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Cleveland Browns: We didn’t lose to Houston Texans because of Antonio Callaway’s fumble

Cleveland Browns teammates and coaches alike supported Antonio Callaway after he fumbled in the red zone in Sunday's 29-13 loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston.

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway had a tough stretch in the third quarter of Sunday’s 29-13 loss to the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston.

After Callaway had a 76-yard touchdown wiped out by a holding call against left tackle Greg Robinson, the Browns went back to him two plays later, and he moved the ball to Houston’s six-yard line thanks to a 71-yard catch. However, at the end of the play, Callaway was stripped of the football and the Texans recovered.

“We were going to be right in that game,” rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “That’s the thing. We just kept swinging, kept sticking with the game plan. Our guys kept executing, and that’s absolutely not on Callaway. He made a hell of a catch.

“One, he scored on the play before that, and then, they called it back. He’s exhausted and makes another great catch, breaks a tackle, goes down there, and I watched the replay. He had it tucked. The guy made a great defensive play, so that’s not on him at all. For him to feel like the game’s on him, it’s not. We trust him. He’s doing a lot of good things right now, and he made a heck of a play to get down there.”

Credit: Troy Taormina
Houston Texans cornerback Aaron Colvin (22) recovers a fumble by Cleveland Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway (11) during the third quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston.

Dejected as he ran to the sideline, Callaway’s teammates did what they could to lift his spirits, especially with the game still in the balance and his breakaway speed that led to him gaining 84 yards on three catches.

“I told him it was a hell of a play to get down there, you know?” Mayfield said. “That’s not on him. I can guarantee that he was thinking the weight of the game was on his shoulders right there, which is an understandable thought, but absolutely not.

“We’ve got to have the mentality of playing the next play. We’ve got to have each other’s backs. It’s absolutely not about that one play. There were so many other things through the game that put us in position to lose.”

Credit: David Kohl
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Antonio Callaway (11) catches a touchdown pass against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

A fourth-round pick of the Browns in the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida, Callaway has emerged as a down-the-field threat in the second half of the season.

Callaway has turned 33 catches into 472 yards and three touchdowns and has averaged 14.3 yards per reception. Callaway ranks fourth on the Browns with the 33 catches, second in yards, tied for first in touchdown receptions and has the team’s longest reception of the season.

And with his ability to spread thin opposing defenses because of his speed, Callaway will be an integral part of the offense over the final month of the 2018 regular season.

“He did really good, and he’ll learn from that ball-security play, too, but he’s explosive, and I can’t coach that,” interim coach Gregg Williams said. “He did some really good things to give him some opportunities to make plays, and he read the thing right. He and Baker were on the same page on a few of those shots. We’ve just got to protect the ball.”

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