Cleveland Browns studs and duds from convincing Week 15 win vs. Giants

Stud: Rashard Higgins, Wide Receiver

There was a point this offseason where it looked as though Rashard Higgins wasn’t going to be back with the Browns. He was a free agent and after catching just four passes in 2019, it seemed Cleveland could be moving on from him. Then after the draft, something changed and he signed a one-year deal with the team.

He continued to be underutilized at first, but since Odell Beckham, Jr. was injured, he has stepped up his game. That was evident on Sunday as he led the team with 76 yards receiving on four catches. Higgins made several contested catches and even hauled in a 17-yarder that set up Nick Chubb’s touchdown that put the game out of reach.

He continues to be one of Baker Mayfield’s favorite targets and seeing him frustrate opposing teams has become commonplace.

Stud: Karl Joseph, Safety

Karl Joseph came to play on Sunday night. He made a couple of stops on the first drive of the game, but it was the Giants’ second drive that stood out. First, Joseph made a great open-field tackle on Golden Tate which lost New York one-yard. Then, on the ensuing second-and-11, Joseph broke up a pass to Evan Engram that looked as though it was going to be an easy touchdown.

Not only did he do a great job closing the gap, but he was able to dive and reach out his hand just enough to tip the ball away. Denzel Ward stopped a pass to Darius Slayton on the next play, which held the Giants to three when it could have been more.

Joseph finished the game with a team-high 10 tackles with one going for a loss — and he added two pass defenses for good measure.