The Giants didn’t exactly cruise past the Cardinals on Sunday, but they did what good teams do when the game starts tilting the wrong way: they found a way back. Down 14-3 in the first quarter, New York clawed its way to a 36-24 Week 4 win, and Deonte Banks put the final stamp on it with a 98-yard pick-six.
That finish helped turn a messy afternoon into a 3-1 start, the Giants’ best opening four-game stretch since 2022, which was also the last time they reached the playoffs. Considering how much has already gone sideways - including the season-ending ACL injury to Brian Burns and the loss of starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the year - the record matters as much as anything right now.
It was also a wild week before the game even kicked off. An MRI confirmed Burns’ injury after Week 3.
The next day, the Giants released Odell Beckham Jr. after he had one target and no catches in his first three games back in a Giants uniform. Then, the day after that, New York traded for Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J.
McCarthy. So yes, it has been that kind of week.
Sunday’s win came with plenty of self-inflicted drama. Three turnovers and five penalties for 27 yards kept Arizona hanging around much longer than New York wanted. The Giants made life harder on themselves than they needed to, but they still walked out with the result.
One of the biggest reasons was rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, who keeps looking more like a difference-maker by the week. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson didn’t send him after the quarterback all that often, but when he did, Reese delivered.
Early in the second quarter, he came on a blitz and hit Jacoby Brissett’s arm, helping create a gift interception for Greg Newsome. Later, on a delayed blitz, Reese beat Hjalte Froholdt clean and got to Brissett again, nearly knocking the ball free as it came out.
With Burns gone and the pass rush still searching for answers - especially with Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux not producing much yet - Reese’s size and violence off the edge could be a real solution. The Giants managed two sacks, with Tremaine Edmunds and C.J. Okoye getting to Jake Brisket, a small but welcome change after they had only one sack through their first three games.
Reese’s overall line was even better: seven tackles, one tackle for loss, three passes defensed, and his first career interception. At 21, he looked like the most disruptive player on the field. After his breakout against Tennessee last week and another huge showing against Arizona, he’s starting to look like a legitimate Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Jameis Winston gave the Giants the full package, for better and worse. The backup quarterback finished 18 of 29 for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, and the whole experience came with the usual swings.
One series, he was dropping in a perfect throw on the move for a score. The next, he was giving the Cardinals life with back-to-back interceptions.
That’s the deal with Winston. You get the fireworks and the chaos together.
Still, he did enough to get the win, and that’s what matters most for New York while he’s under center. With McCarthy now in the building, the margins around Winston’s weekly ride only get more interesting.
Malik Nabers also looked much closer to his old self. After last year’s season-ending ACL injury, the 23-year-old receiver had started a little slower than Giants fans are used to. On Sunday, he turned in his best game of the season, catching six passes for 112 yards and his first touchdown reception of the year.
Nabers remains the one Giant who can change the game in a hurry every time he touches the ball. With Dart sidelined and Winston bringing his usual volatility, getting Nabers involved as often as possible looks like the cleanest path for New York moving forward.
In Other News...
Odell Beckham Jr. Just Reopened An Ugly Giants Decision
Odell Beckham Jr.s brief return to the Giants has already become another awkward chapter in a relationship that once defined the franchises offense. After limited playing time and just one target in three games, New York moved on after Week 3, a decision that coach John Harbaugh framed as a matter of fit and timing, saying Beckham did not match what the team had planned.
Beckham made it clear on social media that the mid-season exit stung, especially after what was supposed to be a meaningful homecoming. For the Giants, the episode only adds more weight to a move that was supposed to help in the short term but instead reopened one of the more uncomfortable conversations around how this reunion was handled. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Defense Faces A Rookie Test That Could Expose A Problem
The Giants are about to get a close look at the kind of rookie who can make a defense feel older than it is. After using the No. 5 pick on edge rusher Arvell Reese, New York now turns its attention to Arizona and the Cardinals No. 3 selection, Jeremiyah Love, a back who has already shown he can matter as both a runner and a receiver.
For a Giants defense dealing with injuries, the matchup comes at a tricky time. New York has done a decent job keeping opponents under control on the ground overall, but recent games have shown a weakness in the way yards are being given up, and Loves versatility creates the sort of test that can expose it if the front seven is a step slow. [Read more 🡒]
Jameis Winston Just Made The Giants Quarterback Debate A Lot Harder
Jameis Winstons first extended turn in the Giants offense arrived at a moment when the team could have used some clarity at quarterback, and instead he created more of it. In Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Winston went 18 of 29 for 250 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, mixing the kind of aggressive play that has always defined him with enough production to keep New York moving.
Even with the turnovers, Winston helped lead the key scoring drives that carried the Giants to a win, which is exactly the sort of performance that complicates an already interesting competition. With newly acquired J.J. McCarthy in the mix, the Giants now have a harder decision to make than they did before Sunday, and Winstons showing made sure that conversation is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]