- Browns down four wide receivers vs. Jets due to COVID-19 protocols (ESPN) - Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will be without the bulk of his receiving corps for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets, after contact tracing landed four wideouts on the reserve/COVID-19 list before the team took off from Cleveland. Starting receivers Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins, along with key backups Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge, were all placed on the list after being identified as high-risk close contacts of a positive test.
- Kelly Holcomb ready to pass playoff torch to Browns’ quarterback Baker Mayfield (Beacon Journal) - Before the 2018 NFL Draft, Kelly Holcomb heard the analysts trying to knock Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield off his pedestal. The last quarterback to start for the Browns in a playoff game in 2002, Holcomb was fixated on Mayfield’s intangibles. Holcomb saw the player who became like a Pied Piper at the University of Oklahoma.
- The Browns’ scorching offense and 3 other things to watch against the Jets (cleveland.com) - The Browns offense has been absolutely humming since Thanksgiving. Kevin Stefanski’s team is averaging 450.5 yards per game in its last four outings and 308.3 passing yards per game. To put it in perspective, the Kansas City Chiefs lead the league this season in yards per game at 427.9. The Browns are peaking offensively at exactly the right time of year as Stefanski and his players continue to grow together in this system. Expect more offensive fireworks on Sunday against a defense that has given up 30 or more points in nine games.
- Browns playoff rooting guide for Week 16 (Browns Wire) - The Cleveland Browns can clinch a postseason berth for the first time in nearly 20 years in Week 16. For that to happen, the Browns need to handle their own business against the New York Jets and get a little help from around the league. Here are the outcomes to watch around the NFL in Week 16.
NFL:
- Mahomes magic to the Bills’ rise: five gifts the NFL gave us in 2020 (The Guardian) - With the festive season upon us, we reflect on reasons for football fans to be thankful as the year draws to an end.
- Bucs’ Mike Evans shines, but history is put on hold for another week (Tampa Tribune) - After Saturday’s romp, Evans needs only 40 more yards for his seventh 1,000-yard season in a row.
- The Tua Tagovailoa vs. Justin Herbert draft debate needs to slow down (Sporting News) - Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert will always be linked by their 2020 NFL Draft selections. Tagovailoa went fifth overall to the Miami Dolphins. Herbert went right after him, sixth, to the Los Angeles Chargers. That linkage makes the pair an obvious talking point whenever one does well. There were commentators saying they’d rather have Herbert before Tagovailoa had even played an NFL game. Late in their rookie seasons, Tagovailoa’s Dolphins are winning but Herbert has the numbers. Tread lightly on the wins vs. numbers argument, because neither side will be budging on that one anytime soon.