The Cleveland Browns have to rebound after a rough loss by taking on a tough New York Giants squad on Sunday Night Football.
To get to their tenth win on the year, and one step closer to the playoffs, the Cleveland Browns must get through the New York football Giants on Sunda Night Football. The Giants have had a rough year under new head coach Joe Judge, but the Giants have found an identity under the rookie coach, producing an exciting product that should be a lot better than it is if it weren’t for huge injuries on the team that has affected star running back Saquon Barkley all year.
Now their new franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones, may not play on Sunday either due to an ankle issue. While his touchdowns are down this year due to a lack of weapons around him, Jones has made plays for the Giants with his arm and legs. He’s shown a quickness and vertical speed that not many quarterbacks have.
Unfortunately, they’re not probably not going to have him for Sunday. So what will the Browns need to do to win on Sunday?
Pressure Colt McCoy
Daniel Jones is out for Sunday’s game. That means the pressure of things falls onto former Browns quarterback, Colt McCoy. McCoy’s been a fine backup in the past and has at times shown he could be a starter in the league, but he isn’t the same type of playmaker that Daniel Jones is. Jones can make plays happen with his feet in ways few can. McCoy, at one time, was considered a “mobile quarterback” but that was when the PlayStation 3 was riding high; times change.
McCoy is going to have a hard time finding a lot of success with the Giants offense as lacking as it is, and with that offensive line ready to be attacked, if Myles Garrett can bounce back from a four-game skid, then the Giants day may be over before they know it.
Avoid the middle of the field
The Giants have a stellar defense and it all starts up the gut so to speak. They’re going to have a Pro Bowler in defensive tackle Leonard Williams, who already has 8.5 sacks this year. Then you have Blake Martinez who’s top five in tackles and one of the best pure middle linebackers in the league. After him, you have Jabrill Peppers, a former Browns player, who’s playing very well, as well as former Titans’ corner-turned-safety, Logan Ryan.
A player that would’ve done wonders for the Browns.
This team’s defense is ferocious. They get after ball carriers and give receivers and tight ends fits. They took it to Seattle and held them to 12 points. Granted, Seattle doesn’t have a defense to write home about and their running game is laughable, but that only goes to show you how good their passing game really is. So they’re going to come ready to stick to the Browns.
Avoiding the middle of the field isn’t really an option. Baker Mayfield does very well throwing over the middle and Nick Chubb loves him some up the gut rushing plays. So you’re not going to want to avoid these players. The best thing to do is hope to dog they bite on the play-action over and over and over, otherwise, this game will be a grind.
Control the clock
Yes, Colt McCoy is starting and yes, the Giants’ offense is as tepid as hose water. That doesn’t mean the Browns defense isn’t such trash that they can’t make McCoy look like Peyton Manning. There is no faith from this writer in this defense. You can say “injuries!” until you’re blue in the face, but that does not matter. If you are on an NFL team, I expect you to do an NFL job. If these men can’t be spot-starters, then they aren’t worth the money they’re paid.
To avoid dealing with the headaches that are this team’s issues on defense, the best thing to do is take your time. Don’t try to get cutesy with the play calling, Kevin Stefanski, just run the ball and throw over the top. Burn that clock down as much as you can before you try to score. You should have zero faith in the defense.
Even if Denzel Ward plays, how long will he play until he’s hurt again? Myles Garrett is again on one of his infamous disappearing streaks. Even before he got sick with COVID-19, he had two very poor games. Now, over four games, he has just 1.5 sacks. That’s technically six games, but we won’t hold those two missed games against him.
The defense is wholly unreliable. Sure, Olivier Vernon has seven sacks, but he’s got all seven in three games. That means there’s a 77% chance that Vernon doesn’t do squat this week.
Control the clock, control the game.