Cowboys vs. Giants: New York gets their first win of the season heading into TNF

Giants show ‘resiliency on the road’ for first win – Michael Eisen, Giants.com

New York finally put forth a winning effort this season.

CLEVELAND – A game that could not have started worse for the Giants could not have ended better.

Trailing by seven points just 11 seconds into the game – the fastest they had fallen behind since the 1970 merger – the Giants rallied to take a 14-point halftime lead and survived a scoreless second half because the defense dominated the final 10 minutes of the game. The result was the Giants’ first victory of the season, a 21-15 decision against the Cleveland Browns in Huntington Bank Field.

Now 1-2, the Giants have little time to celebrate; they host the Dallas Cowboys Thursday night.

“It feels good to get on the board, to get rid of that donut,” said linebacker Brian Burns, who got his first sack with the Giants, forced one fumble and knocked down two passes. “We needed that going into the short week against the division opponent, so it’s good to get that off the board.”

“I think it was a big win for us,” said defensive tackle and captain Dexter Lawrence, who had 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hits. “We were making a lot of mistakes in the first two games. And the mindset in this game was just going out there and having fun, enjoying every moment that you have, and having intense focus every single snap that you have. And it showed out there.”

“…I think, in terms of being on the road, it’s cranking there, a touchdown right after the fumble, just to stay locked in and committed to the next-play mentality,” coach Brian Daboll said. “(It) doesn’t always turn out your way and today it did. I give our guys a lot of credit.”

Breaking Down Giants’ Top 5 Performers vs. Cleveland Browns – Victoria Jonach, Bob Folger, Sports Illustrated

New York’s first-round pick had his “Coming Out” party in Week 3.

3. WR Malik Nabers – 83.8

Nabers’ performance was both impressive and record-breaking. He reached the end zone not once but twice, making him the youngest wide receiver in NFL history to score two touchdowns in one game.

The rookie contributed eight receptions for 78 yards. With 23 career receptions to his name, Nabers is the first player in the league’s history with 20+ catches and three touchdowns in his first three games.

On the offense’s 93-yard scoring drive, Nabers caught passes of 13 and 28 yards. On the 28-yarder, he leaped over a defender along the sideline, out-fighting him for the ball, and kept both feet in bounds.

Nabers then finished off that drive with a leaping 3-yard touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone, once again masterfully getting both feet down at the last instant.

A short while later, Nabers finished a short drive by shaking free in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard score and a 21-7 halftime lead.

Daboll also commended Nabers on breaking up a pass from Jones that could have resulted in an interception.

New York Giants won’t commit to PK Greg Joseph vs. Dallas Cowboys – Ed Valentine, BigBlueView.com

There were some blemishes on the Giants’ Week 3 win.

Could Greg Joseph be one-and-done as the New York Giants’ placekicker?

Signed off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad last week to replace the injured Graham Gano, Joseph badly missed a 48-yard field goal on Sunday with 3:00 to go that would have secured the Giants’ eventual victory over the Cleveland Browns.

“We’ll sit down and, and talk personnel stuff later today,” said head coach Brian Daboll. “You’d like him obviously to make that kick. He didn’t, but he’s done a good job when he was here in practice. And we’ll talk about what we’re going to do here.”

The Giants have a short week facing the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. That might make it difficult to change kickers.

Four kickers worked out for the Giants last week before the Giants plucked Joseph from the Lions. One of those was Randy Bullock, who made 5 of 6 field goals over six games for the Giants last season, including a 56-yarder, while subbing for an injured Gano.

The 34-year-old Bullock remains unsigned.

40-0

The Cowboys embarrassed the Giants at MetLife Stadium in last season’s season opener, winning 40-0. Daboll said he isn’t using that as motivation this week.

“I think each individual person is motivated by different things. My main focus is getting ready to play this team in 2024,” Daboll said. “The team that’s just played these first three games — different players, different schemes, making sure that we’re prepared, doing a good job in our walkthroughs and our meetings and our communication.

“Our focus is on the task at hand.”