The New York Giants held on to win a back-and-forth 36-24 affair against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, sealing a second-straight victory with a game-clinching interception — this time a 98-yard pick-six from Deonte Banks as time expired.
The Giants were led to victory by Jameis Winston, who had a strong performance with 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, while on the other side of the ball, the Giants’ defense stepped up in a big way after a rocky start to the afternoon.
The Giants improve to 3-1 on the season and now own sole possession of first place in the NFC East after the Philadelphia Eagles were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams.
Arizona came out with a near-perfect opening two possessions, scoring touchdowns on both and taking a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett connected with Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown on the Cardinals’ opening drive, before Tyler Allgeier broke a 22-yard touchdown run on their second possession. Jeremiyah Love had already rushed for 43 yards on six carries, while Allgeier had 38 yards and a touchdown on three carries. Arizona totaled 129 yards on its first 16 offensive plays, averaging 8.1 yards per play.
But after being shredded early, the Giants’ defense suddenly settled in. Greg Newsome II intercepted Brissett 55 seconds into the second quarter, though New York followed with consecutive three-and-outs. Arizona’s explosive offense had completely stalled, and the Giants’ defense continued to create opportunities, forcing another three-and-out before rookie linebacker Arvell Reese intercepted Brissett with 3:15 remaining in the half.
New York finally capitalized on those opportunities. Jameis Winston found rookie wide receiver Malachi Fields for a 12-yard touchdown with 4:39 remaining, ending the Giants’ stretch of 26 consecutive offensive drives without a passing touchdown. Winston then connected with Malik Nabers for a 25-yard touchdown just over two minutes later, giving New York its first lead at 19-14. Winston entered halftime 9-of-14 for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Nabers had four catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
The Giants opened the second half with another mistake when Winston threw his second interception, giving Arizona good field position. The Cardinals capitalized, putting together a five-minute drive that ended with Brissett finding Elijah Higgins for a two-yard touchdown, giving Arizona a 24-19 lead.
Winston and the Giants answered again. Facing 3rd-&-20 late in the third quarter, Winston found Malachi Fields for a 40-yard gain to the Arizona 18. After a Cardinals defensive holding penalty wiped out what would have been a field goal, Winston found Theo Johnson for an 11-yard touchdown with 1:48 remaining in the quarter. New York went for two, and Najee Harris powered into the end zone, putting the Giants ahead 27-24.
The Giants’ defense continued to bail out the offense. After Harris fumbled with 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Arizona had another chance to retake the lead, but New York forced a turnover on downs. The Giants then burned the clock on five straight rushing attempts before Dominic Zvada drilled a 52-yard field goal with 2:16 remaining to make it 30-24.
Arizona appeared to have one last chance after a pass interference penalty on Banks moved the Cardinals to the Giants’ 8-yard line with 26 seconds remaining. But after Banks broke up a third-down pass, he intercepted Brissett on fourth down at the Giants’ 2-yard line and returned it 98 yards for the game-ending touchdown.
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