The Giants won a game.
In a season where that might be an exceedingly difficult assignment for them to master, each and every one of them needs to be analyzed and appreciated.
Going on the road to beat the Browns, 21-15 in Cleveland, means the Giants got off the schneid after losing their first two games. That they looked like world-beaters in gaining a 21-7 lead with 21 straight points and then had to hang on after going scoreless in the second half shows that this team has very little margin for error. That they held on means everything for a team that understood what falling to 0-3 would have done to their ability to make something of this season.
Here is a look at how they got victory No. 1:
— He is already getting special player treatment, from opponents and also from his own coach and his own teammates. Malik Nabers was targeted another 12 times — after 18 targets last week against the Commanders. He had eight receptions for 78 yards, including a leaping 3-yard touchdown grab and a 5-yard scoring catch 93 seconds after the first one. Nabers beat himself up after a costly drop late in the fourth quarter of last week’s 21-18 loss to the Commanders and it was going to be interesting to see how he responded to that failure. After all, Nabers said he let the veterans on the team down, because they trust him to make plays and he came up short when his team needed him. As it turned out, Nabers responded just fine and the veterans in the locker room made sure to tell him he had been too hard on himself.
“I told him after I saw that, ‘you didn’t let anyone down, it’s going to happen and we’re pros, we’re gonna make some plays and miss some plays, all the greats do,’’’ defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “It’s all about responding and that’s what the greats do.’’
More on Nabers: His 23 receptions are tied with Anquan Boldin for the second-most by a player in his first three NFL games. Puka Nacua of the Rams has the record with 30 catches in 2023, his first year in the league.
And more: Nabers (21 years and 56 days old) is the youngest player in NFL history with two touchdown catches in a game. Mike Evans (21 years, 73 days old) did it in 2014.
— Sometimes it is more interesting hearing what the opponent was talking about after a game than what the Giants were saying. Deshaun Watson could not stop crediting Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen for changing up the tendencies the Browns expected from the Giants’ defense. Bowen in three seasons running the show on defense with the Titans was not a blitz-heavy play-caller and in the first two games with the Giants he continued to rely on applying pressure with his front four whenever possible. In the first two games, the Giants blitzed on 25 percent of their pass rush plays. Against the Browns, Bowen increased that significantly, to blitzing on more than 55 percent of the dropbacks by the Browns. The Giants got seven of their eight sacks as a result of these blitzes.
Chalk one up for Bowen.
“I think you got to give their DC Shane a lot of credit for doing something different that we … of course we were expecting pressure, but as much as they brought it, you just got to prepare for the worst,’’ Watson said. “And they did a good job of trying to create some mismatches and different confusion up front to get us off our timing in the passing game. So, for us to try to correct that, we got to win our matchups and try to figure out the right protection to figure out what pressures they were doing off the edge to create and, yeah.
“Not a very high-pressure team. But you know, this game, that’s what they wanted to do. So they brought a lot more pressure than usual on down and distances that they usually don’t bring, on first down especially. Second-and-long usually it’s man coverage but they played a lot of man, they brought the pressure with it. They did a good job of scheming that up.’’
— If you were late getting to the TV by just a minute you missed the Giants falling behind 7-0, which they did 11 seconds into the game after Eric Gray lost a fumble on the opening kickoff and Watson hit Amari Cooper with a 24-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage. It was the fastest touchdown allowed by the Giants since the 1970 merger.
— Did you have Devin Singletary activated on your fantasy football team this past week? If so, we don’t want to hear any crying about him sliding down at the 1-yard line after scooting 43 yards with two minutes remaining. Singletary gave himself up to ensure the Giants would win the game. They were ahead by six points and all the Giants had to do after the Singletary slide was to kneel on the ball three times to secure their first victory of the season.
“Motor did a great job,’’ coach Brian Daboll said, referring to the nickname everyone uses for the Giants’ starting running back.
Singletary cut it a bit close. It looked as if he might run it all the way into the end zone and his slide came up inches short of the goal line.
“We’re trying not to score anymore, we’re just trying to run out all the time and I’m seeing him running and I’m like ‘Go down, hurry, you’re getting a little close,’’’ receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said. “He did and it just goes to show what a pro Motor is.’’
Yes, Singletary knew exactly where he was.
“I just wanted to get the most out of it,’’ he said.
As for not scoring, Singletary understands he might have upset a few fantasy football players.
“I know they’re mad at me,’’ he said. “I know what’s coming with that.’’
— Trading for Brian Burns meant the Giants were done with Azeez Ojulari as a starting outside linebacker but that move did not mean Ojulari had no role on defense. The 24-year-old came up with a sack, two quarterback hits and he recovered a fumble by running back Jerome Ford in the fourth quarter. Ojulari is in the final year of his contract and he is handling a backup role by doing more with fewer snaps.
“Just try to make plays for my team when I’m out there,’’ he said.
— The eight sacks by the Giants was their highest total in a game since they had eight in a 36-7 victory over the Titans on Dec. 7, 2014. The Giants are the fourth team in league history with nine different players with at least half a sack in the same game since 1982, when individual sacks became an official statistic. They have 13 sacks in their last two games, with Lawrence and (here’s a surprise) safety Jason Pinnock leading the way with three sacks apiece.
