Shane Bowen, Giants Defense Pass First Test

Thursday’s defensive struggle between the New York Giants and Detroit Lions was anything but for Big Blue defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

Though mostly armed with reserves, Bowen’s unit passed its first test by standing their ground in a 14-3 victory over the backups and prospects of the defending NFC finalist Lions. 

With the metropolitan offense limited to two Eric Gray touchdowns, the defense held the fort, allowing no end zone invasions and holding Detroit completely scoreless beyond a deep field goal from kicker Jake Bates.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll was sure to offer Bowen kudos in the aftermath of his unofficial blue debut. The former Georgia Tech linebacker has descended upon New York after three seasons in the same role with the Tennessee Titans.

“I thought he was really good. He got the plays in quickly with the signal-callers and was very composed,” Daboll said. “I was pleased with the procedure of the coaching staff and of the players. I was happy with the staff and the communication aspect of it.”

The fruits of the Giants’ Thursday communication were on prominent display in the box score: perhaps partly aided by summer rains, New York (1-0) limited Detroit to 228 yards of offense and 15 first downs. Boogie Basham, Elijah Chatman, Dyontae Johnson, and Benton Whitley each earned sacks while the run defense, known as Bowen’s specialty in Nashville, limited seven Detroit rushers to less than four yards a carry.

Perhaps most impressive was the way the Giants responded to adversity on Thursday: the lone scoreboard blemish, a 53-yard Bates field goal, was a win in itself, as the defense let up no yards on a drive that started at the New York 35 due to a Drew Lock interception. Another mistake, Tre Herndon’s interception-turned-fumble, led to a three-and-out at the end of the half, one begun by Chatman’s sack of Nate Sudfeld.

The Giants also scoffed at Lions head coach Dan Campbell carrying his cavalier fourth-down attitude in the preseason: New York stuffed Detroit on four such tries, including two in goal-to-go situations. Whitley closed the game out with pressure on Sudfeld, turning his would-be touchdown pass to Jake Funk into a pass that got lost on the Detroit offensive line.

Thursday’s game capped off a productive week for the Giants, who also hosted Detroit in a series of joint practices. For the first week of action against a different shade of blue, Daboll was pleased to see his proteges fulfill a vision of physicality.

“We’re a work in progress. We’ve got a long way to go, but the style I expect us to play is a physical brand of football,” Daboll said. “I thought we played physical.”

Bowen and the defense will look to keep the momentum rolling next Saturday, Aug. 17, when they move south to face the Houston Texans (1 p.m. ET, WNYW).