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Biggest Plays

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5 plays that changed the game in the Browns' win over the Giants

The Browns are officially a 10-win football team.

Cleveland cracked double-digits in the win column Sunday night for the first time since 2007 with a 20-6 win over the Giants, who struggled to slow down the Browns' top offensive playmakers all evening. The Browns collected 392 total yards at MetLife Stadium while quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for two touchdowns and 297 yards.

Here's how the Browns earned a massive win No. 10:

1. Giants run unsuccessful fake field-goal

No one on the Browns knew what was going on when the players at the Giants' offensive line split out across the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-5 from Cleveland's 8-yard line.

The formation, which came on the final play of the first drive of the game, was unlike anything the Browns — or any other NFL team, really — had ever seen. Defenders scattered to cover each player, but no one knew what was coming next.

Giants punter Riley Dixon took the snap, then scrambled back and lobbed a pass to center Nick Gates.

Three Browns players, however, were in the area. The pass had … little chance of being successful.

The ball went over the head of Gates to seal the turnover on downs in the red zone. The oddness led to a failed play for New York and an empty chance of either an early chip-shot field goal or a potential touchdown.

2. Mayfield lobs to Hooper for Browns' first TD

Mayfield's start to Sunday night couldn't have gone much better from a passing perspective.

Before the Browns' third-and-goal from the Giants' 2-yard line, Mayfield was 10-of-12 for 101 yards and had spread the ball to five different receivers through the first 17 minutes. None of that work, however, led to a touchdown in the first quarter.

But that changed shortly into the second quarter. When Mayfield took the snap, tight end Austin Hooper ran to the back of the end zone uncovered. Mayfield looked to him immediately and lobbed a pass over the line of scrimmage and into Hooper's hands for the touchdown.

The Browns' passing attack was humming yet again, and the Browns had a 7-3 lead.

Check out photos of the Browns against the Giants

3. Browns make 2nd red zone stop on 4th down

The Browns red zone defense was impeccable in the first half Sunday in New York.

Two drives after Cleveland foiled the Giants' failed fake field goal, New York gambled again with another fourth-down attempt from the Browns' 5-yard line. They handed the ball to running back Wayne Gallman, who was halted by the defensive line and fell to the turf just short of the first down.

Another red zone trip for New York, and another empty drive preserved by the Browns defense. The Giants entered the red zone on their first three drives of the game, but they only mustered three points.

4. Landry corrals Mayfield's second passing TD

Mayfield's last four weeks have arguably been the best stretch of his career.

He threw his 10th touchdown in that timespan late in the second quarter on second-and-goal from the Giants' 2-yard line. The play wasn't easy, either.

He had a defender on his heels when he scrambled to his right and had only one receiver, Jarvis Landry, rolling over with him. Landry had a defender on him, too, and Mayfield needed to throw a perfect pass for the play to work.

He tossed the ball just a couple feet above Landry's head and out of the reach of the defender. Landry reached up, caught the pass and hung on as he was dragged to the ground.

For Mayfield, the touchdown was his 17th completion of the first half. For the Browns, it built a 13-3 lead at halftime.

5. Chubb pushes through for Browns' third TD

The Browns needed to travel more than the length of a football field to score their third touchdown of the evening.

The drive started on Cleveland's 5-yard line, and the next 14 plays consisted of 115 yards — yes, that's 20 additional yards — that took them into the end zone for touchdown No. 3. A false start and a clipping penalty led to the extra work, but the Browns offense wasn't fazed and continued to plow through the Giants defense.

Mayfield continued to convert on key passes and ended the drive with only four incompletions for the entire game. The drive was turned into a success when running back Nick Chubb took a handoff from the Giants' 1-yard line and speared through the trenches to break the plane.

That gave the Browns a 20-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. Even though the scoring output didn't quite show it, Cleveland had built one of its best offensive games all season.

A 115-yard touchdown drive certainly proved that.

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