Cleveland Browns' 5-play path to home loss against New York Giants

There are dozens of plays run in an NFL game. Add up all of the plays each team runs on offense, plus special teams, and the number can get well over 140 on a given Sunday.

Yet, there's always a handful that loom much larger than the rest of them. They're the ones, even if they don't result in points, that have a major impact on the final outcome.

That was the case in the Browns' 21-15 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday . What follows is a look at five plays that stood out as critical pivot points in momentum during the game.

These five all seem fairly obvious, as can be the case in a loss like Sunday's . They're listed chronologically, but the first one may have been the biggest one regardless.

9:51 1st quarter: Cleveland Browns lose Ronnie Hickman interception due to Greg Newsome II's roughing the passer penalty

• The play: This play was, simply put, the game-changing moment of the day. Yes, it came on the Giants' second offensive possession, but it can't be overstated how much this altered the trajectory of the game. Instead of starting at the New York 24 for the second time in three possessions, with a chance to potentially go up 14 early, the penalty gave the Giants the ball back. They turned that into a 13-play, 81-yard drive to tie the score. The play was pretty simple. Greg Newsome II, lined up over the slot receiver and came off the left side of the Giants line untouched on a blitz. QB Daniel Jones never saw him, and apparently never saw safety Ronnie Hickman out in the flats, because his pass went directly to Hickman for the interception. The problem was the penalty flag — which no one on the Browns defense apparently saw while they were danced in front of the Dawg Pound — thrown on Newsome for hitting Jones in the head after the throw. In the NFL of 2024, that draws a flag every time. It drew a critical one on the Browns on Sunday.
• Greg Newsome II on the play “From my view, I thought I hit him in the strike zone. I kind of let up at the end, I felt like, but they called it, so it's a penalty.”

2:32, 2nd quarter: New York Giants WR Malik Nabers beats Cleveland Browns CB Martin Emerson for 28 yards

• The play: Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. is one of the better young cornerbacks in the NFL. However, on Sunday, Emerson did not have a good day when it came to defending Giants rookie phenom Malik Nabers. This specific play was one of a few Nabers made with Emerson as the closest defender. The reality was this play kind of summarized the day both players had Sunday. On second-and-8 from the Cleveland 41, Nabers lined up on the far left of the formation, with Emerson in man coverage. Nabers ran a little stutter-step off the snap, then continued onto a go route, with Emerson step for step with him. It was a perfectly placed throw by Jones and an even better effort by Nabers, who outjumped Emerson and seemed to pull the ball away from the cornerback and into his own hands. Then, there was the presence of mind by the rookie to make sure he got two feet down inbounds while he held onto the ball. That 28-yard gain to the Browns 13 set up four plays later another nifty grab by Nabers along the left sideline in the end zone for a touchdown to give New York a 14-7 lead late in the first half. Sometimes the other guy just wins the one-on-one, and that's what Nabers did multiple times Sunday in an eight-catch, 78-yard, two-touchdown day.
• Martin Emerson Jr. on the Malik Nabers matchup: "They was targeting me. [I have] got to be better, you know what I'm saying? Got to be better, win those one-on-one match."

0:38 2nd quarter: New York Giants OLB Brian Burns strip sacks Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson

• The play: The Browns could've survived, and may have even won, if the Giants only took a 14-7 halftime lead. The problem for Cleveland was that New York managed to get a short field late in the first half because of this specific play, which also summed up the kind of day it was for the Giants' pass rush, the Browns' pass protection and quarterback Deshaun Watson all in one. The Browns had just gotten a first down at their own 40, but the clock was ticking away. Still, they had all three timeouts and were going to get the second-half kickoff, and at least a field goal would've given them a chance to potentially double-dip with scores around the half. Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns blew up those plans when he ran past right tackle Dawand Jones off the edge. Watson was winding up to throw it, but Burns grabbed his arm and knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hand. Burns' teammate, Elijah Chatman, fell on it at the Cleveland 30, which set up another Jones-to-Nabers touchdown for the Giants. They led 21-7 at halftime. It was one of eight times Watson was sacked, and one of two crucial turnovers for the Browns.
• Deshaun Watson on the sacks: "Yeah, I’m going to be fine. Like I said before, if they’re not going to drag me off the field and I don’t have to have surgery, I’m going to be out there and I’m going to compete to the full, until the final whistle.”

7:47, 4th quarter: Cleveland Browns' Deshaun Watson and Jerome Ford fumble draw handoff

• The play: You can argue on message boards or on social media upon whom you want to pin blame for this one. Have at it, you're all right or you're all wrong, it doesn't really matter. The reality of it is that this play was when the starch really came out of the comeback, because this was the best chance they had to really go down the field and score. The Browns had first-and-10 at the Giants 44, and were trailing 21-15. Not only that, but watching the replay, the hole was there for this to have been one of those rarities on Sunday: A Browns running play that gained good yardage. Instead, as Watson put the ball into running back Jerome Ford's belly, it wasn't secured and it fell to the ground. That's where New York's Azeez Ojulari fell on the fumble to end the threat. The Browns never again snapped the ball in Giants territory the rest of the game.
• Deshaun Watson on the play: “Yeah, I just did my due diligence. Try to hand the ball to him, and after that I just saw the ball was on the ground, so.”

4:03 4th quarter: Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson fails to convert 4th down

• The play: The fifth play of the five examined here from the Giants game won't be the final offensive play for the Browns, because that one was fairly simple. Cedric Tillman, on fourth-and-4, dropped a pass that hit him right in the chest. Pretty simple. It's the fourth-down try the Browns had a little more than two minutes earlier on their next-to-last possession that left so many more questions. The set-up: It's fourth-and-1 from the Browns 29 after Jameis Winston was stopped for no gain trying to quarterback sneak the previous play. The Browns called a timeout with 4:03 remaining, their first one used in the half, and coach Kevin Stefanski decided to go for it again. This time, he decided to send Watson out, and the play called was out of the shotgun. Specifically, as tight end Jordan Akins confirmed on Monday, it was a run-pass option. Akins, who was lined up as the No. 2 receiver to the top of the formation but tighter to the tackle, immediately ran an out route toward the Browns sideline. Watson clearly debated throwing the ball to a wide-open Akins, as he pumped his arm to throw, but then reset. By that time, Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux had managed to get around Jones at right tackle and was putting pressure on Watson. That led Watson to elect to tuck the ball and run, but he was tackled by Dexter Lawrence and was unable to extend the ball out to the line to gain before he ended up on the ground.
• Jordan Akins on the play: "I mean, it's RPO. At the end of the day, he can give it, he can pass it. All of us was in the right positions when it come down to that play. We just trust Deshaun to make the best play, have the best outcome of that play. Like I say, that defense stunted so much and even sometimes they [pass] dropped, so it can be confusing. You just can't put it all on Deshaun. We definitely wish we could have that play back, but at the end of the day it is a RPO, so we can run it or he can throw it and next time we'll execute it."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns' 5-play path to home loss against New York Giants