For about eleven seconds, the New York Giants’ 2024 season seemed to be going down the drain. But a botched kickoff return by returner Eric Gray was cracked by the Cleveland Browns and converted into the first points.

But anyone who thought this was the beginning of the end for the Giants was in for a pleasant surprise, as New York delivered a performance that was probably as close as possible to what the coaches and players envisioned when they showcased the team at team meetings last week.

The Giants offense, playing against a very good Browns defense, managed 340 yards and 21 points while taking 33:56 off the clock. New York was also strong in the red zone, converting three of four attacks into touchdowns as it rolled to a 21-15 victory over the Browns.

While no one was pricing the Giants as a potential playoff team after that win (the Giants face an even tougher task Thursday night when they host Dallas), there was a lot to be happy about this week’s win, things that it’s probably fair to say weren’t built on a pile of sand.

Malik Nabers is the real deal

If you wanted to see how Giants first-round draft pick Malik Nabers plays and prevails against quality competition, the Giants’ young receiver, who played against Denzel Ward for most of the afternoon, delivered another stellar performance this week against a tougher opponent (Browns cornerback Denzel Ward).

Nabers was targeted 12 times and caught eight balls for 78 yards, both of which were touchdowns. In his last two games, Nabers has caught 18 balls (of 30 pass targets) for 205 yards and three scores.

Last week, he became the youngest player in NFL history (21 years and 49 days old) with at least ten receptions, 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in a game.

According to NFL Research, this week he became the first player in NFL history with at least 20 receptions, 250 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in the first three games of his career.

After two weeks, Nabers ranks fourth in receiving yards, has the highest target share (39.1%), the second-highest air yards share (57.9%) and the third-most yards after catch among wide receivers (109).

In-breaking routes in particular have been particularly good for Nabers and the Giants. On those routes, he has caught eight passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. That’s important because before this week, the Browns defense allowed just 98 yards on in-breaking routes, which is ninth-fewest in the league.

When Nabers didn’t make plays, he prevented them, like when quarterback Jones threw up a ball that would have been intercepted if Nabers hadn’t shifted into the role of defensive back to bat the ball away.

After the game, outside linebacker Brian Burns summed it up best when he asked his young teammate out on a date: “He’s special.”

Indeed.

The offensive line is the only real thing

The Giants’ offensive line has been quietly solid to start the season, but critics have questioned the unit’s first two performances, claiming they came against weaker opponents.

Well, the Giants’ performance against the Browns should put those concerns to rest. Cleveland’s defense, led by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, was among the top 10 teams in sacks and had one of the top 15 pass defenses, but the Giants’ offensive line held the Browns’ defensive pass rush to just two sacks — not one of them.

Garrett recorded eight pressure situations on 26 pass rushes (30.8%), six of them against left tackle Andrew Thomas.

It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a fierce performance from Carmen Bricillo’s five-piece band, consisting of veterans Andrew Thomas, Jon Runyan, Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor.

The Pass Rush is waking up and looking really good

The Giants’ defense delivered an outstanding performance against the Browns, recording eight sacks, 17 quarterback hits on the pass play, and five tackles for loss, while Cleveland, already struggling with a battered offensive line, had little answer to the Giants’ attacks.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the The Giants blitzed on 57% of the Browns’ dropbacksmore than double their output in the first two games. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson completed 8 of 18 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown and was sacked seven times on a blitz.

Giants need cornerback help Bad

Second-year cornerback Deonte Banks, who has been playing alongside Browns top receiver Amari Cooper for most of his career, had a day to forget. Banks, who is supposed to be the Giants’ No. 1 cornerback, allowed both of Cooper’s touchdowns on the day, as the receiver caught seven of 12 passes for 86 yards (12.3 yards average) and one long pass for 24 yards.

The problems at the cornerback position aren’t just Banks. Nick McCloud is currently out with a knee injury, and both Dru Phillips and Adoree’ Jackson were injured in this game, putting even more pressure on the Giants at that position.

Bowen has been able to improvise well, but right now the biggest problem with this group is that they don’t have a clear No. 1 cornerback, with Banks in a sophomore slump.

Do the Giants still have a kicking problem?

New kicker Greg Joseph missed his first field goal attempt as a Giant, hooking the 48-yarder wide right. During pregame warmups, Joseph was hitting balls outside the 50-yard line, so the miss was a bit concerning.

To be fair to Joseph, we have to look at the snap and the holding again, as any of those components could have been a factor. Regardless, the Giants can’t keep missing field goals, because had Joseph made that 48-yard attempt, they likely would have tied the game much sooner.

All statistics provided are from NFL NextGen Stats unless otherwise noted.