Monday leftovers

The offense the Browns used to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday could very well be the key to their quest to qualify for the National Football League playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Now that Nick Chubb is back and once again inflicting pain on opposing defenses, head coach/playcaller Kevin Stefanski is taking full advantage of the versatility he now has with regard to the passing game. 

With Odell Beckham Jr. gone for the season, the deep threat is no longer viable. But his absence has created opportunities for the likes of wideouts Rashard Higgins, KhaDarel Hodge and, to some degree, Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Although Stefanski is reining in his quarterback to some extent, he is masterfully meshing his wideouts and tight ends, spreading the ball around so the defense cannot concentrate on one specifically.

Baker Mayfield has not thrown more than 28 passes in a game since week five. He has thrown only 113 in the last five games. That's 22.6 a game. And, get this, he has not thrown a touchdown pass in the last three games. Or since he threw a club-record five in the second Cincinnati victory in week seven.

No, the personality of this team lies in the success of the running game. As it goes, so go the Browns. A vital part of that success, in addition to the solid play of the offensive line, is how well the receivers play. And since Beckham's departure, they have stepped up.

Higgins, now in his fifth season with the Browns, tried to leave in free agency during the offseason after a a problematic 2019 season, during which he climbed into head coach Freddie Kitchens' doghouse and never emerged. No one bit, so he returned. But it took a while for Stefanski to discover his worth.

It was so bad early on, Higgins was a healthy scratch in weeks three and four. The ultimate embarrassment.  It wasn't until the second Cincinnati game that Stefanski and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt realized how valuable he was. 

Mayfield connected with Higgins on each of his six targets for 110 yards. It was an eye opener for Stefanski, who has since incorporated Higgins heavily into his gameplans. The rangy wide receiver has been targeted 23 times this season, grabbing 18 for 290 yards and a pair of touchdowns. 

Hodge, an undrafted free agent, played 14 games with the Los Angeles Rams in 2018. He was waived by during final roster cuts in late August 2019 and claimed by the Browns the following day. He played in every game last season, mostly on special teams, and caught just four passes.

He kind of fell off the radar after injuring his hamstring in pre-game warmups in week four, missing four games. He labored in anonymity on his return until Sunday's victory over the Eagles. Mayfield targeted him five times, connecting on three for a club-high 73 yards, including strikes of 42 and 18 yards. Suffice it to say, he is no longer anonymous.

Stefanski utilized a lot of two and three tight-end looks throughout the Eagles game. His wide receivers and tight ends factored significantly in the run game, especially as the game wore on. When you play wide receiver for Stefanski, you must block.

Peoples-Jones has stood out more because of his blocking, but the rookie was the main man in the second Bengals game, catching the game-winning 24-yard touchdown pass with 11 seconds left. If nothing else, he left an indelible mark on this season.

Together, this trio has accounted for 29 receptions (on 41 targets) for 486 yards and three touchdowns. Not to mention some solid blocks that have sprung Chubb, Kareem Hunt and, on occasion, D'Ernest Johnson loose. Now that they have been given the opportunity, they have taken advantage by coming up big when that phase of the offense needed a boost.

At the beginning of the season, they were just spare parts for this offense. Now look where they are. Valuable contributors to the goal of giving Cleveland something they have desired for nearly two decades: A shot at the postseason.

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OK, why in the hell can't Olivier Vernon always play that kind of football? I'm referring, of course, to the way the until-now disappointing defensive end, who was part of that deal that brought Beckham to Cleveland from the New York Giants, plays the game.

Was it Myles Garrett's absence (COVID-19) against the Eagles that provided the motivation to go out and drop Carson Wentz thrice and abuse Eagles left tackle and future Hall of Famer Jason Peters the entire game? If so, maybe Garrett should skip the Jacksonville game Sunday.

Vernon, it appears, likes to produce his sacks in clusters. He notched a pair against Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the 16-6 loss in week eight. Other than that, it has been one shutout after another.

The good news is Vernon has been healthy enough to play in eight of the Browns' 10 games after missing six last season. It was thought he was young enough and still effective after compiling 62 sacks in seven previous seasons before arriving.

Consistency being the name of the game, it will be interesting to see how well Vernon performs against the Jaguars. Based on what we have seen from him thus far this season and last, another shutout looms down in Florida.

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Maybe it's the weariness that usually bedevils rookies at this time of the season, but it sure looks as though Jedrick Wills Jr, is struggling at left offensive tackle. Another false start and another sack is not what coaches were expecting from him against the Eagles.

He berated himself on the sack, which means at least he's aware he needs to pick it up. Outside of quarterback, OLT is the second most important position on the offense for a right-handed quarterback Maybe Wills needs some encouragement from offensive line coach Bill Callahan to get him through what might be nothing more than a brief rough period.

Whatever it is, it needs to be corrected quickly, especially with games against the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens on deck following the Jaguars.

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Finally . . . That's two 100-yard games in a row for Chubb, who should have no trouble passing 1,000 yards this season. He's gained 240 yards since returning from his knee injury and is averaging six yards a pop. He passed 3,000 career yards Sunday and has booked four 100-yard games in six games. . . . Jarvis Landry played only 38 of the 67 offensive snaps against the Eagles and was targeted just twice by Mayfield, catching both for 23 yards. Those sore ribs must really be bothering the veteran wideout. . . . Of the 26 possessions between the Browns and Eagles, 11 ended with punts. . . . The Browns owned the football for nearly 19 minutes in the second half. . . . Cameron Malveaux, fresh off the practice squad in Garrett's absence, booked only eight snaps, but contributed two solo tackles from his left end spot and caused the fumble inside the 10-yard line that blunted the Eagles' bid for a touchdown on their opening drive.