DENVER, Colo. — After Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. got open behind Chris Harris down the left side on that fateful fourth and 4 play at the end of Sunday’s 24-19 loss to the Broncos, CBS sideline reporter Jay Feely reported on air that Beckham said on his way to the sideline, “I can’t get the ball to save my life.’’

Cleveland.com and a small group of reporters asked Beckham about it after his big group interview, and he said, “I don’t recall saying that.’’

When told that Feely reported it, he said, “I don’t know who that is.’’

He also asked if there was video of him saying that.

“Controversy sells,’’ Beckham said.

When asked about it during the group interview, Beckham said, "It was a tough loss.''

But did he utter those words?

"It was a tough loss,'' he repeated.

Feely couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Of course, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield fired over the middle for a double-covered Jarvis Landry on that play, and it was broken up by Kareem Jackson and Davontae Harris. It marked the end of the game for the Browns, who dropped to 2-6 against a previously 2-6 team and watched their playoff hopes all but snuffed out.

“We’re rushing to the line, the crowd’s loud, it was just one of those plays and he threw to it to somebody who’s sure-handed and it was a tough catch and they ended up breaking it up,’’ said Beckham. “But it’s something I’m not mad at. I would throw to 80 on fourth down 10 times out of 10. This man, he’s going to catch the ball every single time so it was just tough. There was like two guys there on him and it was just a tough catch.’’

Beckham (5-of-6 targets for 87 yards) had already made two spectacular catches over Harris. One was a 27-yarder in which he spun past the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback for extra yards that led to the Landry 9-yard TD catch; the other a 39-yarder on the next drive to the Denver 34 that he bobbled and corralled. That was the drive that ended in the fateful failed fourth and 4 to Landry.

Did those two catches show that Beckham should get the ball more — especially with the game on the line?

“Yeah. I came here and I just want to help,’’ he said. “I’ve sacrificed. We’ve all sacrificed. Don’t let me make it about me. Everybody in this locker room sacrifices every single day. And I’ve given up a lot personally, habits, old things and I just want to help. I just want to be the best that I can for this team. And that’s really it. That’s all I want to do.’’

Amazingly, Beckham has been targeted only five times in the red zone this season, and none on Sunday — despite the fact the Browns made five trips inside the scoring zone. He has one touchdown catch this season, the 89-yard catch-and-run against the Jets, and the Browns have lost four straight.

Mayfield acknowledged that his superstar receiver should be more involved.

“Yeah. I think we made a step in the right direction of even though teams are going to bring coverage over the top, still finding ways to get him the ball,’’ he said. “I think obviously we see what type of game-changing plays that he can make, have to continue to try to get him the ball. At the same time, when teams do want to take numbers, we have to play the numbers game a little bit.

“He understands that. He’s frustrated because we’re losing. We all are. So we understand that. To take his quote that he said (after last week’s loss to the Partriots), he always wants to be the answer and the solution to the problem. I understand that, I wish I could be able to help it out more and we’ll continue to find ways to get him the ball.’’

Browns coach Freddie Kitchens was asked about Beckham’s reported “can’t get the ball to save my life" remark.

“I’m not going to respond to that,’’ he said. “We need to win a game."

Beckham said on Thursday that he and Mayfield are still on an in-game learning curve and that it will take time for them to get in synch. That was evident on the second drive, when Mayfield fired a high bullet that glanced off Beckham’s hands on third and 17. The play before, he whistled one over the hands of Landry.

“Our receivers came back and said they were coming out a little hot, so I toned it down a little bit,’’ said Mayfield. “But it’s just something, in there, plays need to be made, but I understand that from them.’’

On a crucial third-quarter drive, Mayfield threw deep for tight end Steve Carlson, who was called up from the practice squad this week, and it fell incomplete. Beckham was also open on that play, and the drive later ended with Mayfield getting stopped on fourth and 1 from the Denver 5.

Either Kitchens isn’t dialing it up enough for Beckham, or Mayfield isn’t looking his way, especially in the red zone. Landry, on the other hand, was targeted 13 times and caught six for 51 yards.

“It’s tough,’’ Beckham. “I get down there, teams are going to double. We’ve just got to find or other options. We had some opportunities, we just didn’t make the most of them and that gets redundant saying but when you get down in the red zone, at least two out of those four times you’ve got to come away with seven. Shoot, if we come away with one out of four, we’d be good, but just got to work on it, back to the drawing board. It sucks to say, but that’s all you can do. You can keep moving forward or we we can keep looking behind in the the rearview. So leave this loss here, get on a plane, get back at it, got a tough game next week, that’s all we can worry about.’’

Beckham was asked if he sees evidence this is headed in the right direction.

“I don’t know how to answer that just beside the fact that we’ve got to get back to the drawing board and keep pushing,’’ he said. “It’s bits and pieces. We just didn’t put a complete game together. Once we put a complete game together, you can come back and ask me and we’ll see. It’s just tough when you don’t play a complete game and there’s stuff left on the field and plays left on the table, it’s hard to beat any team in the NFL.’’