Mayfield, Browns move closer to playoffs, top listless Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Baker Mayfield led two 95-yard touchdown drives and the Cleveland Browns moved closer to ending their 17-year playoff drought with a 20-6 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday night.

Mayfield was sharp all night, helping the Browns (10-4) bounce back from a 47-42 loss to Baltimore last Monday night. The Cleveland quarterback has been terrific lately, and it was more of the same in this one as he finished 27 of 32 for 297 yards with scoring passes to Jarvis Landry and Austin Hooper.

Nick Chubb had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put it out of reach for the sluggish Giants and made the Browns the first team this season to have two 95-yard TD drives in a game.

The win got the Browns closer to clinching their first playoff spot since 2002, the NFL’s longest drought. They also matched their highest win total (10-6 in 2007) since their 1999 expansion rebirth.

Cleveland also dealt a serious blow to the the playoff hopes of the Giants (5-9), who were without injured quarterback Daniel Jones. Colt McCoy, who started 21 games for the Browns from 2010-13, couldn’t get much going against his former team.

Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens, fired after last season as Cleveland’s head coach, ran the offense with coordinator Jason Garrett out after testing positive for the coronavirus. New York was aggressive early, but put up just six points against a defense that gave up 80 points in the past two games.

McCoy was 19 of 31 for 221 yards for the Giants, who are tied with Dallas a game behind Washington for first place in the NFC East.

The Browns put this one away on Chubb’s 1-yard TD with 12:53 left.

UP NEXT

Giants: at Baltimore next Sunday to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.