New York Giants Week 3: Keys to Beating Cleveland Browns

The New York Giants enter Week 3 of the NFL season, still searching for their first win.  

For the eighth time in the last ten seasons, New York finds themselves in a 0-2 hole at the bottom of the NFC East that places an early dent in their aspirations of contending. The Giants had a good opportunity to snag a much-needed win against a familiar Washington Commanders team until poor third-down defense and roster management combined to evade the win column in a devastating 21-18 defeat.

Going back to the drawing board, the Giants must shift gears and get ready to face a more fearsome opponent in the Cleveland Browns on the road. If they want to finally attain that elusive win, they’ll have to outmatch one of the league’s rising defenses that thrive at putting pressure on the opposition’s passing game.

Last season, the Browns rode to an 11-6 record and a postseason berth behind the strength of their passing defense. They were a surprise team in the AFC by boasting a solid pass rush and defensive secondary that was first in passing yards allowed and third in interceptions forced.

Through the first few weeks of the 2024 season, not much has changed for Kevin Stafanski’s group. After a 1-1 start, they hold the league’s ninth-best pass-rushing success rate and sit in the middle of the pack when it comes to limiting opponent’s passing yards, touchdowns, and average plays. They also have a healthier offense than before, headlined by the return of quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is working to fix his perception as the Browns’s starting arm.

With their desire to get at the quarterback and force untimely errors and the loud environment as it is, the Giants will need to play a much sounder level of football if they don’t want to slide further down the depths of the standings and suffer their third 0-3 start in the last five seasons. They got a glimpse of that in Week 2 against the Commanders, but can it be sustained amongst some of the better teams coming up on their schedule to preserve a total meltdown?

That question and these keys to beating the Browns are left to be determined on Sunday.

One of the two major issues that caused the Giants heartbreaking loss against Washington was their inability to get the defense off the field on third downs and put the football back in the hands of their offensive huddle. 

The Giants’ defense allowed the Commanders to convert on seven of their 14 third-down attempts last Sunday. While this didn’t result in any touchdowns for the other team, it made it difficult for the Giants to take control of the game and pull away from their opponent, as they lost the time-of-possession battle 37:32 to 22:28. 

They did hunker down in the red zone to only allow seven field goals, but it was still enough to accept defeat, and the Giants will need to do a lot more if they wish to outmatch the Browns offense in Week 3, one that is much better when it sneaks its way inside the 20-yard line. 

Per Pro Football Reference, the Browns , converting on all three visits in their first two games. They don’t always move the football at the most efficient rate (15th and 27th in plays and yards per average drive), but they find ways to punch in the score when they draw closer to the goal line.

The Browns are more prone to moving the rock with their run game that gashes defenses at a rate of 4.5 yards per attempt and could fare nicely against a New York unit that allowed 215 ground yards in Week 2. 

On the other hand, their passing game has been slower, averaging just above 3.5 yards per throw while struggling to convert on third downs at a 13.8 percent success rate. 

This is where the Giants’ defense must step up and make the winning plays when they have the chance. They need to play sound football from the jump and force the Browns into long-yardage situations on third downs, but they also need to account for their assignments so that they do not allow the chunk plays to kill them, as they did several times last Sunday. 

On five of the Commanders’ seven third-down conversions, they had over 10 yards of field to cover if they wanted to advance the drive. In those same instances, whether it was poor fundamentals or missed assignments, they ate up the distance and then some, and the Giant’s defense had no answer to this problem as the game continued.  

If they find those answers this week against a Browns huddle that is still trying to work out some of its own kinks in the passing game, they could flip the script and let their offense have the chance to dictate the contest and get more points on the board. That will be the first catalyst to escaping Cleveland with a win.

If you were looking for positives from the Giants’ 0-2 start, one that emerged from the loss to Washington was an improvement in the run game behind Devin Singletary. 

After rummaging just 74 yards with five rushers in the season opener, the Giants ground game took a massive jump against a weak Commanders run defense. They collected 129 yards on 22 carries from three ball carriers, with Singletary’s 16 carries for 95 yards (5.9 average) and one touchdown leading the effort. 

The Giants offense hasn’t benefited from the best run protection in that span, .

The difference is coming from the motor and elusiveness of Singletary, who flashed against a poor tackling unit with another chance to repeat that with a Browns squad that is modest at defending the run. 

In his first two contests as a Giant, Singletary, who was signed in free agency to fill Saquon Barkley’s big shoes, rallied 91 yards after contact with an average of 3.5 yards, which only trails the 106 yards amassed by Malik Nabers. 

He also holds 12 missed tackles forced in mostly zone runs, which has resulted in four runs of 10+ yards and a breakaway percentage of 30.3 percent on those same carries. 

Having another solid rushing day will be useful for the Giants for two main reasons. The first is that the Browns are having their own troubles limiting the running back by giving up an average of 5.0 yards per attempt, which sits 26th in the NFL. Strong carries would help avoid long-yardage situations on third downs where New York tends to run into a brick wall. 

Second, it would wear out the interior of the Browns’ defense and counteract their plans to keep the opposition in check. The Giants could turn the arrow in their direction in terms of time of possession and take advantage of a weary group that wants to get off the field quickly, with its secondary that can force turnovers in risky late-down situations. 

Even after Barkley’s departure this offseason, the Giants have stated they want to make the run game a large part of their identity moving forward. The game with Cleveland offers them a chance to prove it and open up the playbook for the rest of the offense to make plays.

Two weeks ago, it was wide receiver Justin Jefferson that the Giants had to keep their eyes on at all times. Their next challenge will be slowing down Browns defensive end Myles Garrett from wreaking havoc on the backfield. 

In his eighth pro season out of Texas A&M, Garrett is one of the league’s most relentless pass rushers who presents a unique challenge to opposing offensive lines. With a mix of untired physicality and versatile swim moves, he can be a massive problem for the Giants front to account for and will look to add to his 90.5 sack resume on the team’s budding unit. 

While he has dealt with some injuries and on-field controversies, Garrett is the heart of the Browns’s pass rush when he is healthy. He holds five seasons in which he played in more than 14 games, and those are the campaigns in which he accumulated double-digit sack production and 42 or more tackles. He also has a knack for forcing turnovers, with 19 forced fumbles and five recovered in his tenure with the Browns. 

Last fall, Garrett finished as the seventh-best edge rusher in the league in 16 games while making 42 tackles, his second most 14 sacks and four forced fumbles. In two games this season, he has five tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles, combining to make a that ranks in the top-10 edge players heading into Week 3.

Garrett only played in one game against the Giants in 2020, when he made two tackles and a half sack to contribute to a 20-6 Browns victory. He will be hungry to double down on that impact this time, especially against a still feeble New York offense that a stronger pass rush hasn’t tested. 

The good news is he’ll mostly get flanked off the Giants front’s left side, and the superb pass blocking on the left has held down tackle Andrew Thomas and left guard Jon Runyan Jr. That duo hasn’t allowed more than two sacks to their side of the line this season and can partner up if needed to swallow up the pressure from Garrett to force his teammates to pick up the extra work. 

The Giants offensive line had arguably one of their best performances in years protecting Daniel Jones in the pocket against Washington. It’s a sight for sore eyes, but can they maintain it against their first pass-rushing behemoth to come in the next several weeks?