Giants vs. Browns Week 15 preview: Everything you need to know for gameday
Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield reacts after the Ravens defeated the Browns on Dec. 14 in Cleveland. Credit: AP / David Richard
BROWNS (9-4) AT GIANTS (5-8), METLIFE STADIUM, 8:20 p.m.
VITALS
Line: Cleveland -6; O/U: 44 1/2
TV: Ch. 4 (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth)
Radio: WFAN-660 AM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross); Westwood One (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker), Sirius 83, XM 225
INJURY IMPACT
GIANTS
OUT: QB Daniel Jones (hamstring, ankle), CB James Bradberry (COVID-19), DB Darnay Holmes (knee); QUESTIONABLE:TE Evan Engram (calf), G Kevin Zeitler (shoulder), TE Kaden Smith (knee).
BROWNS
OUT: G Wyatt Teller (ankle), S Andrew Sendejo (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: WR KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring), TE Austin Hooper (neck), CB Kevin Johnson (groin), TE David Njoku (knee), CB Denzel Ward (calf).
FEATURED MATCHUP
After having faced Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray in back-to-back weeks, you’d think the Giants would be unimpressed in the face of a mobile quarterback. Baker Mayfield, though, brings yet another challenge to the Giants in that regard. "One thing he does that’s really fun to watch, and you want to eliminate that fun element when you’re playing him, but when he’s really condensed in the pocket, he finds those small seams," Joe Judge said. "A lot of quarterbacks who you say are mobile quarterbacks rely on just losing ground and gaining the edge and really using their speed. I think this guy does a great job of playing freeze tag in a phone booth and coming out the winner. He really squeaks his way out, extends the play, and he can either run the ball vertically or throw it down the field."
QUOTABLE
"I don’t know how good my Christmas is going to be."
– Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on facing the Browns this Sunday and the Ravens next week after those two teams combined to score 89 points with nine rushing touchdowns on Monday night.
INTANGIBLES
After three straight games in which they have made mistakes that led to opponents scoring points, the Giants’ special teams will be critical against the Browns. "On special teams, everything is a one-play situation, a one-play scenario," said Judge, a former special teams coordinator with the Patriots. "There is no second down on special teams. You go out there and you have one chance to operate and execute. We have to make sure we make the most of our opportunities."
NUMBER, PLEASE
1,399: Regular and postseason games played by the Giants heading into this 1,400th contest in their history. Their record is 725-641-33.
13-18: Giants record since 1990 when playing an opponent that played the previous Monday night. Earlier this month, they beat a Seahawks team that had played just six days earlier.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
