CLEVELAND – Brian Burns‘ eyes grew wide as he shook his head. Disbelief? No, not that. He’s seen it each day in practice dating back to when Malik Nabers first arrived at the Giants facility. He knows the extraordinary is ordinary for the rookie.
So that unbelievable 28-yard sideline grab he ripped from Browns corner Martin Emerson? The high-pointing touchdown four plays later? The ridiculous route to get open for another score the ensuing possession?
Burns seemed surprised people are still surprised.
“The kid’s special,” he said. “He’s showing y’all week in and week out.”
Indeed.
The Giants saved their season with this 21-15 victory over the Browns. That’s not hyperbole or an exaggeration – they needed it that badly. The playoffs still seem far fetched. Double-digit losses are far more likely. But a loss to the Browns, before playing the Cowboys on Thursday night and traveling across the country to play the Seahawks, would have been another pre-Halloween death knell.
Daniel Jones played well for a second consecutive week. He completed 70.6 percent of his passes (24 of 34) and threw for 236 yards. He had those two touchdowns to Nabers. Devin Singletary had 109 total yards (65 rushing, 43 receiving). The defense attacked Deshaun Watson with the ferociousness Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen imagined when they pieced this roster together (eight sacks, 17 quarterback hits). Dexter Lawrence (two sacks, four hits) was unblockable despite the Browns having one of the league’s best interior lines.
Tensions were already high inside the building when the Giants boarded their flight to Cleveland. This subdued them, even if just temporarily.
But all of that feels secondary to Nabers.
“He’s a good football player,” Daboll said. “You’ve all seen it.”
The Giants have been void of game changers since Odell Beckham Jr. was jettisoned, coincidentally, to the Browns in 2019. There was Saquon Barkley, but injuries and poor line play held his talent back from manifesting on the field. Nabers is three games into his career. He is the Giants most dynamic offensive weapon.
And they use him to exploit defenses time and time and time again.
The Giants faced a fourth and one near midfield on their first scoring drive. A run up the middle, quarterback sneak seemed the obvious play call. Instead, the Giants ran a jet sweep to Nabers, who picked up the first down. Later came the 28-yard completion. Emerson had perfect coverage. He boxed Nabers out and got both hands on the ball. It didn’t matter. Nabers, while in the air, ripped it away from Emerson while managing to get both feet in bounds.
“(Jones) told me if he throws it up,” Nabers said, “It’s me or nobody.”
The first touchdown was a pass Jones likely put a yard or two too high. It didn’t matter. Nabers lept in the air and brought it down. The second was nothing more than a marvelous route to get open over the middle. It won’t show up on the state sheet, but Nabers even had a pass breakup – the play Daboll said was his finest of the afternoon.
Jones drifted into his own end zone, and to avoid a safety, threw one high and soft over the middle. Nabers jumped up and batted it down, keeping it away from two closing Browns defenders.
It’s important to note that the Browns defense isn’t littered with scrubs. This is among the best secondaries in the NFL with Denzel Ward, Emerson and Greg Newsome. They’re run by one of the better defensive minds in Jim Schwartz. It didn’t matter. Nabers made them look pedestrian. Anyone who has watched even a second of the Giants game film this year (or preseason) knows he’s their offense’s primary difference maker, too. It doesn’t matter. Nabers keeps making play… after play… after play.
That’s exactly what he did to the Giants secondary in training camp. And the Lions in joint practices. And the Texans in the preseason. Nabers is only getting better now that the games count.
“Having that dog mentality that I have,” Nabers said, “It’s showing every time I’m out there on the field.”
Nabers has 23 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games of his NFL career. He’s the first player in NFL history, per ESPN Stats and Information, to have 20 catches and three touchdowns in his first three games. Nabers is on pace for 130 catches, 1,535 yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
Again: He’s a rookie.
The Giants are still a flawed football team. As good as their offense was in the first half, they crashed in the second. Not even Nabers could save them. The Giants had seven opportunities to put the game away. They punted five times, missed a field goal and fumbled.
On the other side, Watson was absolutely brutal. The box score (21 of 37, 196 yards, two touchdowns) paints a far more optimistic viewpoint compared to how he actually played. He missed the easiest of throws. He held the ball far too long, allowing the Giants rush to get home. His misreads cost the Browns several opportunities to steal this one from the Giants. You actually get the feeling that, had coach Kevin Stefanski put Jameis Winston in, the Browns win.
But that’s going to be the case for the Giants more times than not this year. There are legitimate talent deficiencies they’ll need help overcoming. On Sunday, they got the assist from Watson. They won’t always be so lucky.
There is no overcoming Nabers, though. He’s the player this franchise has been looking for. A true difference maker. He’s already this good. He’s only going to get better. And when the Giants do turn this around – he’ll be a big reason why.
New York needed a star.
They’ve got one.
