NFL Apologizes To Jets For Call That Let Browns Win First Game Since 2016
Michael Hansen 
The New York Jets fell 21-17 to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football in Week 3, becoming the first team to lose to Hue Jackson's team since Dec. 24 2016.
And perhaps if it weren't for a blown call by the officials, the Jets would have moved to 2-1, and the Browns would remain winless through three weeks. That means Cleveland fans wouldn't have received that free beer, and Baker Mayfield wouldn't have had the epic coming out party that we've been waiting for since he was drafted first overall.
According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the NFL privately apologized to the Jets after officials botched a call late in the third quarter - one that led to a game-changing play.
Jets' cornerback Morris Claiborne was called for holding on Cleveland wide receiver Antonio Callaway on a failed two-point conversion play. The Browns got another chance, and they scored the two points to tie the game.
The Jets would score a field goal to make it 17-14, but the Browns would score the eventual game-winning touchdown with 2:04 left, a one-yard rush from Carlos Hyde.
Had the refs not flagged Claibore and thus nullify the game-tying conversion, Hyde's touchdown would have made it 18-17. That means the Browns would have had to go for the two-point conversion to go up by a field goal.
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But either way, Darnold threw a game-ending interception on the Jets' final drive, so it wouldn't have really mattered either way. You can always use the "play calls would have been different" card if the Browns were only up by one or three points, but the Jets simply didn't make the stops on defense nor did Darnold make the big plays in the fourth quarter.
The Browns made the big plays on defense that were necessary, and Mayfield moved the ball well against a stingy New York unit. One bad holding call doesn't take away the Browns' impressive performance and victory on Thursday night.
The Jets now must visit the 2017 AFC runner-up Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4, and Darnold and co. will have their work cut out for them against a defense that's allowing just 14.7 points per game.
