Giants 2024 Opponent Report: Cleveland Browns, Week 3

The why is self-explanatory, and you’re well-versed in the where and when at this point in time. With the NFL calendar engaged in rare doldrums and most moves made and archived, it’s time to consider the who from a New York Giants perspective.

Giants On SI begins its look at the Giants’ upcoming adversaries in the 2024 season. Catch up with each team’s moves, where they stand, and, most importantly, how to beat them.

Who: Cleveland Browns
When: Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 22 (1 p.m. ET, Fox)
Where: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH
Series History: CLE leads series 28-22-2 (Last: 20-6 CLE, 12/2020)

After several false starts, the Browns seem ready to embark on a journey that changes the perception of Cleveland football on a sustainable basis. Their fortunes seemed cooked when both Nick Chubb and Deshaun Watson went down with season-ending injuries but the team staged a playoff push with Joe Flacco under center before running into a similarly upbeat Houston Texans group in the AFC’s opening round.

That perhaps provides the most prominent example of sustainable hope on the Cuyahoga River in an era defined by a polarizing contract for Watson. With his legal woes hanging over his every move, Watson has played only 12 under his current deal, his Cleveland career interrupted by injuries and a suspension.

Watson has lacked the trademark brand of firepower he had in Houston, posting a mere 81.7 passer rating in that fateful dozen. Before Watson was lost, Cleveland also had to make due without Nick Chubb, who didn’t last a full two games.

The Browns remembered to keep the understudy options in both categories well-stocked: Flacco moved on but the Browns added Tyler Huntley and Jameis Winston, who established themselves as reliable backups in Baltimore and New Orleans respectively.

Top rusher Jerome Ford (1,132 yards and nine scores combined) is back while D’Onta Foreman and Nyheim Hines come aboard. Cleveland will hope that a familiar offensive line, anchored by Joel Bitonio, will keep them all well-protected.

In terms of weaponry, a resurgent Amari Cooper will continue to be dangerous in a contract year while the continued talents of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett speak for themselves.

Under the watch of Garrett and former divisional adversary Jim Schwartz, the Browns’ pass rush kept them afloat defensively: Garrett and Za’Darius Smith ranked in the top 10 in quarterback knockdowns and the team as a whole placed similarly in both knockdown and pressure rate.

Who’s In: LB Devin Bush (FA-SEA), RB D’Onta Foreman (FA-CHI), CB Justin Hardee (FA-NYJ), LB Jordan Hicks (FA-MIN), RB Nyheim Hines (FA-BUF), WR Jerry Jeudy (Trade-DEN), QB Jameis Winston (FA-NO)

Who’s Out: LB Matthew Adams (FA-NYG), QB Joe Flacco (FA-IND), CB Mike Ford (FA-IND), LB Sione Takitaki (FA-NE), LB Anthony Walker (FA-MIA)

Everyone is well-versed in the “Greatest Game Ever Played” from 1958, the epic Yankee Stadium showdown between the Giants and Baltimore Colts. While the Giants lost the game that changed the course of NFL history, they only made it that far thanks to two epic victories over the Browns.

With the teams vying for the right to face Baltimore, the Giants first took a regular season finale 13-10, a comeback victory featuring Bob Schnelker’s touchdown grab from Frank Gifford and a 49-yard field goal from Pat Summerall, one of the longest in NFL history at the time.

Despite the Giants winning both sets of the season series, a tiebreaking playoff was staged the following week to officially determine the championship combatant. Buoyed by a sterling defensive effort (316-87 in yardage,17-7 in first downs, two interceptions for Lindon Crowe and one for Sam Huff), the Giants needed only a Summerall field goal and a Charlie Conerly rushing score to nab a 10-0 victory.

Stoop For Coop

Cooper has found his way back after falling out of Dallas’ receiving rotation, amassing 2,410 yards since painting his helmet orange in 2022 (eighth-best in the league in that span). Even at his relatively advanced age (having turned 30 in June), Cooper will undoubtedly field his share of suitors if and when he hits the market next year.

With that in mind, the Browns have packed themselves with prospects for a potentially Cooper-free setting: Jerry Jeudy has come over from Denver in an attempt to reclaim the narrative of his NFL career the same way Elijah Moore did after falling out of the New York Jets’ favor. Mid-round draft picks like David Bell and Cedric Tillman could also be called upon to step up.

In short, the more the Giants’ developing secondary can bottle up Cooper and force Watson (or Winston or Huntley to rely on mere veteran potential) in an early test, the better. Over the past two seasons, the Browns are 3-7 when Cooper is targeted at least 10 times.

Go the Extra Myles

Sometimes the obvious solution is the best solution: dedicated to placing Daniel Jones under center, the Giants have to do their utmost to protect him.

Keeping Garrett out of the backfield will also be an early test for the Giants’ outside blocking. Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas have been reliable enough on the edge but the tight ends (will Theo Johnson be back by September?) could show how valuable they are beyond the box score.

One of the niche stats buried in Cleveland’s ledgers is how quickly they got their defense off the field: average opposing possessions lasted a mere 2:07 and less than five plays, both tops in the league. If the Giants can get their post-Saquon Barkley rushing attack rolling early on, they could pick up some early upset wins and tire out a Cleveland group that makes its living through backfield invasions (as well as neutralize a homegrown secondary headlined by Grant Delpit and Denzel Ward).