Odell Beckham Jr.'s return from his knee injury will be delayed at least one more week. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced Wednesday that Beckham will not be in uniform when Cleveland plays host to the Houston Texans on Sunday. Beckham was listed as questionable leading up to the Browns' Week 1 showdown with the Chiefs before being inactive.
Beckham has missed the Browns' last 13 games (including the postseason) since injuring his knee in a game against the Bengals last season. Beckham underwent ACL surgery on Nov. 10, 2020, thus ending his second season with the Browns. The three-time Pro Bowler has caught 97 passes for 1,354 yards and seven touchdowns in 23 games since joining the Browns in a blockbuster deal with the Giants.
With Beckham out of the lineup, the Browns' receiving corps was led on Sunday by tight end David Njoku, who caught three passes for 76 yards. Jarvis Landry contributed with 71 yards on five receptions, while fellow receiver Anthony Schwartz caught three passes for 69 yards. Baker Mayfield went 21 of 28 passing for 321 yards but he failed to throw a touchdown pass for just the second time in his last seven regular-season starts. Cleveland built a 22-10 lead on Sunday before being outscored 23-7 during the second half of Sunday's loss in Kansas City. The Browns' second loss in nine months to the Chiefs was sealed when Mayfield's desperation heave intended for Harrison Bryant was picked off by cornerback Mike Hughes with 1:16 remaining.
"You have to execute critical moments," Mayfield said following Sunday's game, via Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. "Nothing else matters before those moments, and it always comes down to those three, four plays. ... I'm going to be hard on myself," Mayfield said. "But go back and attack this week and we've got a home game, and it's going to be a good one."
Mayfield will face a Houston defense that withstood 51 pass attempts from Trevor Lawrence in Houston's 37-21 season-opening win over the Jaguars. While they allowed 321 yards and three touchdown passes, the Texans' secondary also came away with three interceptions while allowing Lawrence to complete less than 55% of his pass attempts.
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