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The New York Giants got their first win of the 2024 season on September 22 after upsetting the Cleveland Browns, 21-15, and the NYG social media team shared a pregame receipt once the clock hit zero.
Tapping into internet sensation Moo Deng — a baby pygmy hippopotamus from a Thailand zoo — the Giants socials team captioned: “US READING EXPERT PICKS.”
They then reminded everyone of each of the NFL.com expert picks this week, which all went with Cleveland. Out of the 10 analysts picking the Browns, Daniel Jeremiah gave Big Blue the best chance at a victory, predicting a 24-23 loss.
Most of the other predictions weren’t all that close though, including a 17-0 shutout pick from Adam Rank.
This response from the Giants generated a lot of positive buzz on X, with over 13,000 likes and nearly 400,000 views in approximately six hours.
Giants Defense Steps Up With 8 Sacks vs. Browns
First-round wide receiver Malik Nabers generated a ton of headlines for his Week 3 performance, but the more underrated breakout came courtesy of the Big Blue pass rush.
The Giants defense was credited with 8.0 sacks and 17 QB hits in Cleveland. And it was a collaborative effort.
Star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II finished with 2.0 sacks and 4 QB hits, but the majority of the quarterback pressure was shared by several members of the NYG defense. The following players all contributed:
- OLB Brian Burns (1.0 sack, 2 QB hits).
- OLB Azeez Ojulari (1.0 sack, 2 QB hits).
- DT Elijah Chatman (1.0 sack, 1 QB hit).
- S Jason Pinnock (1.0 sack, 1 QB hit).
- ILB Micah McFadden (0.5 sacks, 3 QB hits).
- OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits).
- ILB Bobby Okereke (0.5 sacks, 1 QB hit).
- DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (0.5 sacks, 1 QB hit).
Later in the evening on September 22, team reporter Dan Salomone followed up on the dominant showing from the NYG pass rush, relaying that “the Giants became the fourth team to have nine different players record at least half a sack since it became an official statistic in 1982.”
Salomone also noted that the eight sacks accounted for “48 yards in losses” — which was “their highest total in almost 10 years.”
Week 3 Win ‘Saved’ Giants Season, Says Reporter
After the game was over, Fox Sports reporter Ralph Vacchiano wrote that “this win saved the Giants’ season and maybe even Brian Daboll’s coaching career.”
Something Vacchiano found ironic considering how the Week 3 matchup began.
“And to think, 11 seconds in they had fumbled the opening kickoff and were down 7-0,” the reporter reminded. It was reserve running back Eric Gray who committed the initial turnover.
The opening fumble ended up being an afterthought, however, as the Giants showed something that’s alluded the franchise in recent years. A key trait known as resiliency.
“Said we’d learn a lot about the Giants today,” The Athletic’s Dan Duggan posted on Sunday evening. “Think we learned that, while they’re a flawed team, there’s some fight. Great defensive game plan/effort. [Daniel] Jones/Nabers were in the zone early. Wasn’t pretty, but they needed this bad.”
New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy also referred to Week 3 as a “really gritty” victory for the G-Men, and Daboll himself explained why resiliency is easier said than done.
“I would just say, again, you can talk about resiliency until you’re blue in the face,” Daboll said after the game. “When you’re in the midst of it as a leader, you have to stand up and you have to own it, and you have to keep things as positive as you can, and look onto the next game and the next play.”
At 1-2, the Giants have life, and they’re on to a Week 4 Thursday Night Football matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
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