Injured Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. kept it short and sweet when it came to his reaction to his team’s playoff loss.
Beckham, who has been vocal in his support of the Browns in recent weeks, was heartbroken after the Chiefs topped Cleveland 22-17 on Sunday.
“My heart aches on that one,” Beckham wrote.
My heart aches on that one….
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) January 18, 2021
The Browns captured the momentum in the second half against the Chiefs but were unable to capitalize late with a game-winning drive, falling 22-17.
Beckham had predicted earlier in the week that the Browns could pull out the victory despite being double-digit favorites, warning people not to be surprised if it happened.
Don’t be suprised this weekend when they win….just throwin it out there now
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) January 14, 2021
It would have been interesting to see what kind of impact Beckham could have made if he were healthy. The Browns passed for 204 yards against the Chiefs and Rashard Higgins was the leading pass-catcher with five grabs for 88 yards. Jarvis Landry, one of Beckham’s best friends, caught 7 balls for 20 yards and 1 touchdown.
“Obviously, we always have the mindset of one game at a time. We push each other that way, but you always have your end goal in mind,” Landry told reporters after the game. “We accomplished a lot, but I think right now with all of the emotions, I can’t think of everything. Like I said, I am just proud of the effort and the way that the guys played and continued to fight, being down and continuing and just trying to fight. These guys, we created a high standard, and we have to find a way to beat these teams. This one hurts, but I guess that is part of it.”
Odell Beckham’s Future in Cleveland Up in the Air
Getty ImagesOdell Beckham Jr. of the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns really hit their stride in the second half of the season — which came when Beckham was on the shelf due to an ACL tear that ended his season.
Beckham has been a consistent topic of trade rumors since landing in Cleveland, and that won’t go away soon.
Browns first-year general manager Andrew Berry has been adamant that Beckham is not a piece the team is actively shopping. They see him as part of the future in Cleveland.
“I feel like this is a question I’ve literally addressed every week since I took the job,” Berry told reporters in November. “So really at this point in time, I really don’t see a difference.
“Honestly, our focus with Odell, Odell is one of the best receivers in the NFL,” he added. “He played really good football for us before he was injured. He’s done a fantastic job with his teammates at practice, he’s embraced the organization, he’s under contract for multiple years. So our focus with Odell is making sure he recovers from the ACL tear. We want him to be healthy and ready to go next year. But we’re pleased with him.”
Browns Determined to Come Back Stronger
It’s clear that the organization is going the right direction in Cleveland, which couldn’t have been said for the last two decades or so. There are pieces in place to make the Browns a perennial contender and build on the shift in culture that happened this season.
“Obviously, each year there is turnover inside the locker room, which is unfortunate because we had an extremely special group here,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “There is a new standard here and that is to be expected. This is going to leave a bad taste in our guys’ mouth for extra motivation through the offseason, but yeah, we have come a long way since I first got here. We are not done yet, and that is the best part. Obviously, it hurts to have to wait until next September to have to play, but it is what it is.”
While the organization has plenty to consider this offseason, extending Mayfield should be one of the easier ones. While he had his rough patches, the former No. 1 overall pick proved he can be more than a capable starter in the NFL — something the Browns haven’t seen in a long time.
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