the Packers maintain their top spot in the NFC standings. Green Bay already clinched the NFC North after last week's win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Browns fell to 7-8 after their second consecutive loss, causing a major blow to their playoff hopes. Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns and four interceptions in the loss. Nick Chubb had 184 total scrimmage yards and a touchdown.

Notable Stats

Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: 24-of-34 for 202 YDS, 3 TD

Davante Adams, WR, GB: 10 REC for 114 YDS, 2 TD

Baker Mayfield, QB, CLE: 21-of-36 for 222 YDS, 2 TD, 4 INT

Nick Chubb, RB, CLE: 17 CAR for 126 YDS, TD; 3 REC for 58 YDS

Packers Perform on Both Sides of the Ball

Green Bay played complementary football on Saturday, using strong defense to ignite its offense. The Packers forced three first-half turnovers and scored touchdowns on each ensuing possession. Chandon Sullivan, Rasul Douglas and Darnell Savage each recorded an interception in the first half.

Packers receiver Allen Lazard got things going with an 11-yard score, which was Rodgers' record-breaker.

Adams made his presence felt in a big way early on, recording nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns before halftime.

Cleveland kept the game competitive, but Green Bay was able to get timely stops to put the brakes on any momentum the Browns were trying to build.

The Browns broke through with a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make it a two-point game, but Douglas got his second interception of the day to put the game away. Saturday's win was the first game that the Packers have held an opponent to under 28 points since their Week 10 shutout win over the Seattle Seahawks.

If Green Bay's defense can continue to make opportunistic plays that its offense can take advantage of, the Packers will be a tough out in the playoffs.

Mayfield's Mistakes Too Much for Cleveland to Overcome

Cleveland played a competitive game on Saturday, but the team couldn't bounce back from early mistakes by Mayfield. It was the first four-interception game of his career.

The polarizing quarterback made some questionable decisions throughout the game. Each of his first-half interceptions came on badly thrown balls.

The Browns had success when they made their rushing attack the focal point of their offense. With Chubb leading the way, Cleveland totaled 219 yards on the ground.

Mayfield's first three interceptions led to touchdowns by Green Bay. The Packers had just one other scoring drive throughout the game, so it's safe to say Cleveland could've been in position to earn an upset win had Mayfield avoided so many costly errors. The back-breaker came on his fourth interception with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

The Browns had an opportunity to steal a win against the top team in the NFC, but Mayfield's subpar performance was too much for them to overcome. Cleveland will have some crucial decisions to make this offseason regarding whether it will sign Mayfield to a long-term extension. Saturday's outing may have damaged his case to earn a big-money deal.

What's Next?

The Packers will host the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings next Sunday night. The Browns will remain on the road for a division matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 3 on Monday Night Football.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will reportedly start Saturday's Christmas showdown against the Green Bay Packers after a stint on the COVID-19/Reserve list. 

According to NFL Network's Stacy Dales, Mayfield is "ready to roll" after clearing protocols:

The 2021 campaign has been riddled with injury and frustration for Mayfield. He's spent much of the season playing while wearing a harness to stabilize a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder while also missing last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders following his positive COVID-19 test. 

In 12 starts this season, Mayfield has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,603 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the 7-7 Browns. 

Cleveland's showdown with Green Bay is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET. 

The Cleveland Browns announced Friday quarterback Baker Mayfield was removed from the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Saturday's Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers.

Backup quarterback Case Keenum, wide receiver Jarvis Landry, defensive end Ifeadi Odengibo and cornerback A.J. Green were also activated.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported earlier Friday on SportsCenter the "likelihood is pretty good" the quarterback would be available for the key Week 16 matchup:

The team is confident that Mayfield will be cleared out of the COVID protocol as late as tomorrow. And if that's the case, if it doesn't happen today, then they have to wait until tomorrow. The team will fly to Green Bay; Mayfield will likely fly separately via private jet. The team would have that ready for him and they'd just get him to his teammates to try to get ready for the game in short order. Mayfield has been staying ready the last few weeks. He is considered asymptomatic; he feels like he's in a good place.

He's also healthy right now. He had a non-displaced fracture on his non-throwing shoulder that was hurting him earlier in the year. That has completely healed up now, so he's probably ready to go deep a little bit. He criticized the game plan as being a little too conservative a few weeks ago, so maybe this time they'll air it out a little bit if Mayfield's available.

Mayfield's body has been put through the wringer so far this season. The 26-year-old has a partially torn labrum and suffered a tuberosity fracture in his left shoulder earlier this year. 

Those shoulder injuries forced Mayfield to miss Cleveland's Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos. He returned to start the next six games. 

