Browns did pregame walkthrough for their receivers in rough condition
The COVID-19 situation for the Cleveland Browns put the team in a rough place for their Week 16 game on Sunday against the New York Jets.
The Browns had one player test positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Four of their wide receivers ended up on the COVID list because they were deemed high-risk contacts. That meant the team was without nearly all of its receivers against the Jets.
Since they promoted some receivers off the practice squad, the Browns took some unusual measures to get the players ready for the game. Head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters the team had a walkthrough in the parking garage next to the team’s hotel in the morning in freezing temperatures.
Stefanski says they had a walk-through at 8:15 this morning in parking garage next to the hotel in freezing temperatures for the new starting WRs to try and get them prepared and up to speed. Not something, obviously, #Browns regularly do.
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 27, 2020
Those are some difficult circumstances.
Baker Mayfield went 28/53 for 285 yards in the game but did not throw any touchdown passes. He targeted tight end Austin Hooper 15 times to make up for not having his usual receivers to throw to.
This was a terrible break for the Browns. This is their best team in nearly 20 years, and then they had this happen, which played a role in their 23-16 loss. And if you’re wondering, here is the reported explanation for how the receivers became high-risk contacts.
