Giants-Browns 5 matchups to watch: To get first victory, Giants need to win these

You can call these keys to victory

The New York Giants are 0-2 and starving for a victory. Star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said this week he is “pissed because I hate losing with a passion.” Linebacker Micah McFadden said the team needs the “juice” a victory could provide. Quarterback Daniel Jones said “nobody’s happy with where we are.”

The Giants are 6.5-point underdogs on the road against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Here are five matchups that will be critical if the Giants are going to earn an upset victory.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns vs. Cleveland OTs

This is a matchup the Giants have to win — no, have to DOMINATE — to have a chance to pull off a desperately-needed upset victory on Sunday.

Usual starting left tackle Jedrick Wills has still not returned from a knee injury he suffered last season. Starting right tackle Jack Conklin has played just 23 snaps as he works back from a knee injury he also suffered last season. A career right tackle, Conklin be forced to play left tackle this week. Fill-in starting right tackle Dawand Jones also missed practice on Wednesday with a knee injury.

So, the tackle spots for the Browns are in flux.

That could be the perfect elixir for a Giants’ defense that needs but has not yet gotten game-changing production from edge defenders Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.

Burns has seven tackles and not a single quarterback hit in two games. Thibodeaux has four tackles and three quarterback hits. Neither player has a sack. Per Pro Football Focus, Thibodeaux is 80th among edge defenders in pass rush pressure percentage at 4.1%, and Burns is 86th at just 2.9%.

That has to change for a defense that has struggled to get off the field.

“I think Thibs had a great game (vs. Washington). I do. I think he made major strides from Week 1 to Week 2,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “Burnsy (Brian Burns), when we get the opportunities, we’ve got to take advantage of them. There’s a lot of chipping going on. think Thibs got a little bit more of those one-on-ones than possibly Burnsy did. But, again, he tried to make the most of it. He showed up there late when we got the defensive penalty, the holding call on Dru (Phillips). Had a sack there that got negated. Just continue with both those guys. Stay on the attack. Stay on the attack.”

Andrew Thomas vs. Myles Garrett

On its face, the matchup between Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas and Browns edge defender Myles Garrett should be a great one. And it will be. When we get to see it. Question is, how often will that be?

Garrett moves around on the Cleveland defensive front. Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s ‘Dawgs By Nature’ told the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast this week that Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz allows Garrett to decide where he is going to line up on any given play. That gives Garrett, a three-time first-team All-Pro who had 14.0 sacks in 2023, the freedom to seek the place where he feels he can make the most impact on any given play.

So far this season, Garrett has lined up 48 times on the right side and 40 times on the left — with one random snap at nose tackle.

That means we will likely see Garrett matched up with Jermaine Eluemunor roughly as often as we see him against Thomas.

Head coach Brian Daboll knows Garrett will be a handful.

“He’s 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,” Daboll said. “You do the best job you can on practicing with the look team, but it’s never the same until you’re playing a player like that. He’s a high-level player in this league. He’s been for a long time. He’s one of the really good ones. He’s certainly a challenge.”

Giants’ CBs vs. Cleveland WRs

If the matchups go the way BBV’s Chris Pflum anticipates, we could see a lot of the following in 1-on-1 situations:

• Tae Banks vs. Jerry Jeudy.
• Cor’Dale Flott/Adoree’ Jackson vs. Amari Cooper.
• Dru Phillips vs. Elijah Moore.

Jeudy, the former Denver Broncos first-round pick, has 8 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown thru two games. After matchups with Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Terry McLaurin of the Washington Commanders, Banks has given up 7 completions in 10 targets (70%) for 85 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating against is an unsightly 129.2.

Cooper, the former Dallas Cowboy who has five 1,000-yard seasons in his first six years in the NFL, is off to a rough start. He has just five receptions for 27 yards in 17 targets with four drops. That is a 23.5% drop rate. Still Cooper against Flott (158.3 passer rating against) or Jackson does not seem favorable to the Giants.

Moore has nine catches, but averages only 5.9 yards per catch and his average depth of target is only 4.4 yards. Phillips has been impressive, but has only been targeted three times, giving up three catches for 12 yards. It will be interesting to see what happens if and when a team decides to attack the rookie third-round pick.

Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Malik Nabers vs. Cleveland DBs

The Browns are not the Washington Commanders when it comes to the caliber of their defensive backs. Cleveland has three good cornerbacks in three-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward, 2021 first-round pick Greg Newsome and slot cornerback Martin Emerson.

It seems unlikely that the Browns will let the Giants get away with targeted Nabers 18 times, as the Commanders did.

Based on reputation, you would think Ward would shadow Nabers. Jared Mueller of SB Nation’s Dawgs By Nature, which covers the Browns, told the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast that probably won’t be the case.

That is partially because Ward is dealing with a shoulder injury and played only 11 snaps last week. Whether or not he is able to handle a full workload this Sunday is still unknown. Also, though, the Browns have talented players in outside cornerback Greg Newsome and slot cornerback Martin Emerson.

The Browns, per Mueller, trust all three. It appears they have reason to.

Nabers should still a good volume of targets and make some plays, but it’s unfair to expect 18 targets again. Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and tight end Theo Johnson are all going to have to contribute.

Brian Daboll vs. Jim Schwartz

Cleveland’s Jim Schwartz has been a highly-respected defensive coordinator at a number of NFL stops. Daboll is a highly-respected offensive mind. Can the Giants’ head coach figure out a way to attack an excellent Browns’ defense?

“I have a lot of respect for Coach Schwartz. He’s been doing it a long time. Started way back in Cleveland with that group of young coaches. Tennessee for a long time. Obviously, the head coach of Detroit, Philadelphia, Buffalo. He’s always had good success,” Daboll said. “He plays a certain style that I think he believes in, and they do it at a high level. That wide nine technique, four guys rushing off the edge. Good rushers. In the back end, there’s a variety of things that they do. But he’s always been pretty good at calling up defenses.”

Daboll knows the Browns pose “a lot” of challenges for an offense.

“They can get after the passer. Penetrating front. They play a lot of man to man, and they mix in their zones. They do a great job of disguising. They’ve been effective,” Daboll said. “Coach Schwartz, like I said before, does a great job. And then they’ve got good players. (Browns cornerback Denzel) Ward’s a heck of a corner. All three levels, they’re well coached.”