CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns and Giants, winners of four of their last five, square off Sunday night with both teams angling for a playoff berth.
The Browns aim to maintain a Wild Card in the AFC while the Giants look to remain alive in the NFC East race with victories.
The storylines are seemingly endless.
Both teams need to win following results from the early games. The Giants can jump the Washington Football Team and take over first place in their division while the Browns must win to maintain their Wild Card positioning. A loss would drop the Browns out of the playoff picture for the week.
Colt McCoy, selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, starts in place of Daniel Jones for the Giants.
Freddie Kitchens, fired by the Browns after going 6-10 in his only season as head coach, will call plays for McCoy and the Giants with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett out with COVID-19.
The two clubs teamed up last year to make a blockbuster trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr., who is out for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL, to Cleveland and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler, safety Jabrill Peppers and a pair of picks to New York.
The Browns, who already swept the AFC South, look to break out the brooms and sweep the NFC East. Cleveland is 9-4 for the first time since 1994 and a win away from match their highest win total since their 1999 expansion rebirth – a 10-6 finish in 2007.
What to watch for – Can the Browns keep the offensive onslaught rolling? They have scored more than 40 points in back-to-back games for the first time since 1968, but Cleveland's defense has allowed 82 points in the past two games. Cleveland has scored at least 30 in seven games this season, also the most in nearly half a century.
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 28 passes and threw for 343 yards – both season highs – in last week’s loss to the Ravens, including his first interception in 178 attempts on Monday. Over his last three games, Mayfield has eight touchdown passes and one interception while completing 72 of 109 attempts for 935 yards and a 117.1 rating.
Nick Chubb had two TD runs against the Ravens, his third multi-TD game this season for the Browns as he is up to 881 yards rushing this season.
Kareem Hunt has scored a touchdown in three straight games against NFC East teams. Hunt and Chubb have combined for 19 total touchdowns between them and they are the only running back duo to have at least 750 yards rushing in the league this year.
Landry, who is the first receiver to complete at least four passes and have a perfect completion percentage in NFL history, has caught at least two passes in 108 straight games, the fifth-longest streak in league history. He tied Marvin Harrison and Antonio Brown for second on the list of most games with five-plus catches in the first seven years of a player’s career in history with 72.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is third in the league with 10 1/2 sacks despite missing two games. He admitted this week that he is still fighting off the effects of COVID-19.
Former Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon is coming off his third 2-sack performance of the season and will be anxious to go against his former team and an offensive line that has surrendered 41 sacks, including eight last week, this season, tied for third-most in the league in 2020.
The Giants offense was limited to a season-low 159 yards in last week’s loss
New York running back Wayne Gallman trails Chubb in total yards after contact. He has rushed for career highs of 561 yards and six TDs.
Sterling Shepard needs five catches for his fifth consecutive season with 50 for the Giants.
Tight end Evan Engram is one of three NFC tight ends with 50-plus catches this season but is questionable with a calf injury.
Giants linebacker Blake Martinez is tied for fourth in the NFL with 118 tackles marking his fourth consecutive season with at least 100 tackles.
DL Leonard Williams leads the Giants with 8½ sacks.
Former Browns safety Jabrill Peppers had a career-high 13 tackles against the Cardinals.
New York is without their top corner James Bradberry, who is out after being placed on reserve/COVID-19 this week, has a career-high and NFL co-leading 17 passes defended this season, so they’ll be counting on Logan Ryan.
Ryan had eight tackles, 1 1/2 sacks and an interception last season against the Browns while playing for the Titans.
Last Week – Browns lost to the Ravens 47-42; Giants lost to the Cardinals 26-7
The last time – Nov. 27, 2016: Giants 27, Browns 13
Series history – Browns lead 27-22-2
Rankings – AP PRO32 Ranking: Browns No. 10, Giants No. 20
Points per game: Browns 13 (26.8), Giants 31 (18.3)
Total yards per game: Browns 11 (374.2), Giants 31 (300.1)
Rushing yards per game: Browns 3 (156.2), Giants 14 (116.5)
Passing yards per game: Browns 25 (217.9), Giants 30 (183.5)
Points allowed per game: Browns 27 (28.3), Giants 9T (22.4)
Total defensive yards allowed per game: Browns 19 (363.1), Giants 11 (342.9)
Rushing yards allowed per game: Browns 16 (114.1), Giants 7 (101.5)
Passing yards allowed per game: Browns 20 (249.0), Giants 17 (241.5)
Turnover ratio: Browns 6T (+6), Giants 17T (0)
Probable starters for Browns – Offense: WR Jarvis Landry, LT Jedrick Wills Jr., LG Joel Bitonio, C JC Tretter, RG Chris Hubbard, RT Jack Conklin, TE Austin Hooper, WR Rashard Higgins., QB Baker Mayfield, RB Nick Chubb, FB Andy Janovich, TE Harrison Bryant
Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Sheldon Richardson, DT Larry Ogunjobi, DE Olivier Vernon, WILL Mack Wilson, MIKE B.J. Goodson, CB Denzel Ward, CB Terrance Mitchell, SS Karl Joseph, FS Andrew Sendejo, DB Tavierre Thomas
Injury report – OUT: S Andrew Sendejo (concussion), RG Wyatt Teller (ankle)
QUESTIONABLE: KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring), TE Austin Hooper (neck), CB Kevin Johnson (groin), TE David Njoku (knee), CB Denzel Ward (calf)
EXPECTED TO PLAY: RT Jack Conklin (knee), DT Larry Ogunjobi (toe), CB M.J. Stewart (shoulder), C JC Tretter (knee), DE Myles Garrett (elbow), WR Jarvis Landry (hip)
Uniforms – White jerseys, brown pants
Broadcast – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX and the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns radio network. TV: WKYC 3 (NBC)
Kickoff – 8:20 p.m. MetLife Stadium – New Jersey
Our prediction – Browns 26, Giants 16
Our prediction record – 8-5
