The New York Giants stumbled early, but 200 yards rushing and a touchdown from the resurgent Ahmad Bradshaw helped lift them to a 41-27 victory at home against the Cleveland Browns.
Bradshaw was infuriated with himself after fumbling on the very first offensive play of the day. Unluckily for the Browns, the Giants’ running back took his frustration out on their defense with a career day that kept the Browns (0-5) winless thus far.
Cleveland capitalized on Bradshaw’s gaffe by taking an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter with a 15-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Trent Richardson off of the turnover along with a 62-yard strike from quarterback Brandon Weeden to fellow rookie Josh Gordon.
The Giants (3-2) did not quit, however, and were quickly able to bounce back.
“We’ve been down 14-0 with five or six minutes left to go in a game,” New York’s quarterback Eli Manning said (via Giants.com). “We’ve been able to rally back, so we knew that with 55 minutes left we had plenty of time. It’s obviously not the way you want to start, but we never get down or frustrated or start to panic.”
Eli Manning connected with wide out Victor Cruz for a career-high three scores and rookie receiver Rueben Randle had a career day of his own with six catches for 82 yards.
The Browns had things going early on offense and had a big day against the Giants’ vaunted defense. Weeden passed for 291 yards with two touchdown passes and was not sacked on the afternoon. Unfortunately, his inability to avoid turnovers ultimately cost Cleveland the game.
New York linebacker Chase Blackburn, who helped contribute to an earlier interception by placing Weeden under duress, snagged a pass from the rookie quarterback in the end zone during the fourth quarter. A 40-yard touchdown scamper by Giants’ rookie running back David Wilson — the first score of his career — would seal the deal for New York.
“[Wilson] is obviously a nice change,” head coach Tom Coughlin said after the game. “He broke some arms and he was gone before you could blink an eye.”
Wilson’s speed and ability to break tackles are what he has been so highly touted for and he showcased his talents in spectacular fashion. With Giants’ fellow running back Andre Brown going down early with a head injury, a brief but strong showing could help Wilson see more carries if Brown is unable to play next week when New York travels to play in a rematch of the NFC Championship with the San Francisco 49ers.
Safety Stevie Brown — starting for the injured Kenny Phillips — shifted momentum for the Giants, first with an interception on an overthrow by Weeden, and then a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff. Two plays later, Bradshaw punched it in from four yards out to tie it at 14. From then on the Giants never looked back.
“That play was a huge momentum shift for us,” defensive end Justin Tuck said. “He made a great play on the ball and returned it to back to a position where our offense could punch it in and that kind of got us rolling.”
In the competitive NFC East, every game is a must-win for the Giants if they want to keep pace at the top of the division. They started with a scare, but roared back behind Manning’s fearless play in typical style. The defense struggled at times, but their ability to force turnovers will be pivotal going forward.
Louis Musto is a contributor for the Sports Journey Broadcasting Network covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.