Jackson taking jump in lake

At risk of 0-16 mark, Browns coach will make good on vow.

His team already sunk, Browns coach Hue Jackson is taking the plunge.

Jackson said Wednesday he’ll make good on his promise to jump in Lake Erie because of his team’s horrible record. After the Browns went 1-15 last season, Jackson vowed that if Cleveland was ever that bad again he would swim in the lake.

Well, the Browns are 0-15 heading into Sunday’s finale at Pittsburgh.

Time for a dip.

“So how many people are jumping in the lake with me?” Jackson playfully asked reporters. “Obviously I’ve got to get wet. I get it. I can pick a day and get everyone out there, we’ll all be in swimsuits and trunks and snorkels and all that.”

Jackson went on to say that despite a 1-30 record over the past two seasons he “unequivocally believes without question” that owner Jimmy Haslam will keep his word and not fire him.

Haslam announced on Dec. 8 that Jackson will return next season.

With a loss to the Steelers, the Browns would join the 2008 Lions as the only teams in NFL history to lose all 16 games in a season.

Jackson wants to turn his swim into a positive by raising money for the Hue Jackson Foundation, which supports efforts to combat human trafficking.

“We’ll make it fun,” he said. “It’s for the right reason.

I don’t take light to things that I say that I put out there and I like to back ’em up. Haven’t been able to, so that’s part of it.”

Rams: Quarterback Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald won’t play in the season finale against San Francisco. Coach Sean McVay also said he’ll rest left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan on Sunday to prepare the NFC West champion Rams (11-4) for the playoffs.

Los Angeles has clinched a first-round home playoff game, but can’t earn a toptwo seed and a postseason bye. McVay has said it’s relatively unimportant to the Rams whether they finish with the third seed or the fourth seed. New Orleans (11-4) and Carolina (11-4) are tied atop the NFC South.

Sean Mannion will start at quarterback for the Rams,

who lost pass rusher Matt Longacre for the season because of a back injury suffered last week. The thirdyear linebacker is third on the team with 5.5 sacks.

Chiefs: First-round draft pick Patrick Mahomes II will make his regular-season debut at Denver on Sunday in an otherwise meaningless game. It will be the first time since Steve Fuller in 1979 that Kansas City has started a rookie quarterback in a non-strike year.

“I’m ready to go,” said Mahomes, who won the backup job to Alex Smith in training camp but hasn’t seen the field since the preseason. “I’m ready to go out there and try the best I can to win a game.”

The Chiefs (9-6) have clinched the AFC West and have no way to improve their playoff positioning.

Giants: A day after Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins referred to him as a cancer, cornerback Eli Apple was suspended by the club for the season finale against the Redskins. The Giants announced the suspension hours after Apple had participated in the practice.

Interim general manager Kevin Abrams and interim coach Steve Spagnuolo informed Apple of the suspension, which Abrams said was “for a pattern of behavior that is conduct detrimental to the team.”

Dolphins: Even though Jay Cutler says he made a good decision to come out of retirement, he may call it quits again soon. The 34-yearold Cutler will start in the finale to Miami’s disappointing season Sunday against Buffalo, and said he hasn’t decided whether he wants to play a 13th NFL season.

Ryan Tannehill is expected to return as the starter next season, and Cutler said playing in 2018 likely would appeal to him only if he’s the starter.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to move again and go somewhere just to back up.”

Vikings: Former starting quarterback Sam Bradford could return to practice next week as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in Week 1.

“He says he feels good,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “He’s been working out and doing things. Getting on the field, he’s throwing the ball and doing workouts.”

Jets: Right guard Brian Winters was placed on injured reserve with an abdominal injury he has been dealing with for most of the season.

AP Coach Hue Jackson is hoping for warmer weather when he takes the plunge into Lake Erie, his promise if the Browns failed to improve on last season’s 1-15 record.