Cleveland Browns Podcast: Week 16 Browns 23-16 Loss To Jets

Host Mark Bergin is joined by fellow BrownsNation.com writer Pat Opperman.

— Browns lose 23-16 to the Jets. Had the Browns won, they would have made the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season since the Steelers came back to beat the Colts.
— Explaining the Browns’ playoff scenarios: Beat the Steelers or a Colts’ loss to the Jaguars in Week 17. The Browns could also get in should the Titans lose their final two games.
— Baker Mayfield’s fumble on fourth and 1 cost the Browns the game. Should Kevin Stefanski have called a running play to Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt instead?
— Why did the Browns pass it 53 times and run it only 18 times when they were down their top four receivers (five if you count Odell Beckham Jr.)?
— If the Browns miss the playoffs this year, is the 2020 season a failure?
— Now that the Steelers have won the AFC North, will they rest their starters against the Browns in Week 17?
— What happens if a playoff team is without several key players because of COVID-19 like the Browns were in Week 16 or like the Broncos in Week 12?
— Cody Parkey’s kicking woes continue.
— Mayfield gave the Browns a chance at the end of the game. While the Browns will probably pick up his fifth-year option on his rookie deal for the 2022 season, he needs a larger sample size to determine if he’s worth a long-term contract extension. The Browns won’t have as much cap room to improve the offense if they decide Mayfield is worth a contract extension, which will likely be worth more than $100 million.
— The Jacksonville Jaguars have won the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, securing the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.