The Giants are still in search of their first win of 2024 heading into Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns after giving away a chance to do just that in D.C. against the Commanders last Sunday.
A lack of foresight to have an extra kicker on the roster, a woeful defense, and a costly drop by Malik Nabers meant seven field goals from Washington were enough in the 21-18 loss.
They visit a Browns team that squeaked out their first win of the season in Week 2, a 17-13 result over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yet a team that made the playoffs last year does have a number of issues to address before legitimately entertaining the thought of a second-straight trip to the postseason.
Giants at Browns Week 3 viewing information, odds
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 22
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Venue: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, OH
- TV: FOX
- Spread: Browns -6 (courtesy of DraftKings)
- Over/Under: 38
- Giants Moneyline: +225
- Browns Moneyline: -278
3 Giants storylines to watch in Week 3 vs. Browns
Offensive progressions: Daniel Jones had a much better outing in Week 2 than he did in the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. He was more decisive, got the ball out quicker, and showed a burgeoning relationship with rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who had a monster 10-reception, 127-yard, two-touchdown afternoon.
Devin Singletary was effective, too, putting up 95 yards and a score out of the backfield.
Much of that success has to do with the offensive line, which appears to be coming together well during the early portions of the season. Jones was sacked just once after going down five times in Week 1 — an obvious step in the right direction.
The Browns’ defense, though, presents a far stiffer test than what Washington threw at New York. They have eight sacks in two games, just one behind the league lead, much in part due to a dominating defensive line. Myles Garrett is a force to be reckoned with off the edge, with two sacks to start the season.
Couple that with a Browns defense that has averaged 17.5 points per game this year, and the over/under set at 38 is obviously understandable.
Run defense wanted: The Giants’ defense has been porous so far this season, but it is most evident against the run.
Big Blue was ripped apart for 215 rushing yards by the Commanders in Week 2, including 133 from Brian Robinson Jr. where he averaged nearly eight yards per carry.
What has been the issue? The Giants simply have not been doing their job. That is how both linebacker Bobby Okereke and head coach Brian Daboll summed it up.
“Just have more discipline doing our job,” Okereke said. “Talking about me specifically, kind of three-quarters doing your job, a quarter trying to do someone else’s job, trying to make a play, and that trickles down. I think everybody just needs to focus on doing their job.”
“There were a couple of crack-replace things that happened, where somebody came in and cracked one of the force players so the next player has got to fill,” Daboll added. “Or just being aggressive and going to get it. So, everybody’s accountable to it.”
Kicking it: Daboll’s unwillingness to carry a backup kicker came back to bite him last week after Graham Gano, who popped up on the injury report Saturday, suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kick-off against the Commanders and was out the rest of the game.
Forced to use punter Jamie Gillam as the backup, the Giants had a missed extra point and then completely abandoned the kicking game with two failed two-point conversions and that dooming fourth-down attempt that Nabers dropped, directly leading to Washington’s game-winning drive.
The Giants signed Greg Joseph off the Detroit Lions practice squad on Tuesday after placing Gano on injured reserve. The 30-year-old South African spent the past three seasons with the Vikings, hitting 82.2% of his field-goal attempts and 90.3% of his extra points.
