Andrew Thomas, Giants offensive line will be put to the test vs. Browns' Myles Garrett

Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas looked at last week’s loss to the Commanders and found some positives.

Devin Singletary rushed 16 times for 95 yards, an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Daniel Jones was sacked just once and had time to find rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who had 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Was it perfect? No, far from it. But a significant takeaway from the Giants after two games is this: The offensive line hasn’t prevented the team from operating. And there has been early stability, with the starting five remaining consistent.

The lineup of Thomas, Jon Runyan, John Michael Schmitz, Greg Van Roten and Jermaine Eluemunor has been on the field for every offensive snap through the first two weeks of the season.

“There were positive things [in the 21-18 loss to Washington],” Thomas said, “but there are still things that we can clean up, especially in pass protection and in the run game, and especially when there’s movement. Just doing a better job of getting to our alignments and our aiming points to get to the linebackers.”

If they make some improvements, perhaps the Giants o-line will be a reason for optimism this season. When is the last time anybody said that?

“I feel good about the progress that we've made over the first two games,” Thomas said, “but to be named a great offensive line or a good offensive line, you have to do it consistently. We're just approaching this week as another opportunity to get better, protect Daniel and open up run lanes.”

This week, of course, represents a significant and unique challenge. His name is Myles Garrett. Jones and Co. would like to see little of Garrett on Sunday. But that might be wishful thinking.

"He's one of the best [defensive ends] in the league,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "They've lined him up in a variety of spots. He's explosive. He's strong. He's powerful. He's got good size. He can run. He takes the ball away. He gets it away from the quarterback.

"You do the best job you can on practicing with the scout team, but it's never the same until you're playing a player like that. He's a high-level player in this league. He's been for a long time. He's one of the really good ones. He’s certainly a challenge."

Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, appears to be still ascending. He has generated the second-highest Pro Football Focus pass-rushing grade in the league, at 93.4, with two sacks on six pressures, ranking only behind Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson (94.1).

Za’Darius Smith, also formidable, complements Garrett. But the Thomas vs. Garrett matchup could be game-defining.

"Garrett’s a good player, for sure," Jones said. “He's a good player and has the ability to affect the game from a pass rush standpoint and the run game also. You've got to have a plan, a protection plan. Luckily, we've got AT [Andrew Thomas]. AT is an incredible player and we're very confident in that matchup.”

At least part of that confidence comes from offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo who, in his first season with the Giants, seems to have his group headed in the right direction.

“He comes in and makes sure that he covers everything he needs to cover,” Runyan said. “He leaves no stone unturned. Makes sure his guys are prepared. If there is a mistake or miscommunication somewhere, he takes ownership for it, and I think guys really respect that.”

Runyan is looking for further progress on Sunday in Cleveland.

“We got our work cut out but I like how we're kind of building off the performance we put out there last week,” Runyan said. “It's going to take that same kind of gritty game that we played [in Washington].

"I'm sure a lot of people watching our game last week were pretty bored to with it. With no real big plays other than the crossing routes to [Nabers]. I like those getting about 30 yards on third down. But that's what it's going to take. Just keep running the ball and try to wear defenses out all the time.”

By Kimberly Jones

kimberly.jones@newsday.comkimjonessports

Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.