New York Giants Week 3 Storylines: In Search of the Elusive "W"

The Giants begin the "tough" part of their schedule this weekend with a visit to Cleveland.

Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll stands on the sideline in the second half against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. / Luke Johnson-Imagn Images

The “easy” part of the New York Giants 2024 schedule is in the books, but the Giants don’t have anything to show for it, having been outscored in their first two games 49-24.

But Giants fans are hoping that maybe, just maybe, this team is about to enter some sort of Bizzaro World, where they lose the games they’re supposed to win and win the games they’re supposed to lose. 

Okay, we know that’s not how it works, but if the Giants, who this weekend will start a six-game stretch against teams considered at least a class or two (or more) above them talent-wise, can somehow come away with a win or two or three, that might just ease the sting of the team’s inauspicious start.

It starts this weekend against the Cleveland Browns, whom the Giants will face on the road. Although it doesn’t seem as though the Giants have much to hang their hats on, there is some solace in knowing that there is a lot of football left to be played and that if they can somehow get on a hot streak, they’re not exactly facing a wide gap to climb out of the NFC East cellar, where they currently reside.

“We're just focusing on the next opportunity that we have,’ said left tackle Andrew Thomas. “Obviously, we didn't start fast, 0-2, but it's a long season, so we're just focusing on Cleveland this week, trying to get a win, and we'll see if our things shake out from there.”

For things to shake out for the Giants, they need to start playing complementary football. In Week 1, the offense couldn’t get out of its own way. Last week, besides not having a kicker thanks to the hamstring injury Graham Gano suffered, the defense couldn’t stop the Commanders unless they were in the red zone. 

“Each week we have to focus on the team we're playing and the things we need to do to go out there and perform well,” Daboll said. “And that's where our guys’ heads are at. That's where they're going to be. Learn from the things from one week to the next and keep improving.”

Let’s have a look at the storylines this week.

No More Running Wild

 The Giants' run defense has been atrocious–there’s no other way to put it nicely.

Witness last week. New York allowed the Commanders to rush for 215 yards on 35 carries for a 6.1 yards per carry average. And of that yardage, Brian Robinson recorded 133 yards, an average of 7.8 yards per carry.

“It's probably just a combination of everything,” Daboll said. “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. Or just being aggressive and going to get it. So, everybody's accountable to it.”

Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke chalked up the problems to players not focusing on doing their jobs, including himself. 

“We need to shore up our run fits. And just have more discipline doing our job,” he 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.”

Daboll agreed, adding that the six missed tackles Pro Football Focus claims the Giants had against the run also need to be fixed. 

“Run defense takes all 11 (players) to be on the same page and to make sure,” Daboll said. “I'd say it's not just a gap control but tackling too. I think it was quite a few missed tackles that give them extra yards or give them first downs or second and short situations or take third down, (they) hand it off and now you're in a first down. We're going to continue to work on those fundamentals.” 

Malik’s Encore

Despite that last painful drop that he beat himself up over, Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers recorded the first of what should be many career 100-yard receiving games last week, emerging as someone opposing defensive coordinators will seek to slow down.

Will that happen this weekend? Cleveland does have a good defensive secondary manned by outside corners Martin Emerson, Jr. and Denzel Ward and slot cornerback Greg Newsome II. The Browns rank 13th against the pass, having allowed just 179.5 yards per game, and are eighth in passing yards per play, having allowed 5.79 yards per pass. 

Thanks to his speed, Nabers has found ways to get open regardless of who the cover corner is. But defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who gave different iterations of Giants teams fits when he ran the Eagles defense for five seasons, will almost certainly have slowed down Nabers at the top of his to-do list this week. 

Beware the Rush

Schwartz’s pass rush relies on an aggressive four-man front reminiscent of what Jim Johnson ran back in the day. Although Schwartz doesn’t do much blitzing–last season his defense blitzed 27.7 percent of the time with a success rate of 23.8 percent–he has been known to deploy a lot of the wide-9 technique in his pass rushing. The wide-9 is a speed rusher whose sole job is to rush the quarterback and by-pass any coverage or heavy run responsibility. 

This year, the Browns have blitzed even less (25.4 percent), which although is currently the sixth-highest rate in the league, has yielded just a 9.7 percent success rate.   

The Browns have one of the league’s top pass-rushing units, ranked seventh in sacks per pass attempt (11.29 percent). They have eight sacks in two games, one behind the Raiders, Bears, and 49ers, tied for the league lead with 9. 

The Giants' offensive line has looked solid as compared to years past, but this week will be a good test for the unit.

Injuries

The Giants may be a little thin at cornerback this week, as Nick McCloud (knee) and Cor’Dale Flott (unknown) are banged up. Daboll didn’t sound overly concerned with Flott’s injury, but it is still worth watching to see if he takes his full reps this week. Regardless, it may be a safe bet that Adoree’ Jackson gets the start this week if Flott is, in any way, limited.

Linebacker Darius Muasau was an injury-related scratch last week. The rookie played well in his first regular season, starting in Week 1, but he has been dealing with a knee issue.

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