The Giants defense recorded seven sacks and Malik Nabers caught two touchdown passes as Big Blue took down the Cleveland Browns 21-15 on Sunday, picking up their first win of the year.
New York’s defensive line wrought havoc on Deshaun Watson, recording seven sacks on the Browns quarterback. It was the most sacks the Giants recorded in a game since 2016, the last time the Giants played in Cleveland. The standout player in the game for the Giants was Dexter Lawrence, Lawrence dominated the Browns line, recording two sacks, and four hits on the quarterback.
“That’s a normal NFL game.” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “It was competitive, we showed a lot of resiliency on the road, particularly after how this game started. I was proud of how the guys competed. They [the Browns] are a good football team. I thought we got into a rhythm, made some plays early in the game, and made the play at the end.”
The victory came after a nightmare start for the Giants. Return man Eric Gray fumbled the opening kickoff, and it only took one play for the Browns to score a touchdown, as Watson found Amari Cooper in the back of the endzone for a touchdown, giving the Browns a 7-0 lead 15 seconds into the game. Once the Giants finally got the ball, they couldn’t do anything with it, quickly going three and out.
The second drive for the Giants almost ended in disaster on its first play, as quarterback Daniel Jones threw a pass that landed directly in the arms of Browns safety Ronnie Hickman. However, the play was called back due to roughing the passer.
After the mistake, Jones looked confident on the drive, connecting on six of his seven passes for 71 yards, and the drive ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Devin Singletary. Greg Joseph, who is filling in for the injured Graham Gano, knocked in an extra point to tie the game. The drive was 13 plays and 81 yards and took 7:44. It was their longest drive by time since their playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the 2023 NFC wildcard round. The first quarter ended with the score deadlocked at seven apiece.
After going three-and-out on their first drive of the second quarter, the Giants went on another lengthy drive, highlighted by an incredible catch by Malik Nabers, who went up and over Martin Emerson Jr, snatching the ball out of his hands and getting both his feet down in bounds for an incredible 28-yard reception. The drive was capped off with an incredible catch by Nabers for a three-yard touchdown reception, as the Giants took a 14-7 lead with just 1:44 remaining in the second half.
“We called the play, and I wasn’t really sure where to line up,” Nabers said. “After that, I just said, ‘DJ give me a shot on it.’ So he gave me a shot, and I just made a great play on the ball.”
Although there was just over 100 seconds left, Jones, Nabers and the Giants weren’t done scoring touchdowns. Defensive edge Brian Burns got to Deshaun Watson, forcing a fumble which was recovered by Elijah Chatman. The sack was Burns’ first in a Giants uniform.
Big Blue only needed four plays to get 30 yards down the field, where Jones found Nabers in the back of the endzone for a five-yard touchdown. Jones capped of the half with perhaps his best half in recent memory, completing 17 of his 19 pass attempts for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Nabers also became the first rookie in NFL history to have 20 receptions and three touchdowns in a player’s first three games. The Giants went to the locker room at halftime up 21-7.
The third quarter didn’t start the way the Giants had hoped, however, as Singletary fumbled for the second time in as many weeks, giving the Browns excellent field position and an opportunity to get back in the game.
Despite the giveaway, the Giants stood tall, recording their sixth sack of the game, forcing a long 53-yard field goal attempt, which Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins missed. Neither team got any offensive momentum in the third quarter, and the quarter ended the same way it started, with the Giants leading 21-7. However, the Browns were starting to find momentum.
After the Giants were forced to punt from their own 10-yard line, Watson and the Browns took advantage of the excellent field position, driving down the field with ease before Watson found Cooper for his second touchdown of the game. Looking to cut the Giants lead to six, the Browns opted to go for two, where Watson connected with Jerry Jeudy, cutting Big Blue’s lead to 21-15.
With three minutes to go in the game, the Giants had a chance to close out the game, but Greg Joseph missed a field goal, giving the Browns life. But as they had all game, the Giants defense held strong. With the Browns’ backs against the wall, with no timeouts and 4th and five, Waton’s pass went right through the hands of Cedric Tillman, giving the Giants a chance to seal it.
Singletary did just that, running for a first down and sliding down right before the endzone. With Cleveland unable to stop the clock past the two-minute warning, the Giants had their long-sought first win in their hands.
Jones completed 24 of his 34 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns. Singletary finished the game with 65 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Nabers was the leading receiver for the Giants, with 78 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.
The Giants (1-2) will look to move back to .500 when they take on the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Thursday Night Football on Sept. 26.
