The New York Giants didn’t have much time to savor their first victory of the season. Coaches already started preparing for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys upon getting home from Sunday’s 21-15 win in Cleveland.
As the coaches shift their focus to Thursday’s game, here’s one last look at Sunday’s win:
A new man?
Daniel Jones looked like a different quarterback on Sunday compared to the season opener. Jones was completely rattled in a 28-6 loss to the Vikings in Week 1. When pressured in the opener, he completed 5-of-15 passes for 27 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. On Sunday, he completed 10-of-17 passes for 94 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions when pressured.
.@BaldyNFL breaks down Daniel Jones’ performance vs. the Browns in a Giants edition of Baldy’s Breakdown pic.twitter.com/gPTymhHkMH
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 23, 2024
The clearest sign of his increased comfort Sunday was that Jones was willing to throw the ball downfield when under duress. His average depth of target under pressure was 9.5 yards on Sunday compared to 5.6 yards in the opener.
And it’s not as if improved pass protection was the difference. The Vikings pressured Jones on 40 percent of his dropbacks, while the Browns pressured him on 51 percent of his dropbacks.
Jones smoothly navigated the pocket on a third-and-6 on the Giants’ second possession on Sunday, escaping pressure and finding wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson for a 5-yard gain. That set up a 2-yard jet sweep by Malik Nabers on fourth-and-1.
Those small plays make a big difference. As did Jones’ ability to deliver strikes while taking big hits, including his first touchdown pass to Nabers, which came a tick before a crushing blow from Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Malik Nabers has a touchdown!
📺: #NYGvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/4XDd73juH1— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Jones also pinned some throws on receivers in tight windows, such as a 20-yard slant to Robinson on second-and-16 and a 7-yard curl to Darius Slayton on third-and-3 on the Giants’ first touchdown drive. Jones just looked like a completely different quarterback from the one who was wildly off-target in the opener.
Cranking the dial up
Did Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen discover a new identity or just use a game-plan-specific attack against the Cleveland Browns?
The Giants had blitzed on 31.3 percent of opponent dropbacks in the first two games, according to TruMedia. That blitz rate spiked to 57.4 percent against the Browns.
Defense wasn’t messing around 😤 pic.twitter.com/dwMGxSNjEi
— New York Giants (@Giants) September 23, 2024
In Bowen’s ideal world, the front four would generate pressure, and he’d keep seven players in coverage. But that approach wasn’t effective in the first two games, so Bowen dialed up the pressure on Sunday.
Players said the blitz-heavy approach was an in-game adjustment after Bowen saw how the Browns were double-teaming nose tackle Dexter Lawrence and chipping edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. It was clearly a successful changeup.
The Giants sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times and registered 17 quarterback hits. Watson never looked comfortable, so Bowen kept the heat on.
The beat-up Browns offensive line was particularly susceptible to the blitzing. Cleveland entered the game without starting right tackle Jack Conklin and then lost starting left tackle Jedrick Wills, starting right guard Wyatt Teller and swing tackle James Hudson to injuries during the game.
By the third quarter, the Browns had shifted left guard Joel Bitonio to left tackle and center Ethan Pocic to left guard. Backup center Nick Harris and backup right guard Zak Zinter came off the bench. Dawand Jones, who had started at right tackle, but appeared to be benched at the start of the second half returned after Hudson went down with a shoulder injury midway through the third quarter.
Bowen didn’t show any mercy on the line full of backups and players moved out of position. Sending extra rushers added to the Browns’ instability.
Bowen isn’t going to completely change his defensive philosophy based on one game. But he should keep the aggressive game plan in mind against bad quarterbacks and shaky offensive lines.
The Cowboys have a top quarterback and a quality line, so it’ll be interesting to see how Bowen approaches Thursday’s game. Dak Prescott has the highest passer rating in the league when pressured this season. That’s in line with how he’s performed when pressured throughout his career.
GO DEEPER
What’s plaguing the Cowboys? Ranking their 5 biggest issues through 3 games
But Bowen may not have any choice but to bring extra rushers on Thursday. The Giants will likely be without cornerbacks Dru Phillips and Adoree’ Jackson after both left Sunday’s game with calf injuries. Corner Nick McCloud could be back after missing the past two games with a knee injury.
The Giants finished Sunday’s game with Deonte Banks, Cor’Dale Flott, Isaiah Simmons and practice squad elevation Art Green as their only healthy corners. It’s frightening to imagine that group trying to stop Prescott, who leads the league with 851 yards passing, and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has torched the Giants throughout his career.
So Bowen may need to deviate from his preferred style again to prevent his undermanned secondary from getting picked apart by Prescott and Lamb.
Show some respect
The Browns didn’t have No. 1 cornerback Denzel Ward travel with Nabers in the first half. Instead, Cleveland elected to keep Ward at left corner and Martin Emerson at right corner. That was a mistake.
Nabers torched Emerson, highlighted by an incredible 28-yard catch plucked off of the corner’s helmet in the second quarter. Nabers finished that drive by burning Emerson on an out route to make a leaping, twisting 3-yard touchdown catch.
Malik Nabers said yes, yes swiping.
📺: #NYGvsCLE on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/7pR1WJRfQn— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
The Browns adjusted in the second half. With Ward shadowing Nabers, the rookie was limited to two catches for 12 yards after the break. The Giants countered by moving Nabers into the slot more, and he could have had a big play on a fade route in the third quarter, but Jones over-threw it.
Nabers’ dazzling start to his rookie season should get the respect of coverage from No. 1 corners going forward.
Wise beyond his years
Nabers’ football IQ has shined during his young career. There were two prime examples on Sunday.
The Giants got gimmicky on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line in the second quarter. Nabers motioned into the wildcat and Jones motioned out. The plan was for Nabers to throw to Jones, but the Browns weren’t fooled and Ward blanketed the quarterback in the flat.
GO DEEPER
Malik Nabers’ athletic gifts make Giants highlights, but brain wins Brian Daboll’s trust
Not only did Nabers make the wise decision not to force a pass, he also alertly threw the ball away as a defender pressured him at the 12-yard line. The quick thinking from a non-quarterback kept the ball at the 3-yard line, which set up the far more conventional Jones-to-Nabers touchdown pass on the next play.
Coach Brian Daboll raved about Nabers’ awareness when the receiver broke up a potential game-changing interception early in the fourth quarter. Leading 21-7, Daboll went for the jugular on second-and-9 from New York’s 10-yard line. Jones ran a play fake and rolled to his right, with tight end Theo Johnson leaking across the field and up the left sideline.
If the play worked as designed, the Giants could have hit a huge gain to Johnson. But Browns defensive end Shelby Harris hit Jones’ arm as he threw, causing a floating pass over the middle. Nabers had been a decoy trying to create traffic to free Johnson, but he sprang into action and knocked the ball to the ground before it could be intercepted by two Browns defenders.
Wing man
Nabers got some much-needed help on Sunday from Robinson. The shifty slot receiver tallied seven catches for 61 yards, gaining four first downs and 47 yards after the catch.
Robinson is too slippery for the first man to tackle him when he catches a pass in the open field. The lone incompletion intended for Robinson showed his limited catch radius, however, as he couldn’t haul in a third-and-8 slant from Jones in the fourth quarter.
Forgotten man?
The most predictable play call Sunday was Daboll dialing up a deep shot for wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt’s unhappiness with his limited role to start the season became a hot topic last week when ESPN reported that the second-year receiver said during a practice that the Giants should trade him if they weren’t going to use him.
Hyatt called the report a “fake story,” but the best way to put the story to bed would have been a big play. So, on the Giants’ second possession, Daboll called a play-action deep post to Hyatt. But the receiver didn’t get any separation from Ward and Jones over-threw the pass.
It was Hyatt’s lone target of the game. He played a season-low 10 snaps, and even that total was inflated because Slayton missed four plays due to a thumb injury in the fourth quarter.
Slayton is the better, more complete player, so he deserves to be the No. 2 wide receiver after the coaches gave Hyatt every opportunity to seize the job in training camp. Hyatt has no catches and two targets this season. Even if Hyatt is a one-trick pony with his deep speed, that’s still a valuable trick. The Giants need to figure out a way to get Hyatt more involved in the offense.
Too much to ask
Johnson has been the unquestioned No. 1 tight end, playing 82 percent of the offensive snaps this season. He looks the part physically, but it may be asking too much for the fourth-round pick to carry such a heavy workload.
Jones and Johnson weren’t on the same page on a nearly catastrophic interception on the first play of the Giants’ second possession that was negated by a roughing the passer penalty. Jones, who was under pressure, likely expected Johnson to break out toward the sideline, but the rookie ran a curl route. That led Jones’ pass to go directly to Browns safety Ronnie Hickman.
Johnson was flagged for a hold that negated a 20-yard Jones run and failed to corral a potential 3-yard touchdown pass after a play-fake sprung him open. Johnson gained 13 yards on his lone catch, a tight end screen in the third quarter.
Daniel Bellinger played a season-high 36 percent of the snaps, replacing Johnson in some 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) packages in the second half. Bellinger was also flagged for a hold to negate a 12-yard run by Jones in the fourth quarter. Bellinger had a 17-yard catch that could have been a bigger gain if he didn’t have to dive to catch an under-thrown pass.
The Giants may need to increase Bellinger’s role to take some of the load off of Johnson as he transitions to the NFL.
Marquee matchup
The only thing that could slow Garrett on Sunday was the foot injuries that have been plaguing the reigning defensive player of the year. Garrett, who has traditionally played around 80 percent of the defensive snaps, was limited to 58 percent of the snaps Sunday.
Garrett made the most of his opportunities. Lining up exclusively across from Giants’ All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas, Garrett had nine pressures and three quarterback hits. Eight of those pressures were attributed to Thomas, who hadn’t surrendered more than four pressures in a game since his rookie season.
Thomas said he was “disappointed” by his performance, but his track record suggests he’ll bounce back. The good news is Thomas wasn’t on the injury report released by the Giants on Monday after he had his ankle rolled up on in the fourth quarter.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.
Sign Up
Not his game
The Giants need to accept that Eric Gray isn’t a quality returner. They tried to force Gray into the punt return role last season with disastrous results. He muffed two punts and averaged 4.0 yards per return in seven games before an injury ended that experiment.
The Giants have used Gray as a kickoff returner this season, and the results haven’t been any better. He had a demoralizing fumble on Sunday’s opening kickoff that led to the Giants falling in an immediate 7-0 hole.
Welcome to Week 3 of the NFL sea—
And, the Giants fumbled 😳
🎥 @NFLpic.twitter.com/s9lCNGb6Ki
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) September 22, 2024
Gray’s ball security issues might be excused if he was an otherwise dynamic returner. But he’s averaging a pedestrian 25.3 yards per return with a long of 30. The Giants need to find another option with better ball security, more big-play ability or, preferably, both.
(Photo of Daniel Jones: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
