The Cleveland Browns have their playoff chances in the 20: 3 win over the New York Giants in New Jersey. While the Browns relied on their armed resources, the Giants never did much in any phase of the game. (You can find the highlights of the game here!)
Both teams started without points despite promising drives. The Giants decided on the 8-yard line of the Browns for a fake field goal with a pass from Holder and Punter Riley Dixon, but missed his target. In return, the guests played a fourth attempt in the opposing half and were also stopped.
The Giants also reached the Red Zone on their second drive, but this time they contented themselves with a field goal. In return, Baker Mayfield found Austin Hooper in the end zone for his own lead. And after the guests stopped New York a second time in the Red Zone, Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a touchdown. Break score: 13: 3.
Even after the break, only the Browns actually played, who built up the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter with a short TD run by Nick Chubb. New York shortened again with a field goal, but not much more was possible.
New York Giants (5-9) – Cleveland Browns (10-4)
Result: 6:20 (3: 0, 0:13, 0: 0, 3: 7) BOXSCORE
Giants vs. Browns – the most important statistics
- Chubbs’ touchdown was his tenth that season. That means a new career high for the running back in his three years in the NFL.
- Remarkable: A total of three 4th downs were played – all without success. At 3rd Down, on the other hand, both were quite successful. The Browns used 9/12 third attempts, the Giants at least 5/11.
- For the first time since 2010, the Browns have now won at least 10 games in one season.
The star of the game: Baker Mayfield (Browns)
Mayfield put in a squeaky clean performance and made few mistakes. He clearly felt comfortable within the system, always found the open receiver and kept his team in position for further points.
The flop of the game: Defensive front of the Giants
The Giants have a clear deficit in the Pass Rush. That became clear in this game too. The Giants only managed a sack against Mayfield and otherwise didn’t even touch him. Of course, the fact that they only stopped the running game to a limited extent did not improve the performance of the defense as a whole.
Analyse: Giants vs. Browns – die Taktiktafel
-
Joe Judge is one of the most conservative coaches in the league this season when it comes to 4th down tendencies. In this respect, it is positive to mention that he was so aggressive in 4th-and-goal situations. The play calls, however, were extremely questionable! At the first 4th and goal they stood up for the field goal, then changed formation at the last moment and let the holder and punter throw. Not a particularly high-proof variant. And on the third trip to the Red Zone, 4th and Short decided to do an inside hand-off, which, unsurprisingly, didn’t work against the strong defensive line of the Browns.
-
The Browns were most successful when they tried misdirections. Both touchdowns came after Play Action, as did some other key moves. In general – unsurprisingly – the passing game was the decisive factor, also because the Giants’ rush defense is one of the better in the league. Accordingly, the Browns’ run game was not very efficient.
- As usual, one key to Cleveland’s success this time around was to use the running backs profitably. This succeeded with swing passes, screens, drop-offs, but also later in the game runs over short distances. And Mayfield himself also ensured decisive space gain with scramble runs.
– .
