Five Plays That Stood Out in New York Giants' Week 1 Win

Coach Gene Clemons takes a look at five plays that mattered most in the New York Giants' 21-20 win over the Tennessee Titans.

It was an exciting win for the New York Giants, who practically no one thought could pull off the upset victory over the Tennessee Titans. With the new coaching staff, new pieces, and uncertainty surrounding several positions, some people anticipated moral victories. 

Instead, the defense held tough, the offense scored when it mattered most, and the Giants walked away with a stunning victory. Here are five plays that helped make the winning difference.

Play 1: 3rd-and-8, NYG 28
Outcome: Giants defensive line holds Titans to a field goal after three great defensive plays.

Already down 7-0 and with the offense unable to put any points on the board in the first quarter, the Giants could not afford to give up another touchdown.

They were already six plays into this defensive series, and the Titans were threatening. On first down, the Giants stopped Derrick Henry for a 2-yard gain. On the next play, they executed a great stunt and created pressure with four to make quarterback Ryan Tannehill throw the ball away. 

Then on third down, Oshane Ximines was able to apply pressure from the left side, which made Tannehill get rid of the ball sooner than he wanted, hitting the back of the endzone. The Titans settled for three instead of coming away with six, and the score improved to a still manageable 10-0 Titans lead instead of 14-0.

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Play 2: 3rd-and-4, NYG 5 
Outcome: Giants force another field goal.

After a Daniel Jones turnover, the Titans had the ball in Giants' territory and they were able to work the ball down to the "green zone." 

On first down from the 11-yard line, the defense stopped Henry after a 4-yard rush. They then stopped tight end Geoff Swaim as soon as he caught the ball, limiting him to a 2-yard gain. 

On third down, the Titans tried another play-action pass, but there was nobody open but Derrick Henry. Ryan Tannehill was then forced to check it down to Henry, who could not catch the ball because he had a Giant bearing down. The result was another stalled Titans drive resulting in three instead of six and allowing the Giants to stay within striking distance.

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Play 3: 1st-and-10, NYG 10
Outcome: Saquon Barkley busts a big one!

Coming out of halftime, the Giants' defense was able to force a quick three-and-out. That put the ball back in the hands of the Giants' offense, which desperately needed to get on the board.

In steps running back Saquon Barkley. On a stretch play off the left side behind left tackle Andrew Thomas, Barkley found a crease and exploded down the sideline for 68 yards before being forced out of bounds by the Titans' defense. 

Three plays later, Barkley finished the job with a 4-yard touchdown run to cut the Titans' lead to 13-6.

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Play 4: 2nd-and-11, NYG 35

Outcome: Jones to Shepard for a touchdown!

After a first-down run by Barkley lost a yard, Jones decided to trust a receiver to make a play. 

He threw a deep pass to Sterling Shepard on the left side. Shepard beat his man and not only caught the ball, he shook off a tackle attempt by the defender, which allowed him to run the ball into the end zone for the Giants' second touchdown of the game and the game-tying score at the time, 13-13.

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Play 5: 2nd & Goal at TEN 1
Outcome: Touchdown and 2-point conversion give the Giants their first game lead.

With four minutes left in the game, the Giants drove 12 plays and 73 yards to come away with a touchdown. Had the Giants not finished this drive, the game likely would have been over because the Titans would have likely drained the clock out.

The Giants methodically worked their way down the field, and eventually, they landed at the 1-yard line, where Jones connected with fullback Chris Myarick for the 1-yard score. The success of Barkley running the ball made the play action fake left by Jones more believable as he rolled opposite to set up the pass to Myarick. 

On the ensuing play, head coach Brian Daboll, showing all kinds of moxie, decided to go for the 2-point conversion with a shovel pass straight out of the Chiefs playbook, rather than kick the extra point to possibly send the game into overtime. Jones connected with Barkley on the pass, and the Giants came away with the stunning upset defeat of last year's top AFC playoff seed.   

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