Playoff hopes slimmer after 2 straight losses
With two weeks left in the regular season and their playoff hopes dimmed by a two-game losing streak, it’s time to take the pressure off the New York Giants.
Success in coach Joe Judge’s first season is not dependent on the Giants (5-9) making the playoffs.
It would have been nice if Judge and company were able to take advantage of a very weak NFC East and get New York to the postseason for the first time since 2016. But that was wishful thinking. Judge took over a team that had won a dozen over the past three years and really wasn’t very competitive.
Judge has changed the roster and the culture. This team listens, works and competes.
New York beat the NFC West-leading Seahawks (10-4) without starting quarterback Daniel Jones. There have been a few games when the Giants were outclassed, but for the most part have had chances to win or force overtime in losses to Chicago (7-7), the Rams (9-4), the Bucs (9-4) and on Sunday night in a 20-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns (10-4).
In Sunday night’s loss, Baker Mayfield led two 95-yard scoring drives to lift the Browns.
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.
Giants 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.
“Field goals weren’t going to win this game,” Judge said.
Colt McCoy, starting in place of Jones, 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.
New York’s opening drive stalled at the 8 after McCoy’s throw to Evan Engram fell incomplete in the end zone. The Giants brought out the field goal unit, but quickly shifted into a fake — with holder Riley Dixon throwing high and incomplete to center Nick Gates, turning over the ball on downs.
It could’ve worked, too: Kicker Graham Gano was wide open in the end zone.
The Browns also went for it on fourth down on their first drive, but also couldn’t get on the scoreboard. On fourth-and-2 from the Giants 43, Mayfield’s pass was batted down at the line by Dexter Lawrence.
New York opted against any trickery on fourth down on its next possession as Gano kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Browns came right back with a scoring drive capped by Mayfield’s 2-yard pass to a wide-open Austin land in the back of the end zone early in the second quarter.
New York had a chance to cut into the lead, went on fourth-and-1 from the 5, but Wayne Gallman was stuffed for no gain.
“Look, I’m not afraid to call things aggressively,” Judge said. “I’m not afraid. I think we have a good scheme in the kicking game to call a fake. I’m not afraid to run the ball fourthand-1.”
Cleveland took full advantage, with Mayfield leading the Browns on the first 95-yard drive that was capped by a 2-yard pass to a leaping Jarvis Landry with 21 seconds left in the half.
The Browns put this one away on Chubb’s 1-yard TD with 12:53 left. Chubb had a 6-yard TD run wiped out by a clipping call on Jack Conklin, but got back into the end zone — and this one counted — a few plays later to cap Cleveland’s second 95-yard TD drive.