Giants gamble against explosive Browns and come up a loser
EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. (AP) » The way the Cleveland Browns had been scoring, coach Joe Judge felt the New York Giants were going to need points to beat Baker Mayfield and company.
So they gambled despite using a backup quarterback and play caller and came up short in a 20- 6 loss to the redhot Browns on Sunday night.
It not only cost them a game and a chance to go back into first place in the weak NFC East, the Giants (5-9) need help to make the playoff for the first time since 2016 with two games left in the regular season.
“That’s the way you’ve got to go and play it sometimes,” Judge said after the Giants stayed a game behind firstplace Washington (6-8). “All right. But we’ve got to go ahead and make the decision to be aggressive. Obviously, their team scored a lot of points throughout the year. It’s an explosive offense and they’ve done a very good job of moving it. They’ve been on a hot streak lately. We knew coming in what kind of team
they were, and we had to call a game a certain way.”
The Giants got into the red zone on their first three possessions with Colt McCoy starting at quarterback instead of the injured Daniel Jones and former Browns coach Freddie Kitchens calling plays on offensive with coordinator Jason Garrett sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.
They came away with three points. It was par for a team that has now scored 13 points in its last two games.
On the opening drive of the game, the Giants got to the Browns 8. On fourth down and 5, Judge sent out his field goal team and used a trick play. Before the snap, the line and kicker Graham Gano shifted, leaving center Nick Gates eligible. Holder and punter Riley Dixon took the snap in the weird formation but his pass to a well covered Gates in the
middle of the end zone fell incomplete.
Judge thought it was a well designed fake. The team had practiced it throughout the year.
“I thought the timing was right and you ought to go ahead, just roll the dice sometimes to take a chance,” Judge said. “You hit that thing and everyone is saying ‘ You’re the guru.’ You don’t and everyone wants to second guess the decision.”
A field goal by Gano gave New York a 3- 0 lead on the second series, but the Browns took the lead on a 2-yard pass from Mayfield to Austin Hooper.
The Giants drove 68 yards on their next series and had a fourth- and-2 at the Browns 6. Instead of closed the deficit to a point, Judge elected to go for a first down and Wayne Gallman came up a yard short.
Mayfield then drove the Browns 95 yards in 10 plays, capping the march with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry for a 13-3 lead. The extra point hit the upright.