If I had a nickel for every time the Giants made a game-sealing pick on the last play of a game this year...I'd have two nickels.
In what was eerily similar to the end of last week's game against the Titans, the Giants had fans on the edge of their seats yet again, with the game on the line late in the fourth.
After a horrible pass interference call on Deonte Banks with under a minute to go, Big Blue’s defense faced three straight plays from the five-yard line, needing a stop to win the game. After three consecutive incompletions, Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett went after Banks yet again on the final play of the game. But Banks jumped the pass, picked it off, and returned it all the way for a touchdown.
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The defense came out much stronger in the second half, looking like the unit we had hoped they'd be all year. The pick-six was a cherry on top of a phenomenal second half of play calling from Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who called what seemed to be the most blitzes of the season yesterday.
The Giants are currently dead last in the league at getting sacks on opposing QBs; that said, yesterday they had their first multi-sack game, one from CJ Okoye and one from Tremaine Edmunds. Plus Abdul Carter made some noise, with 9 pressures yesterday, 8 of which came within 2.5 seconds of the snap.
Wilson also called way more man coverage this week, when the Giants traditionally have been in zone. He believed that his guys had what it takes to go against the playmakers of the Arizona Cardinals, and he was right.
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On the offensive side of the ball, Winston and company got off to a slow start again, with Jameis missing throws way over receivers' heads after throwing balls at their feet last week.
The game was quickly 14-3 late in the first quarter, Big Blue in desperate need of a spark.
And that spark came in the form of an interception by Greg Newsome, who went up high against Marvin Harrison Jr. and came down with the pick. The pass was tipped by a blitzing Arvell Reese, who I'll get to in a bit.
From there, it seemed as if Jameis had finally found his rhythm. After the game, he said:
“I’m heating up and I’m starting to get better, better, and better. Last week, I was questioning if I could even throw. This week, I’ve got people talking about the Jameis Winston experience again.”
We know what Winston is. He is capable of throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns, but you’re also going to get the two head-scratching interceptions along with it.
It was also great to see Malik Nabers back playing like himself again. He caught his first touchdown of the season and ended the day with six catches, 112 yards, and the score.
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One last thing I want to add is a new segment to DomwithABlog post-game articles: the Game Ball. After each win, I’ll be shouting out my player of the week. The inaugural winner of this award is Arvell Reese.
Watching a game in person sometimes makes it harder to tell how big of an impact a guy truly has on the result of the game. But yesterday, that was not the case. It felt like on every play, the Giants announcer was saying Arvell’s name. He had nine tackles, three tipped passes, and recorded his first career interception.
It felt like this was Reese’s coming-out party, as he was all over the field and played a huge role in helping the Giants secure the win
Big Blue will look to keep the wins stacking as they travel to Washington next week to face the Commanders and a potentially returning Jayden Daniels.
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