5 reasons Browns will score 10th win vs Giants in on Sunday Night Football

3. No OBJ, No problem

When the schedule was first released, this game was garnering attention because it was supposed to be Odell Beckham’s first trip back to New York to play his former team.

Beckham’s been out since tearing his ACL against the Bengals, and as of late, his presence hasn’t been missed with the emergence of other receivers.

It was hard to gauge the Browns’ passing game as November, as Cleveland seemingly played in crazy weather that didn’t endear itself to the vertical pass.

But lately, Cleveland’s been able to throw and Baker Mayfield looks as good as ever. Rashard Higgins has 12 receptions in last two games, good for 163 yards and two touchdowns.

Rookie Donovan Peoples Jones has also been more noticeable with his newfound playing time. He made the game-winning catch against the Bengals as his playing time increased following Beckham’s injury. He added a 75-yard touchdown against the Titans and he had three catches for 74 yards–one of which went for a big first down–against Baltimore.

Jarvis Landry is reliable as ever, catching 22 of his last 30 targets over the course of the past three weeks with two scores. He’s a threat as a passer and remains to be the Browns’ most dependable wideout.

This isn’t meant to slam Beckham because his ability to hit a home run each time he catches the ball makes him a great player. That said, “Baker Theory” is being tested and it’s hard to argue with the results. Mayfield’s spreading the ball around, hitting six or seven receivers per game and looks as comfortable as ever as Cleveland’s field general.