By Shawn Stewart

Sunday, Dec. 20 at 8:20 P.M. EST

NBC

Spread: Browns, -6.0

Welcome to Week 15 of the NFL season, where wins, seeding, and momentum are the key to a deep playoff run throughout January and February. This matchup could be an intriguing one, as we have two teams battling for a wild card spot or even a chance at a division title. The Cleveland Browns (9-4) come into this matchup winning four of their last five games. In fact, in those four wins, the Browns have won by a combined 16 points, so the Browns are winning the close games, which could be important come playoff time.

The only loss was to their hated division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, this past Monday night in what some experts are calling the game of the year up to this point. The Browns were able to put up 42 points on a decent Ravens defense, but Lamar Jackson and Justin Tucker were the heroes in the win for the Ravens. The Browns currently sit in 2nd place in the loaded AFC North behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and are currently the 5 seed in the AFC playoff picture.

On the other side, the New York Giants (5-8) have been one of the biggest surprises this season. They currently sit a game back in the NFC East for first place, just behind The Football Team. When their star running back Saquon Barkley was gone for the year earlier in the season, no one gave the Giants a chance, and why would they? Teams like the Cowboys and Eagles were predicted to battle it out for the NFC East title and possibly a wild card spot. The Giants have also won four of their last five games, and some of those wins include the Seahawks and Eagles.

The Giants did take a step back this past weekend when they were demolished by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cowboys lost their starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a major injury this season, and the Eagles just benched their starting quarterback, so this has given other teams in the division like the Giants and The Football to make a run at the division title.

Cleveland Browns

The last time this organization made the playoffs was 2002, where they lost in the Wild Card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Browns players and fans are long overdue and are biting at the opportunity to play deep into the season. Lots of things have changed in the last 18 years, such as the Browns slowly building a playoff team that could eventually become a championship team. Sports Journalist Stephen A. Smith said the other day on “First Take” that he believes the Browns could be the biggest threat to the Chiefs in the AFC.

The Browns’ last three games could all result in wins.

They play both New York teams over the next two weeks, but then in week 17, they play the hated Pittsburgh Steelers, who have lost two in a row and have not played good football at this point in the season.

Browns Offense

It is a simple recipe for the Browns to be successful: run the damn ball! The Browns easily have the best running back duo in the NFL and are ranked as the third-best rushing attack in the league. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt bring a nice balance to the running attack. Nick Chubb is on pace for a 1,000-yard season. He currently has 150 carries for 881 yards and nine touchdowns. Chubb's counterpart, Hunt, has pitched in nicely as well. He has 177 carries for 772 yards and five touchdowns. Between Chubb and Hunt, the two have combined for 327 carries for 1,653 yards and 14 touchdowns. Talk about a recipe for success!

With all this talk about the Browns Running Backs, let's not forget that quarterback Baker Mayfield is having himself a solid year as well. Mayfield has 233 completions for 2,785 yards with 23 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, and keep in mind, Mayfield has put up these solid numbers without his number one Wide Receiver, Odell Beckham Jr. who was hurt early in the season. The Browns are averaging 381 yards per game while scoring an average of 26.8 points per game which is ranked 11th in the league.

This team could be dangerous in the postseason if the offense continues to click on all cylinders.

Browns Defense

As good as the Browns offense has been, the defense has been inconsistent in some games this season. The Browns currently rank 11th overall in defense, but they have given up more points (28.3) than the offense (26.8) is scoring.

This could turn into something disastrous in the postseason if the Browns run into a high-scoring opponent in the playoffs. The Browns defense is giving up over 380 yards per game. In the last three games, they have given up 47 points to the Ravens, 35 points to the Titans, and 25 points to the Jaguars. \

It could be time to make some adjustments on the defensive side of the ball.

Defensive end Myles Garrett is having himself a solid season. He has compiled 10.5 sacks, which is third in the league, and he has four forced fumbles which are tied for second in the league. Garrett has proven to be the leader of the Browns defense. 

New York Giants

If you would have told me that the Giants were going to lose star running back Saquon Barkley for the year, have their quarterback Daniel Jones be out a few games due to injury, and still be in the running to win the NFC East, I would have told you that you were nuts! However, here we are! This is why they play the game!

The New York Giants have been a surprise this season, and are currently fighting for a division title with The Washington Football Team. The Giants have been on a nice little run themselves after starting the season 0-5. The Giants are also winners of four of their last five games, which included an upset victory in Week 13 against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on the road. However, the Giants did run into a buzz saw last week when they played Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.

The thing about the Giants is that their schedule for the remainder of the season is tough. They play the Browns and then they travel to Baltimore to play the re-energized Ravens, and then the Giants finish up at home against the Cowboys, who could be playing for nothing at that point but would love to knock the Giants out of the division race and playoff picture.

Giants Offense

The loss of Saquon Barkley has definitely hurt the Giants and the offense, but the Giants have somehow held their own. Four-year running back Wayne Gallman, from the University of Clemson, has filled in nicely in Barkley's absence. Gallman has 121 carries for 561 yards and six touchdowns. Now, these are definitely not Barkley-like numbers, but Gallman has put together some solid games this season. Against the Seahawks, Gallman rushed 16 times for 135 yards and averaged over eight yards per carry, and against the Eagles’ solid run defense in Week 11, he was able to find the end zone twice, resulting in a Giants win.

Daniel Jones has had an up-and-down season for the Giants and has been dealing with some nagging injuries. Jones has thrown for over 2,400 yards and eight touchdowns but does have nine interceptions. The Giants are only scoring over just 18 points per game which could make it tough to score against opponents if the Giants can somehow sneak into the playoffs. The Giants are also only averaging 116 rush yards per game, which is putting a lot of pressure on Jones to make plays. In the Giants’ four wins in their last five games, they have won by a combined 20 points, but the offense is not scoring a lot of points. The Giants currently rank 31st overall in offense.

Giants Defense 

The Giants defense continues to keep its team in games. The defensive unit has been able to shut down some quarterbacks this season, which include Russell Wilson and Carson Wentz. The Giants do rank 11th overall in total defense. The Giants defense has a total of 33 sacks, which is led by defensive end Leonard Williams, who has 8.5 which is tied for 8th best in the league. The formula for the Giants to be successful is to play solid defense and win low-scoring games.

It has seemed to work in four of the last five games this season, but can they keep it up? That remains to be seen.

The Prediction

This game could be so easy to predict and could possibly be a blow-out, especially since the Giants were just blown out by Arizona and the Browns just put up 42 points on a solid Ravens defense. The key to this game is which team will be successfully running the ball, and that obviously favors the Browns in a big way. If Mayfield can continue his big-time play to go along with the solid running game of the Browns, then I see no reason why the Browns win this game easily. The Giants will need to stop the run and force Mayfield into some poor decisions to have any chance to win this game. The Browns defense has not played well in a few games this season, but I like the Browns to win big! 

AJ’S PREDICTION: Browns 45 - 10

TIM’S PREDICTION: Browns 35 - 17

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