Browns’ offensive snap counts, stats, and notes: Week 15

Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals.

• The final numbers may look decent for Baker Mayfield, completing 70% of his passes with 2 touchdowns and an interception, but it wasn’t a good outing for him. The context here has to be that Arizona brings a minimal pass rush, and they have the worst pass defense in the NFL.
• Mayfield had one nice seam route dropped by Odell Beckham, but then followed that up by sailing a pass over his head in the end zone for an interception. Later in the game, Mayfield, on a moving pocket, threw incomplete shallow to Jarvis Landry, when Beckham was breaking open at the second level.

• If there is a consistency week in and week out, it is the play of Nick Chubb, who increased his lead for the NFL rushing title with two games to go. I know he’s basically leading the NFL in carries too, but when you see 17 rushes only on a day where the run game is working, can’t we get that number a little higher for he or Kareem Hunt?
• Hunt had more snaps than Chubb, once again getting the workload once Cleveland fell behind and was forced to pass.

• Jarvis Landry was visibly frustrated throughout the game. An early reception put him past 1,000 yards for the season, then a later one put him back under 1,000, before finishing the game over the mark again. I think Landry wanted to work downfield more and be trusted to make a play on the ball, whereas Cleveland threw him three passes at or near the line of scrimmage, with Cardinals defenders ready for it.
• I mentioned the continued ups and downs earlier for Beckham. More and more, I’m thinking to myself, “that injury has to be impacting his ability to get open, right?” Beckham can’t seem to get any separation from any cornerback this year.
• Rashard Higgins was only used for one special teams snap again, for the second straight week. KhaDarel Hodge saw the third most receiving snaps (43%) and didn’t catch a pass. Damion Ratley saw 30% of the snaps.

• David Njoku was a healthy scratch. Lovely; not sure he has much of a future in Cleveland.
• Ricky Seals-Jones had two touchdown catches against his former team. He also had a fumble on a seam pass over the middle, with a crowd of defenders around him. I think it’s bogus that play was ruled a fumble, so I’m not going to knock him for that play.
• Demetrius Harris led the tight ends with 60% of the snaps.

• The Cardinals’ only sack came from leading sacked Chandler Jones on a play in which the tight end was blocking him, and Mayfield held onto the ball a bit long; so I can’t place that on the offensive line.
• Kendall Lamm started the game, but suffered an injury after 25 snaps, forcing former starter Chris Hubbard back in for the final 45 snaps.