Donovan Peoples-Jones answers Baker Mayfield Hail Mary to stun Cardinals at halftime
This is how to get a rally going.
After digging a 20-0 first-half hole, the Cleveland Browns were staring at a 23-7 halftime deficit against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Baker Mayfield had other ideas.
As the second-quarter clock read zero, Mayfield escaped pressure from Arizona's four-man front, rolled to his right and slung the ball up for grabs toward the end zone. Donovan Peoples-Jones claimed it.
The Browns wide receiver outfought a crowd of Browns and Cardinals players near the goal line to haul in the 57-yard heave for a Hail Mary touchdown.
The Browns still trailed 23-14 after the play. But after getting boat-raced early, the touchdown gave Cleveland new life against the NFL's last remaining unbeaten team.
Per Next Gen Stats, the play actually had a 15.4% chance at success which seems ... high?
Baker Mayfield's Hail Mary 57-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones traveled 66.4 yards in the air, the longest completed pass in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) by 2.0 yards.
🔸 Completion Probability: 15.4%#AZvsCLE | #Browns pic.twitter.com/7iBWUg60V8— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 17, 2021
The stat doesn't diminish how impressive the pass and catch were, though. Whether it's enough to overcome the Cardinals is an entirely different challenge.