New York Giants Found A Way To Win Another Ugly Game

Although they did not make it look easy, the New York Giants defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-13 on Sunday afternoon.

For a team that is now 8-3, the New York Giants have not exactly played very impressively. However, they have been able to get a victory more times than not so far this season, and are riding a six-game winning streak after defeating the Cleveland Browns.

Sunday’s game against the Browns was no exception. Going into the week, many people thought that it was going to be an easy win for the Giants. Given the fact that the Browns had a record of 0-11 entering the game, the matchup clearly favored the Giants. What was supposed to be an easy win turned into another ugly game.

The Giants were never really able to get into a groove offensively. The Browns defense held them scoreless until midway through the second quarter when quarterback Eli Manning hit wide receiver Dwayne Harris for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

On the next drive, the Giants forced the Browns to punt. However, Bobby Rainey was unable to catch the ball cleanly on the return, and the Browns recovered the muffed punt. Cleveland took advantage of the good field position and added a field goal to make the score 7-3.

Manning and the Giants responded very quickly. In just four plays, the team was able to drive down the field and score another touchdown. This time, Odell Beckham Jr. was on the receiving end of Manning’s touchdown pass. Before the game reached halftime, the Browns kicked another field goal. Despite not playing their best football in the first half, the Giants still had a 14-6 lead.

Neither team was able to score at all in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns had the ball at midfield when Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins tipped a pass thrown by Browns quarterback Josh McCown. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul caught the ball and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.

This was not Pierre-Paul’s only big play in the game, as he also had three sacks and a forced fumble. It looked like the Giants had the victory locked up at this point. The Browns were able to make things interesting, though, as they scored a quick touchdown on their next drive. Manning responded by driving the Giants down the field and throwing another touchdown pass to Beckham.

After that, the Browns were unable to get anything going. On the next drive,  they turned the ball over on downs. After their defense forced the Giants to punt, they had one more chance to try and score. Unfortunately for them, McCown was sacked and fumbled the ball on the second play of the drive. The Giants recovered the fumble, officially ending the Browns’ chances of coming back.

Over the course of their six-game winning streak, the Giants have had a few ugly victories like this one. Last week’s game against the Chicago Bears was not expected to be a hard game either, but the Giants scraped out a win by just six points.

Back in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams in London, the Giants had a tough time generating any offense. They only scored 17 points in that game, seven of which were produce by their defense. Going back prior to their winning streak, the Giants beat the New Orleans Saints 16-13 in Week 2 without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Next: New York Giants Team Grades vs Cleveland Browns

Nothing has come easy for the Giants this season. Even though they are 8-3, the team has had to work extremely hard to get to this point. As the schedule toughens up over the final five games of the year, the team must continue to find ways to win if they hope to make the playoffs.