The New York Giants (0-2) take on the Cleveland Browns (1-1) in their first inter-conference matchup of the season. The two teams have split their last two meetings, with the away team winning each time. This week, the Giants will look to extend that pattern in their first regular-season game in Cleveland since 2016.
Coach Brian Daboll took the podium on the patio of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center before Wednesday's practice to preview the week ahead. Here's everything you need to know:
View photos of the Giants on the practice fields ahead of their Week 3 matchup.
📰 Cornerback Nick McCloud (knee) did not practice. Linebacker Darius Muasau (knee), safety/linebacker Isaiah Simmons (not injury related/personal), and outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder) were limited.
📰 Cornerback Adoree' Jackson, who re-joined the team just eight days before the start of the regular season, is "getting there" in terms of being fully ramped up. Jackson has played 33 defensive snaps in the first two games. "I think he feels pretty good. Again, we'll see. We have (cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott and (Deonte) Banks and we threw Adoree' in there in certain situations. We'll see how it goes this week."
📰 On Tuesday, the Giants signed veteran kicker Greg Joseph off the Detroit Lions' practice squad and placed Graham Gano on injured reserve. The team also claimed linebacker Patrick Johnson off waivers from the Eagles.
In 67 regular-season games for three teams, Joseph has made 100 of 121 career field goal attempts (82.6 percent), with a long of 61 yards, and 146 of 162 extra point attempts (90.1). His career numbers also include 244 touchbacks on 338 kickoffs (72.2 percent).
In 2023, he converted 24 of 30 (80.0 percent) field goal attempts with a long of 54 yards and 36 of 38 (94.7 percent) extra point attempts for the Vikings. 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.
"Thought he was the best option for us," Daboll said about Joseph. "So, he'll come out and kick. Had a good kick last time we played against him, a 61-yarder. But again, he's been on a lot of teams. He'll come out here and get the operation down with the holder, with the snapper, and see how it goes."
📰 Daboll was asked about how Malik Nabers will handle the late drop last week after he had already become the youngest player in NFL history with at least 10 receptions, 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in a game. "I try to focus on the stuff that we control. That's for everybody. I have a lot of confidence in Malik. He also made a lot of plays for us. Confident young man. Keep on building."
📰 Nabers has the "right mindset, controls the things he can control, works extremely hard, knows the game plans inside and out."
📰 Daboll was asked if he wants to see "desperation" from his team this week. "I want to see consistency like we talk about every week. Go in, prepare the right way, come out, play a good football game, do good in situations, play together. Each week is its own week, and we'll just focus on the Browns this week."
📰 Daboll's focus is squarely on the Browns. "They just played a good game down in Jacksonville. Played well defensively, started off the game fast, made some good plays early on in the game, got off to a lead. The first game, it was a competitive game, I'd say, all the way almost to the end of the first half and it kind of slipped away from them in the second half, (Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae) Turpin returns a punt there when they were in a backed-up situation. Now you're playing out of sorts on offense against a really good defensive team that can get after the passer. They turned the ball over twice, gave up a punt return."
📰 The Giants have had discussions about how they will handle the short turnaround to next Thursday's home game against the Cowboys. "I wouldn't say a ton (will change). That's something that we've talked about. (Executive Director of Player Performance, Medical, Strength & Conditioning) Aaron Wellman has done a great job since he's been here with practice schedules, reps, pulling back, adding more. We've kind of allotted, I'd say, the last two weeks the amount of reps, the accumulative of reps to – you have another one pretty soon right after this. It's really been a cumulative since the beginning of the season."
📰 While it was far from a perfect game for the defense last week, Shane Bowen's unit did keep Washington out of the end zone on all six of its trips inside the 20. "Four-point plays are critical," Daboll said. "Three-point game. Playing well in the red zone, you've got to do a good job of keeping them out of the red zone more and continue to evolve offensively and score when we're down in the red zone, which in the first game we didn't. Last game we did. The consistency factor early on in the year on both sides we'll continue to work on."
📰 Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is "one of the best ones in the league. They've lined him up in a variety of spots. He's explosive. He's strong. He's powerful. He's got good size. He can run. He takes the ball away. He gets it away from the quarterback."
📰 You do the best job you can on practicing with the scout team to prepare for Garrett, but "it's never the same until you're playing a player like that."
📰 On Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson: "They started out fast against Jacksonville last week. They had a 17-play drive. They utilized him in a variety of ways. He can operate the empty game well where he gets it out quick. They use him in the action game. They can zone read him. He's done that as well. Scramble to loose plays. He's a strong player to bring down. You saw that against (Cowboys linebacker) Micah Parsons in the Dallas game where he scrambles, gets to the right. He's got the ball in one hand, waves it around, throws it down the field strong. He's played the game for a long time. I got a lot of respect for Deshaun's game."
📰 Daniel Jones "made good decisions" in Week 2. He "threw the ball where he needed to throw the ball" and that's "what we'll try to get him to do this week."
View rare photos of the storied history between the New York Giants and Browns.
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