Prior to the Browns' Week 15 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Mayfield was ruled out because he was unable to clear COVID-19 protocols, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. Keenum was also unable to play in that game, leaving Nick Mullens to start for the first time in 2021. 

Mayfield has had an inconsistent season for the Browns. He has thrown for 2,603 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 62.8 completion percentage in 12 games.

Getting him back would still be a boost for the offense as Cleveland (7-7) tries to make a late surge into a playoff spot in the AFC.

Mayfield would also benefit from having Landry available as a key target. The wideout has tallied 38 catches for 397 yards and one touchdown in nine games this season.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has never faced Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett, but the reigning MVP knows just how special the veteran defensive end is, telling reporters that he'll be a Hall of Famer if he continues to play at an elite level. 

"He legitimately has gold-jacket possibilities in his future if he keeps playing the way he's playing for a few more years," Rodgers told reporters.

Garrett's status for Saturday's Christmas matchup between the Packers and Browns was in question after the 25-year-old suffered a groin injury in Monday's 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. 

However, the All-Pro defensive end told reporters that he believes he'll play "regardless" of how he feels. He's not sure if he'll be able to handle a full workload at Lambeau Field, though, because he hasn't practiced all week.

Garrett is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the NFL. He leads the Browns with a career-high 15 sacks, which is tied for third in the league and has recorded three passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, 48 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss and 28 quarterback hits. 

The Texas A&M product was also recently named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season.

If Garrett is unable to play against the Packers, the Browns could have some problems along the defensive line. Fellow defensive end Jadeveon Clowney's status is unclear after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and Cleveland is already without Takkarist McKinley, who was ruled out for the season after tearing his Achilles against the Raiders. 

Rodgers is also playing at a high level and will undoubtedly cause problems for the Browns defense, regardless if Garrett plays. The 38-year-old has completed 67.8 percent of his passes for 3,487 yards and 30 touchdowns against just four interceptions in 13 games. 

Saturday's game is a huge one for the Browns, who control their own postseason destiny. If they defeat the Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, they have a 97 percent chance to make the playoffs, per the New York Times' interactive projections.

If the Browns lose to the Packers, they still have a 39 percent chance to make the postseason with wins over the Steelers and Bengals. If they lose all three games, or two of three, they'll likely miss the postseason. 

Given the playoff implications, it should come as no surprise that Garrett expects to play, regardless if he isn't fully healthy.  

Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter announced Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The veteran lineman said he had felt "mild cold-like symptoms this morning," which led him to seek out a COVID-19 test.

With Thursday's news, Tretter will likely be absent for Saturday's game against the Green Bay Packers. He has yet to miss a single game since signing with Cleveland in 2017.

The Browns will have to forge ahead in Week 16 without a number of key players.

Earlier this week, the NFL and NFL Players Association reached an agreement to amend the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in the wake of a surge in new positive cases. The new rules ease the frequency at which vaccinated players are required to be tested.

The players can be voluntarily tested as much as they want, but they're only compelled when showing COVID-like symptoms.

Tretter, president of the NFLPA, argued in September in favor of daily testing to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 when the Delta variant was causing a spike at the time.

"The NFLPA saw this coming months ago and has been advocating for a return to daily testing because it is more effective way to stop and prevent the spread of the coronavirus in our locker rooms," he said.

With Omicron variant creating the same problem—on a greater scale—the NFLPA renewed that call:

In another change to the health and safety protocols, the league and players' union agreed to accelerate the timeline by which vaccinated players can return to the field. Even if they continue to test positive, a player can be activated if his viral load is below the threshold at which he's deemed to be contagious.

Despite those changes, the timing of Tretter's positive test almost certainly means Nick Harris will be the Browns' starting center Saturday.

If the NFL had its way, the three Week 15 games impacted by COVID-19 wouldn't have been played. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter said the NFLPA executive committee voted to have the games rescheduled after the NFL wanted to cancel them:

The NFL announced Friday that three games—Las Vegas Raiders vs. Browns, Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams—had been rescheduled. 

The Browns, Rams and Football Team each had several players and coaches added to the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list over the course of last week.   

Several players for the Raiders, Football Team and Seahawks expressed their unhappiness that the games were rescheduled. 

Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward even suggested Tretter, who is president of the NFL Players Association, used his influence to get the games moved:

Before the regular season began, the NFL told teams in a memo that games wouldn't be postponed or rescheduled because of COVID-19 absences involving unvaccinated players. 

Rams head coach Sean McVay said all of the players on his team who were put on the reserve/COVID-19 list have been vaccinated. 

On Monday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted 213 players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of last week, with "roughly" two-thirds of that group being asymptomatic. 

There has been no indication at this point that any games scheduled for Week 16 are at risk of being rescheduled.