Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers put on a show in the first half.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Instant takeaways from Browns’ 21-15 win over New York Giants …
1. One painful day: Paralyzed by offensive line injuries and ragged play up front, the Browns dug a hole and couldn’t climb out. They lost their second game at home, 21-15, to the Giants. Sacked 8 times, and losing the ball once, Deshaun Watson brought the Browns to within one score on a TD to Amari Cooper and a 2-point conversion early in the fourth quarter. But the offense couldn’t drive on its final three possessions. With the Browns out of timeouts, the Giants knelt the clock away after Devin Singletary slid down short of the end zone on a 42-yard run. Watson tossed two touchdowns to Cooper and finished with 196 yards passing. The Giants, who came in at 0-2, are the first team to deny the Browns a 2-1 record in Kevin Stefanski’s five years as coach. Daniel Jones threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns to rookie Malik Nabers.
2. There is life: The Browns broke a three-quarter scoreless streak with a quick TD drive in the fourth quarter. Behind a makeshift offensive line, the Browns moved 59 yards in 5 plays. Jerome Ford’s 12-yard run and Watson’s 14-yard keeper run were the big plays, and then Watson hit Amari Cooper from 6 yards for Cooper’s second TD of the game. Following the analytics script, Stefanski went for 2, and Watson connected with Jerry Jeudy to close the Giants’ lead to 21-15 with 11:33 to play.
3. Uh, boy: The Browns’ offensive line reached crisis mode with 6:56 to play in the third quarter and the Giants ahead, 21-7. James Hudson, who had taken over for a benched Dawand Jones at right tackle, left the field with a shoulder injury. On the next play, left tackle Jedrick Wills came up limping and had to be helped off the field after getting a knee rolled on. This left the Browns with only one tackle, Jones, who came back in. They compensated by moving Joel Bitonio to left tackle and center Ethan Pocic to left guard. Nick Harris came in to play center, Zak Zinter was at right guard because Wyatt Teller left with a knee injury earlier. Jones, victimized a few times for sacks, came back at right tackle.
4. Missed opportunity: After a three-and-out offensive series to start the second half, the Browns got a break when Ronnie Hickman recovered a Devin Singletary fumble at the Giants’ 45. Watson made a big play to convert a third down with a 13-yard keeper run. But the scoring chance faded with two Watson high throws to open receivers Elijah Moore and Amari Cooper and Watson’s sixth sack. Dustin Hopkins came on and was wide left from 53 yards, his first miss from 50+ yards in 11 attempts.
5. Whata start: The Browns won the coin toss, deferred the kickoff and led 7-0 after 11 seconds. How’d that happen? Tony Brown stripped returner Eric Gray of the kickoff and Grant Delpit recovered at the Giants’ 24. Then on the Browns’ first play, Watson put the ball up for Amari Cooper on a fade to the left corner and Cooper grabbed it for his first TD of the year. And that was as good as it got for the Browns in the first half. The rest was bad ... very bad.
6. That escalated quickly: Two Malik Nabers TDs in the final 1:44 gave the Giants a 21-7 lead at halftime. Look at these numbers at the half: Giants led in first downs, 15-5; in total yards 218-41, in time of possession 19:07 to 10:53. The Browns were booed on their way into the locker room. At the half, Jones was 17 of 19 for 178 yards (12 in a row at one stretch), 2 TD, and a 140.8 passer rating. After the TD to Cooper, Watson amassed only 43 yards on 7 of 10 passing and was sacked 4 times.
7. Turning point: Everything changed when a Jones interception by Ronnie Hickman on the Giants’ second possession was wiped out when Greg Newsome was called for roughing-the-passer when he made contact with Jones’ helmet on a blitz. Jones proceeded to march the Giants 81 yards on 13 plays. Devin Singletary’s 1-yard TD and the PAT tied the score at 7-7.
8. Look out: Watson’s offensive line, featuring Jedrick Wills in his season debut at left tackle, failed him throughout the first half. Watson was sacked four times and lost the ball on the fourth one with 32 seconds left. That resulted in Nabers’ second TD from Jones.
9. OBJ redux: During the week, Jim Schwartz likened Nabers to Odell Beckham Jr. What a call that turned out to be. Nabers concluded Jones’ second TD drive with a circus catch. First, he left M.J. Emerson in the dust with an inside move from the middle of the end zone. Then Nabers went up high for Jones’ pass to the left corner, catching the ball, touching his second toe in bounds just before he broke his fall with his left hand out of bounds.
10. Browns Legends: Kicker Phil Dawson and Voice of the Browns Jim Donovan were inducted as Browns Legends in pre-game ceremonies. Dawson called it “the greatest honor of my life.” Donovan, who retired prior to the season opener to devote all his energy to fighting leukemia, was unable to attend and was represented by his daughter Meghan.
11. Pre-game notes: Jedrick Wills made his first appearance and start at left tackle since injuring his right MCL November 5 against Arizona. Browns inactives: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, running back Pierre Strong, cornerback Kahlef Hailassie, guard Javion Cohen, tackle Jack Conklin, receiver Jamari Thrash and tight end David Njoku.