In a game that was memorable more for who left it than what its participants accomplished, the Cleveland Browns topped the New York Giants 10-6 in Monday night to cap off 2017's second full week of preseason action. Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. was forced from the game early in the second quarter after a collision. After testing on both his head and neck, it turned out Beckham does not have a concussion, and X-rays of his ankle reportedly came back clean.
Cleveland QB DeShone Kizer scored the game's lone touchdown, on a one-yard run late in the second quarter. Kizer was one of seven quarterbacks to play in the game — three for the Giants, four for the Browns — with none of them topping 80 passing yards. With that, we give you our PFF exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
Top 5 grades:
Edge Olivier Vernon, 86.3 overall grade
C Brett Jones, 84.9 overall grade
S Landon Collins, 83.5 overall grade
LB Jonathan Casillas, 81.9 overall grade
Edge Avery Moss, 81.7 overall grade
Performances of Note:
WR Odell Beckham Jr., 78.0 overall grade
Before exiting the game with an ankle injury, Odell Beckham Jr. was in top form, catching all three passes thrown his way for 37 yards and forced a missed tackle. He played just 14 total snaps, but showcased the production we have come to expect from him.
QB Geno Smith, 46.9 overall grade
The Giants backup quarterback struggled as a passer, despite not taking any chances downfield. Of his 17 passing attempts, none traveled further than nine yards downfield, making his 64.7% completion percentage seem somewhat less impressive.
Edge Olivier Vernon, 86.3 overall grade
Vernon was in midseason form as the Giants' highest-graded player. He was disruptive in the passing game, recording a sack, and adding a batted pass at the line of scrimmage that resulted in a Jason Pierre-Paul INT. Vernon also showed his versatility with a pass defensed thrown well down the field.
S Landon Collins, 83.5 overall grade
Collins was solid as usual in his 27 snaps on the night. He posted a QB hurry, 1 tackle and 1 solo stop to go along with allowing just 1 catch for 1 yard.
Top 5 grades:
CB Jason McCourty, 86.6 overall grade
LB Joe Schobert, 83.9 overall grade
Edge Carl Nassib, 83.1 overall grade
Edge Myles Garrett, 80.6 overall grade
T Shon Coleman, 78.3 overall grade
Performances of Note:
WR Corey Coleman, 72.9 overall grade
With few bright spots and big plays coming from the Browns, Coleman was solid in his 20 snaps. On the night he hauled in 3 catches for 37 yards including a 20-yard gain on Giants CB Janoris Jenkins.
T Shon Coleman, 78.3 overall grade
Coleman was solid in his team-high 46 offensive snaps. His overall grade was tops for the Browns offense as he was perfect in pass protection throughout the night.
Edge Myles Garrett, 80.6 overall grade
The number one overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft continued his impressive preseason, picking up a sack and a hit on 15 pass rushing snaps. Garrett has now produced three pressures from 23 pass rushing snaps through two games, while looking solid against the run too.
CB Jason McCourty, 86.6 overall grade
Playing almost exclusively at right cornerback, with just two of his 23 snaps coming in the slot, McCourty was targeted three times in coverage. He allowed two receptions, but they went for just 14 yards.
PFF Game Ball: Jason McCourty, CB, 86.6 overall grade
*Grades subject to change pending review