The New York Giants lost a crucial Week 15 matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday night. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield put together a dominant performance that saw him complete 27 of his 32 passing attempts for 297 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 turnovers.
For the near entirety of the game, Mayfield stood upright in a clean pocket with all day to throw. The Giants just failed to generate pressure against the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line that was dealing with the absence of stud offensive guard Wyatt Teller. New York was doomed from the start due to their lack of a pass-rush in Week 15.
Baker rarely pressured in Week 15
Baker Mayfield was able to have an elite Week 15 performance against the New York Giants. Baker won Pro Football Focus’s Week 15 Offensive Player of the Week award after earning an overall grade of 92.2 against the Giants. This was his third 90+ overall PFF-graded performance of the season.
Baker was deadly off of play-action against the Giants, as he has been all season. The Browns have run play action on 34.1% of their passing plays this season (sixth-most in the NFL). On play-action passes, Baker has had a 121.3 passer rating (PFF).
The Giants pressured Baker Mayfield only three times on Sunday night, per Next Gen Stats. Baker was kept clean and able to complete 84% of his passes against the Giants.
The Browns were able to call plenty of deep passing plays for Baker in this game because he had so much time in the pocket. Mayfield took advantage of this opportunity. On throws that traveled 10+ yards in Week 15, Baker Mayfield had a perfect 158.3 passer rating. According to Pro Football Focus, Mayfield completed 12-of-14 10-plus-yard attempts for 189 yards and two scores, with four big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays.
The New York Giants have another tough AFC North matchup on the schedule this week. In Week 16, the Giants will travel to play the Baltimore Ravens. If New York wants to win this game, they will need to apply pressure to reigning MVP Lamar Jackson. The Giants cannot win games with no pass-rush.