Giants beat Browns for first win of season as Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers hook up for two touchdowns

CLEVELAND -- In danger of falling to 0-3, this was a must-win game for the Giants on Sunday.

And yet, in 11 seconds – yes, 11 seconds -- the Giants found themselves down a touchdown, in Cleveland, possibly against all odds and with their season on the line.

Those 11 seconds could have ruined the Giants season.

They didn’t.

The Giants got past the unsightly start, found some grit, ordered some good ol’ defensive pressure and found a way to win, 21-15, despite the Browns starting the game in perfect fashion.

The Giants won with grit and a considerable dose of defensive pressure. Maybe not in that order.

“We believe in what we do and I think it showed there.” Daboll said. “Right after the fumble, just to stay locked in and committed to next-play mentality. It doesn’t always turn out your way, but today it did. I give the guys credit.”

The win had added meaning for Giants coach Brian Daboll.

“Just a normal NFL game,” Daboll said. “Competitive. Showed a lot of resiliency, particularly how the game started. This is the third anniversary of my grandmother’s death, which is today, the 22nd. She raised me, and I was kind of giving her the business after the first two plays – like what do you have in store for me?”

In a game that came down to the end, it was the Giants who prevailed.

“I thought we got into a rhythm, made some plays early in the game,” Daboll said. “At the end we made a play to seal it and Motor did a great job.”

Motor is Devin Singletary, the running back who gave himself up at the 1-yard line after a 43-yard run late in the game so the Giants could kill the clock without running a play. That was as smart a play as it was unselfish. And, in Singletary’s mind, it helped him redeem himself.

“Man, guys are just sticking together. No matter what happens, we have each other’s backs and we’re just going out and executing how we need to,” he said.

That play allowed Singletary to move past an earlier fumble.

“Yeah,” he said, “No matter what happens, we have each other’s backs. They didn’t let me put my head down and told me to stay locked in. They said they were going to need me and I was glad I was able to help us get the win today.”

This is a Giants team that needed a win. Falling to 0-3 in any NFL season is often a sign of a long season to come. Now, the Giants can move past that, at least. And consider, it was Giants co-owner John Mara who said in August that he expected “us to take a big step forward.”

This may not be a “big step forward,” but it beats a loss any day.

The beginning of the game did not necessarily portend a Giants win, not with quarterback Deshaun Watson finding wide receiver Amari Cooper for a touchdown on the first play of the game. In six seconds, it felt like the Giants could be deep-sixed.

“That’s what we talked about since OTA’s,” Daboll said. “We talk about resilience, and commitment to one another, teamwork, attitude. There are going to be ebbs and flows to every game, there’s ebbs and flows to every season. That’s something we preach internally.”

In getting their first win of the season, the Giants continued to get great contributions from receiver Malik Nabers. The rookie again was spectacular, with eight catches for 78 yards and two touchdown receptions.

“He’s had two good weeks in a row,” Daboll said. “Handled the noise well, did a good job not turning the football over. Red zone. He’s locked in, and he’s been that way. Again, it’s one game but it beats the alternative. We’ve got a lot of work to do. But I’m proud of the players.”

Daniel Jones finished the game 24-for-34 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. It was his best game of the season.

And defensive coordinator Shane Bowen seemed to turn up the pressure. His players said they liked the more aggressive approach. On about half of the rushes, the Giants brought an extra man.

“Yeah, it was great,” Daboll said. “I don’t know if we had eight sacks, or something like that. It was pressure, too. When you look at it, how is the game being played? It’s not just the pass rush. (If we are) up 21-3, that’s a whole different game. Conversely when you’re down, it’s hard, so there’s going to be more pressure on a quarterback. That’s the hardest thing to do is to protect the quarterback when you know they have to throw it. So, I thought so far it was one of our better games with complimentary football.”

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.