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For the first time since 2023, the Banks were closed on a Sunday. The New York Giants defeated the Arizona Cardinals 36-24 yesterday in a wild back-and-forth contest to take sole position of the NFC East lead for the first time since 2015.
After allowing two early touchdowns to wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and running back Tyler Allgeier, New York came roaring back in the second quarter with the help of a resurgent Jameis Winston and a defensive masterclass by rookie linebacker Arvell Reese and company. After allowing an Elijah Higgins touchdown in the third quarter following a Winston interception, the 12-year veteran responded immediately with an 11-yard dot to tight end Theo Johnson as well as a two point conversion which was rumbled in by running back Najee Harris to help the g-men retake the lead 27-24. After an exchanging of possessions for a majority of the fourth quarter as well as a Dominic Zvada field goal to increase the New York lead to six points, Jacoby Brissett led a last-minute drive to bring Arizona inside the Giants 5-yard line with 22 seconds left on the clock. Big Blue stood tall against major adversity, forcing three straight incompletions from Brissett before a dramatic and game-defining pick-six by cornerback Deonte Banks sealed a Giants victory to bring them to 3-1 on the year, their best start since 2022.
We finally saw massive improvement by Winston after back-to-back rough outings against the Rams and the Titans. With clear weather (somewhat) and a formulated game plan, Winston went 18/29 for 250 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. The former 2015 first overall pick made his fair share of mistakes yesterday, but he played exponentially better than he has at any point this season following the injury to starting QB Jaxson Dart to finally instill some confidence in the fanbase and himself.
“Last week, I was questioning if I could even throw,” Winston stated in the postgame press conference, “This week, I’ve got people talking about the Jameis Winston experience again.”
The Big Blue defense appears to be getting better every week, especially in pass protection. Greg Newsome II and the aforementioned Reese and Banks each accrued a pick at the expense of Brissett, and the Giants finally had a game with multiple QB sacks (Okoye, Edmunds).
Wide Receiver Malik Nabers finally started to look like his old self again, having his best game since week 2 of last year against the Dallas Cowboys before tearing his ACL the following week. Nabers finished the day with six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The General Consensus
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It wasn’t a perfect game for the g-men, but everyone executed when they were called upon to do so. Banks’s interception highlights a revival for the fourth-year CB out of Maryland following an abysmal two-year stretch under the ‘tutelage’ of former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Current DC Dennard Wilson is living proof that all this unit needed was a competent figurehead to finally start clicking. The Giants will look to keep their momentum rolling into next Sunday as they take on the Washington Commanders on the road as they look to contain QB Jayden Daniels, who is expected to return following an elbow injury suffered in week 2.
-Jack Barber
Works Cited
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