AT A GLANCE

The Giants proved it's not about how you start. After they lost a fumble on the opening kickoff and gave up a touchdown in the first 11 seconds of the game, the Giants scored 21 unanswered points in Cleveland and held on for a 21-15 victory, their first of the season.

UP NEXT

The Giants have a quick turnaround ahead of a Thursday night matchup against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Dallas, which defeated Cleveland by 16 points in Week 1 but fell to New Orleans by 25 points in Week 2, hosts Baltimore in the late afternoon slot (4:25 p.m.).

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE OFFENSE

Wide receiver Malik Nabers announced his NFL arrival last week, becoming the youngest player in NFL history (21 years and 49 days old) with at least 10 receptions, 100 receiving yards, and a touchdown catch in a game.

He did nothing but reinforce the hype on Sunday, catching eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns, which came in the final 1:44 of the first half to open up a 21-7 lead going into the locker room. In the process, he became the first player in NFL history with at least 20 receptions, 250 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in his first three career games, according to NFL Research.

In addition to the touchdowns, Nabers' other "wow" play was snatching the ball through the hands of a leaping cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. on the sideline for a 28-yard gain in the second quarter.

Nabers was also used in the ground game as he carried the ball twice for four yards, including a sweep play for a conversion on fourth down. He even took a direct snap down near the goal line but threw the ball away.

Daniel Jones was nearly flawless in the first half, completing his first 17 of 19 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns for a 140.8 passer rating.

Running back Devin Singletary scored a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive game among his 16 carries for 65 yards. But he did his biggest damage as a receiver, catching four passes for 43 yards with a long of 23 yards.

Wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson also had an explosive play with a 20-yard catch-and-run among seven total receptions for 61 yards.

Entering Sunday, the Browns were allowing 220.8 total yards per game at home since 2023, the fewest in the NFL. They had also allowed only 15.8 points per game in that stretch.

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEFENSE

The Giants brought the pressure and sacked Deshaun Watson three times in the first quarter alone and eight overall. Here is the list of Giants with sacks:

• ILB Bobby Okereke (0.5)
• ILB Micah McFadden (0.5)
• OLB Brian Burns (1.0)
• OLB Azeez Ojulari (1.0)
• OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (0.5)
• DL Dexter Lawrence (2.0)
• DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches (0.5)
• DL Elijah Chatman (1.0)
• S Jason Pinnock (1.0)

It was the first career sack for Chatman, an undrafted rookie out of SMU.

Burns, who appeared on Friday's injury report with a groin injury and was listed as questionable, strip-sacked Watson late in the first half. Chatman recovered in Browns territory with 38 seconds left in the second quarter. It led to Nabers' second touchdown and a 21-7 halftime lead.

The Giants notched another takeaway at a critical moment midway through the fourth quarter. Ojulari pounced on a botched handoff and gave the momentum back to the Giants, who had seen their lead slip to six points at the time. The defense then proceeded to force two turnovers on downs on the Browns' next two possessions to help seal the game.

After they gave up 215 yards on 35 carries and never forced a punt against the Commanders, the Giants' defense this week preached tackling and just "do your job." Message received. On Sunday, they gave up just seven yards on seven carries in the first half.

After starting in the opener, cornerback Nick McCloud missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury. Rookie inside linebacker Darius Muasau, who also started in Week 1 and had an interception, returned on Sunday after missing last week with a knee injury. He was listed as questionable heading into the game.

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT SPECIAL TEAMS

It was an inauspicious start to the game when Cleveland's Tony Brown II stripped the ball from Giants returner Eric Gray on the opening kickoff. Grant Delpit recovered the fumble, and on the very next play, Amari Cooper caught a perfect 24-yard pass from Watson in the end zone for a 7-0 lead with just 11 seconds off the game clock.

This week, the Giants placed kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve and signed veteran Greg Joseph, whom fans know well. Joseph spent three seasons with Minnesota and set the franchise record with a 61-yard field goal as time expired in a 27-24 victory over the Giants on Dec. 24, 2022.

Joseph, who made his NFL debut with the Browns in 2018, was 11 of 12 on field goal attempts at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field and 9 of 12 on extra points entering Sunday. Earlier in the week, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said Joseph was competing with practice squad rookie Jude McAtamney for the job.

On Sunday, it was Joseph who got the call. The new Giant made three extra points but missed a 48-yard attempt wide right that would have given the Giants a nine-point lead with 3:00 left in the game.

IN-GAME INJURY REPORT

NYG: CB Dru Phillips (calf), CB Adoree' Jackson (calf), WR Darius Slayton (thumb), LB Micah McFadden (back)

CLE: G Wyatt Teller (knee), OT Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee), OT James Hudson (shoulder)

INACTIVES

NYG: QB Tommy DeVito (3^rd), S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins III, CB Nick McCloud (knee), OLB Benton Whitley, OLB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas

CLE: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (3^rd), RB Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring), CB Kahlef Hailassie, G Javion Cohen, T Jack Conklin (knee), WR Jamari Thrash (illness), TE David Njoku (ankle)

GAMEDAY ROSTER MOVES

NYG: The Giants activated cornerback Art Green and linebacker Ty Summers from the practice squad (standard elevation).

CLE: The Browns signed former Giants running back Gary Brightwell and tight end Blake Whiteheart to the active roster from the practice squad. The team also elevated cornerback Tony Brown II and tight end Geoff Swaim.