Getty Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield headed to the locker room against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday holding his hand at the end of the first half.
Looking for points with less than a minute remaining, the Cleveland Browns quarterback hit his hand on the helmet of Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree.
Backup quarterback Garrett Gilbert entered to play the final few snaps of the first half.
Adding to the bad news, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. also headed to the locker room early.
Mayfield was 10-of-17 for 98 yards and a touchdown at the time of his exit. His scoring pass came to Kareem Hunt to put the Browns ahead 10-0. The Steelers responded with 10 points of their own to knot the game up at half.
Beckham had two catches for 10 yards. He was targeted five times.
UPDATE: Mayfield ran back onto the field just before the second half to warm up. He had a glove on his throwing hand.
The good news for Browns: QB Baker Mayfield back in the game, wearing a glove on his throwing hand. Odell too
The bad news: They are now losing to the Steelers
He started the second half, with the injury classified as a “right hand injury.” Beckham also on the field.
Browns Defensive Line Ravaged by Injury
GettyDefensive end Olivier Vernon
The Browns looked to be in trouble on the defensive line against the Steelers, with a trio of lineman exiting on one drive.
The Browns went through a stretch in the second quarter where they lost defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Chad Thomas, as well as defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.
#Browns Chad Thomas walking off after getting banged up on that 17-yard run
The Browns were happy to have Vernon active against the Steelers after he missed three games with a knee injury. However, he limped off midway through the second quarter and did not make his way back onto the field.
With the suspension of Myles Garrett for at least the rest of the season, Vernon has been missed. Chad Thomas and Chris Smith had held down the starting roles, but with Vernon’s return, Smith was inactive.
The team also played recently signed Bryan Cox into extended action and Richardson has even seen some time at defensive end.
The Browns also cut ties with defensive tackle Devaroe Lawrence this week, who had been a key member of the rotation on the defensive line. The spat of injuries cause some depth concerns, but luckily Richardson and Thomas returned to the game.
Cox and Porter Gustin — recently signed from the practice squad — were the only other active Browns defensive ends on Sunday.
Richardson’s injury was scary, running into a heater that was placed on the Pittsburgh sideline.
Richardson went into the medical tent, but he returned to the sideline shortly after. He did reenter the game on the Steelers final drive of the half.
#Browns Richardson back on the field
Steelers WR James Washington Exposes Browns Secondary
Helping spark the turnaround for the Steelers was a huge touchdown grab from James Washington over Browns defensive back TJ Carrie and rookie Sheldrick Redwine.
Redwine is starting for Damarious Randall, who was a surprise healthy scratch by the Browns.
The Browns are depleted at safety, with Eric Murray having recently undergone knee surgery and the team letting go of Jermaine Whitehead after an overly aggressive, NSFW Twitter rant.
The move was reportedly made because of something that happened during the week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
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