The Cleveland Browns struggled in the first half Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, but a halftime Hail Mary may be just what they needed to kickstart a comeback.
The Browns trailed 23-7 and had the ball at their own 41-yard line with time about to expire in the first half. That’s a particularly unlikely spot to execute a Hail Mary from, but Cleveland had to try. Baker Mayfield dodged a sack and heaved one up, and managed to find Donovan Peoples-Jones in the end zone on the fly.
HAIL MAYFIELD!!!!! #Browns
📺: #AZvsCLE on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/Kr1f55hJQT— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2021
Full credit to Peoples-Jones for the leaping catch. It’s also really poor defense from Arizona, as the wide receiver was somehow able to slip into the end zone undetected with room in front of him to for Mayfield to deliver the throw.
There’s no doubt Mayfield has the arm strength to pull something off like this. In fact, NFL Next Gen Stats revealed this was the longest air distance completion in any game since 2017, when that stat began to be tracked.
Baker Mayfield's Hail Mary had an air distance of 66.4 yards, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That's the longest regular or postseason air distance completion in the Next Gen Stats era, since 2017!!
Air distance = actual straight-line distance traveled by the ball in the air.
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 17, 2021
It’s worth noting Mayfield holds the mark for the longest incompletion, too.
The bigger issue is why the Cardinals weren’t more prepared to defend this, knowing full well that Mayfield could probably reach the end zone from where he was throwing. It may haunt them if they can’t see the game out in the second half.
