EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Odell Beckham Jr. finally reached the end zone for his new team. Doing so in his old home.
After the Cleveland Browns offense sputtered for much of the game, quarterback Baker Mayfield connected on a quick slant to Beckham, who dashed 89 yards for a game-clinching touchdown in the third quarter of Cleveland’s 23-3 victory Monday night over the New York Jets.
Beckham, whom the New York Giants traded to Cleveland during the offseason, celebrated his maiden score with the Browns by pantomiming opening a front door with a key, as if to signify, “I’m home” in MetLife Stadium.
Beckham finished with 161 yards receiving on six catches, including a dazzling one-handed grab along the sidelines to set up a field goal on the opening drive, giving Cleveland a lead it would not relinquish.
Describe the game in two words: Mere formality. With Jets quarterback Sam Darnold out because of mono and the New York offense grounded, this game never really felt in doubt.
Eye-popping NextGen Stat: Beckham’s maximum speed of 21.7 miles per hour on the touchdown play is the fastest any NFL player has run while scoring this year. OBJ reached his top speed at the New York 38-yard line.
Buy a breakout performance: Cleveland coach Freddie Kitchens said before the season he expected his defensive line to be the strength of the team. Sure, the Jets were without Darnold, which left New York’s passing attack completely fangless. But spearheaded by defensive end Myles Garrett’s ferocious effort, the Browns pass rush still completely overwhelmed the pocket to collectively finish with seven quarterback hurries and four sacks. As Kitchens predicted, Cleveland’s revamped front four looks like it could be formidable.
QB breakdown: Against the team he debuted against as a rookie last year, Mayfield didn’t have his sharpest stuff. He completed 54 percent of his passes, took three sacks and threw a pick. Mayfield made enough plays to defeat a hobbled team in the Jets. But he’ll need to be more efficient with the schedule about to stiffen, starting next Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams.