Browns defense found resurgence in second half after first-half struggles | 3 Big Takeaways

Defense struggled in first half, but bounced back

The Giants scored 21 unanswered points to end the first half, beginning with a 13-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from RB Devin Singletary.

After a three-and-out to start the second quarter, the Giants marched down the field on a 14-play, 93-yard drive halfway through the second quarter second quarter. That drive ended with Giants QB Daniel Jones connected with rookie WR Malik Nabers for a 3-yard touchdown pass. On their next offensive drive, Jones found Nabers once again in the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown pass.

“They executed well,” DE Myles Garrett said. “Getting us up field. Running those screens, quicks, swings and just keeping us off balance and not allowing us up front to really dictate the pace of the game by continuing to get the ball out in a variety of ways quickly.”

Garrett also said the Giants were able to use their aggressiveness against them with their play calls.

“It’s about us getting out the stack as d-linemen, making those plays when they cut inside and not letting us fly downhill,” Garrett said. “And it’s a combination of both, especially when it’s quick, we have to jump on it and we got to make sure that we don’t miss tackles. We had a few too many missed tackles as well that could have set them back and helped us on those drives.

Stefanski said as a defense, they did not play up to their standard in that first half. However, he saw a shift back to playing to their high standard in the second.

The defense had a bit of a resurgence in the second half as they kept the Giants scoreless. DT Shelby Harris forced a fumble on the Giants’ opening drive of the second half, which S Ronnie Hickman recovered. The Giants were then forced to punt on their next five offensive possessions in the second half before they attempted a field goal – which they missed.

The Browns forced two takeaways against the Giants, recording the first ones of the season.

“They tried to establish the run, and even though we have some really good pass rushers on this team, we pride ourselves in stopping the run,” Garrett said. “So, we tried to take that away from them and those quicks and screens can only work for so long. Once we got used to it, we started snuffing those things out. It was just trying to get the ball back to the offense, whether it was a three-and-out or a takeaway.”