Below, we analyze the snap counts and stats on offense for the Cleveland Browns’ Week 15 game against the New York Giants.
Quarterback
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
QB |
Baker Mayfield |
64 |
100% |
27-of-32 (84.4%) for 297 yards, 2 TD. 4 rushes, 11 yards. |
- It has all come together for Baker Mayfield. Mayfield received a grade of 92.2 from Pro Football Focus in a game that they called the best of his career. Over the past month, Mayfield can seem to do no wrong. He runs the playaction fake beautifully. He throws well outside the pocket. He’s starting to scramble for key yardage. He’s making good throws from the pocket, with great zip and ball location for his receivers. The turnovers are kept to a minimum. He’s playing like a Top 5 quarterback in the NFL right now.
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Baker Mayfield also broke a Browns record with his 84.3% completion percentage (minimum 25 attempts).
Running Back
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
RB |
Nick Chubb |
38 |
59% |
15 carries, 50 yards (3.3 YPC), 1 TD. 2 catches, 16 yards (2 targets). |
RB |
Kareem Hunt |
21 |
33% |
7 carries, 21 yards (3.0 YPC). 3 catches, 7 yards (3 targets). |
RB |
Andy Janovich |
12 |
19% |
No stats registered. |
RB |
D'Ernest Johnson |
5 |
8% |
4 carries, 24 yards (6.0 YPC). |
- The running backs didn’t have a big day on the ground, but something that was important to me is that there weren’t a lot of negative yardage. In games like this, those 2- and 3-yard gains help set up better passing downs, and keep the defense biting for the effective playaction game.
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D’Ernest Johnson had another key run to make sure the Browns could run out more clock near the end of the fourth quarter.
Wide Receiver
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
WR |
Jarvis Landry |
45 |
70% |
7 catches, 61 yards (8 targets), 1 TD. |
WR |
Rashard Higgins |
47 |
73% |
4 catches, 76 yards (5 targets). |
WR |
Donovan Peoples-Jones |
36 |
56% |
3 catches, 55 yards (3 targets). |
WR |
KhaDarel Hodge |
8 |
12% |
No stats registered. |
- I’m sure Jarvis Landry will hear it from the coaching staff again about his unsportsmanlike penalty after the touchdown catch. That ended up contributing to Cody Parkey’s missed extra point.
- Nonetheless, it was another great day for Landry, Rashard Higgins, and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Despite KhaDarel Hodge coming back, Peoples-Jones still played 56% of the snaps. Time will tell if that’s because the coaching staff is pleased with the rookie’s efforts, or if they are easing Hodge back into the rotation since this was his return game from injury.
Tight End
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
TE |
Austin Hooper |
45 |
70% |
5 catches, 41 yards (6 targets), 1 TD. |
TE |
David Njoku |
31 |
48% |
1 catch, 22 yards (1 target). |
TE |
Harrison Bryant |
30 |
47% |
2 catches, 19 yards (2 targets). |
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Austin Hooper also returned from injury and had one of his most involved games of the season, catching 5 passes for 41 yards and 1 touchdown.
- In a surprise, David Njoku actually out-snapped Harrison Bryant. Njoku held on to a 22-yard pass from Mayfield, and it’s great to see the tight end show some confidence and swagger over the past two games. Even if he only gets 1 or 2 catches a game, those can be some big plays to extend drives.
Offensive Line
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
Pos |
Player |
Plays |
% |
Stats |
OL |
Joel Bitonio |
64 |
100% |
|
OL |
JC Tretter |
64 |
100% |
|
OL |
Jack Conklin |
64 |
100% |
|
OL |
Jedrick Wills Jr. |
64 |
100% |
|
OL |
Nick Harris |
62 |
97% |
|
OL |
Chris Hubbard |
2 |
3% |
|
OL |
Kendall Lamm |
2 |
3% |
|
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Chris Hubbard, filling in for Wyatt Teller, was hurt on the second play of the game. Disaster, right? While Hubbard was down, my brother asked me who would replace him. I thought, “hmmm, I wonder if they’d go with Nick Harris here,” which was also a very intriguing option because of the positive reviews he had when he was drafted.
- Sure enough, Harris played the rest of the way and did a great job for his first NFL action against a stout Giants front. Per PFF, Harris and fellow rookie Jedrick Wills only allowed one pressure all game:
Jedrick Wills Jr. and Nick Harris were fantastic in pass protection against the Giants’ defensive front. The duo combined to allow just one pressure on PFF’s first review of the film.