Studs and duds from New York Giants’ Week 3 win over Cleveland Browns

The New York Giants looked like they were headed toward another humiliating loss after just 11 seconds on Sunday. They fumbled the opening kickoff, the Cleveland Browns punched it in for a touchdown on their first offensive play, and then Daniel Jones & Co. went three-and-out.

That’s when the lights went on.

Suddenly, the Giants looked like an entirely different team. Both the offense and defense were clicking and picking up the special teams unit, which continues to be a problem.

The second half was a bit of a slog for the Giants and they nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but some timely defensive plays and self-inflicted Browns wounds sealed the game.

Here’s a quick look at the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Sunday’s win:

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He. Is. Him. What more can be said about the history-making Malik Nabers? He made several incredible, highlight-reel catches on Sunday en route to eight receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He had 82 total yards from scrimmage. Nabers was the difference-maker. Period.

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Although Deonte Banks really settled down late in the first half and throughout the third quarter, he got off to a disastrous start and had an equally rough end to the game. He surrendered a 24-yard touchdown to Amari Cooper on the first offensive play of the game and not long after, gave up a third-down conversion after unnecessarily falling off Cooper. He was also called for a defensive pass interference that gave the Browns an undeserved first down. Then, early in the fourth quarter, gave up another touchdown to Cooper — this one entirely uncontested. He became the go-to target for Cleveland including on their final play when Banks whiffed on a pass defensed but lucked out with the receiver dropping the ball.

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Daniel Jones very nearly played himself out of this spot with a horrible decision early in the fourth quarter to throw the ball across his body and over the middle of the field. When does that ever end well? But no harm, no foul. Outside of that cringe moment, Jones played a high-level game against a tough Browns secondary. He finished the game going 24-of-34 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 20 yards on the ground and was harmed by three dropped passes.

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Running back Eric Gray struggled as a return man in 2023 so, naturally, the Giants want to use him as a return man in 2024. Make it make sense because the results speak for themselves. On Sunday, Gray fumbled on the opening kickoff which led to an immediate Browns touchdown. It was 7-0 after 11 seconds thanks to the Gray and the aforementioned Banks. Offensively? Gray had one carry for zero yards.

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Nose tackle Dexter Lawrence seems to have a permanent place on the “studs” list and rightfully so. However, there was a strong debate about giving linebacker Azeez Ojulari his spot today. This shout-out will serve as his tip of the cap. But as good as Ojulari was, Lawrence just continues to dominant in remarkable ways. Throw everything in the box score out the window and just go back and watch every snap Lawrence takes. It’s surreal how unbelievably dominant he is against both the run and the pass.

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There’s something maddening about running back Devin Singletary. At any given moment, he can flash and make a big play. He has incredible balance, especially at the point of attack, and is a decisive runner. But then there are other times when he just seems to run into his blockers and go down for a short gain. That’s forgivable but his fumbling issues are not. For the second time this season, he had a ball punched out of his hand from behind, ending a drive and costing his team momentum. No matter what positives he brings on a game-by-game basis, they are wiped away with the constant turnovers.

Well, except for his selfless decision to fall at the one-yard line late in the fourth quarter, costing himself a touchdown but securing the win. See? Maddening.

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It was a strange day for left tackle Andrew Thomas. He was penalized for a false start and had a holding penalty declined. He was also beaten a few times on blitzes but otherwise held his own against Myles Garrett, one of the best edge rushers in football. Although Thomas’ performance was more positive than negative, the fact that he was noticed on several occasions is always a bad thing — especially late when he gave up a big hit on DJ.