The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mayfield, Taylor play well in victory
Quarterbacks play well, run offense struggles vs. the Giants
Takeaways from Browns-Giants preseason game Aug. 9 at Met Life Stadium:
• Coach Hue Jackson said he wanted to see Tyrod Taylor orchestrate the offense, and the veteran quarterback did exactly as ordered in the Browns’ 20-10 victory over the Giants in the preseason opener for both teams.
Taylor played two series, was 5-for-5 for 99 yards and in his second possession engineered a hurry-up drive in which he threw and completed four passes. He finished the drive on a 36yard touchdown pass to tight end David Njoku, hitting Njoku in stride as Njoku sprinted downfield. It was a flawless drive for the seven-
year veteran.
“The thing I love about (Taylor) is he’s the same guy all the time,” Jackson told reporters after the game. “Very calm, understands what the situation is and knows how to go play. He’s a big-time NFL quarterback.”
• Baker Mayfield followed Taylor and, in his second possession, stitched together a 14-play touchdown drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Njoku in the back of the end zone. Mayfield threw the ball high intentionally where he knew Njoku or no one would come down with it.
It wasn’t a perfect night for Mayfield. He took a sack on third down in the third quarter and drove the Browns out of field goal range. But he made up for that in his final drive when, on third-and-5 from the Browns’ 46, Mayfield lined up in the shotgun and threw a short pass rookie Antonio Callaway caught waist high at midfield on a slant pattern.
Callaway turned on the jets and sprinted to the end zone to push the Browns’ lead to 20-10.
“I thought (Mayfield) did some good things, but I’m not surprised by anything Baker does, because I’ve seen him do it on the practice field,” Jackson said. “The throws he makes, the poise he has - he demonstrated all that in college.
“This is just his first opportunity. There are things he’ll learn from, but I thought it was a good start.”
Mayfield finished 11 of 20 for 212 yards with two touchdowns. He ran for two first downs, was sacked once and posted a 125.4 passer rating.
Taylor posted a 158.3 passer rating.
Taylor had his success against the Giants starters. Mayfield played with mostly backups against the New York backups.
It doesn’t matter that preseason games don’t matter. The Browns are light years of where they were at quarterback a year ago.
• The Browns’ defense was on the field first. After giving up a 39-yard run to rookie Saquon Barkley on the first play of the game, the starters dug in.
Aided by a 15-yard taunting penalty on Browns’ rookie Denzel Ward, the Giants moved to the Browns’ 25 for a first down. Barkley tried to run around the right side and was dumped for a two-yard loss by Jamie Meder. Two more plays netted four yards.
The Giants ended the drive with a 42-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas. It was only one drive in the first preseason game, but it is worth noting the Browns were last in the league in red zone defense last year.
• The biggest negative for the Browns was the way the run offense struggled.
Carlos Hyde carried the ball only once and lost a yard. Rookie Nick Chubb carried 15 times for 11 yards.
This won’t be sluffed off by the coaches. Run blocking has been an issue throughout training camp, especially in goal-line drills against the Browns’ defense. In total, the Browns rushed 32 times for 50 yards.
Pass blocking for Taylor and Mayfield was a big reason the two quarterbacks were so successful.
• Njoku, Callaway and wide receiver Rashard Higgins each had their moments to shine.
Njoku not only had two touchdown passes. He also made a tackle in punt coverage.
Higgins caught two touchdown passes in the final regular season game last season and picked up where he left off. He caught four passes for 66 yards, but beyond the numbers he showed he has chemistry with Taylor and Mayfield.
The Browns are not going to miss Corey Coleman.
Callaway looked like an overwhelmed rookie in the first half, but he played much better in the second half. He led the Browns with 87 receiving yards on three catches. It was his first game since 2016 when he was in college; he missed all of 2017 at Florida for disciplinary reasons. The rustiness showed early, but Callaway shook it off.
“He hadn’t played football in a while,” Jackson said. “To be out there with the (first team), I think that was different. He settled down in the second half and started to play football.”
The Browns have many things to work on — 13 penalties for 141 yards is a good place to start — but they proved the improvement they are showing in practice isn’t a mirage.