The New York Giants walked out of Sunday with a 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans, and they needed every bit of Jevon Holland to get there.
It was the kind of game that never looked clean, never settled into comfort, and still counted all the same. New York moved to 2-1, but the final stretch had the feel of a team hanging on by its fingertips until Holland stepped in and shut the door.
With Tennessee down at the Giants’ 7-yard line and pushing for the go-ahead score, Holland read Cam Ward, stayed in the end zone, and picked off a terrible pass to save the day. Holland said he read Ward’s intent to throw rather than run, and stayed in the end zone rather than attack the line of scrimmage.
That play capped another huge day for Holland, who has been one of the Giants’ most impactful players early this season. He now has a career-high three interceptions, along with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The Giants did just enough offensively to survive, and much of that came from Dominic Zvada. The rookie kicker was perfect on four tries, drilling field goals from 39, 27, 39, and 30 yards. New York left points on the field all afternoon, but Zvada supplied every point the Giants actually got.
Najee Harris also gave the offense a useful spark. In his most extended work so far, the veteran back ran nine times for 52 yards, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. On his first series, Harris helped set up a field goal by carrying five times for 36 yards.
Cam Skattebo had a rough start and a better finish. At one point, he was stuck on 10 carries for just 4 yards, and a second-quarter Wildcat play from the Tennessee 5-yard line cost the Giants 7 yards.
Even so, he ended up with 60 rushing yards on 20 carries and added three catches for 40 yards. One of those receptions went for 30 yards and helped set up one of Zvada’s field goals.
Jameis Winston never lit up the stat sheet, but he also kept the Giants out of trouble. He finished 14 of 22 for 118 yards with no turnovers. He hit a couple of key throws on third down, moved the chains with a 15-yard scramble, and generally gave the Giants just enough to work with.
The defense, meanwhile, spent most of the day squeezing Tennessee before nearly letting it slip late. The Giants held the Titans to one first down and 54 yards in the first half.
Tennessee finished with 17 first downs, one more than New York, and 262 total yards, 24 more than the Giants. But the Titans still put together second-half drives of 68, 91, and 70 yards before Holland’s interception stopped the final push.
New York’s pass rush was again a major problem. The Giants had only two quarterback hits, and Pro Football Focus credited them with just two hurries on Ward’s 36 pass attempts. That has now been an issue for three straight games, and the potential long-term absence of Brian Burns only makes the concern louder.
There were bright spots elsewhere on defense. Arvell Reese turned in his best game of the season, piling up 12 tackles with one for loss and a pass defensed. Greg Newsome also held up well in coverage, allowing just three catches for 25 yards on seven targets, according to Pro Football Focus, while adding two passes defensed.
The Giants also got a major early jolt from special teams. On the first play of the game, Zaire Barnes forced a Chimere Dike fumble and Malik Harrison recovered at the Tennessee 37-yard line.
Darnell Mooney didn’t pile up big numbers, finishing with two catches for 20 yards on three targets and one 9-yard run, but two of his touches produced first downs in third-and-long situations and led to points.
Jordan Stout was another hidden weapon. The Giants seemed content to avoid turnovers and let him flip the field, and he kept doing exactly that. He punted six times for a 50.5-yard average and 44.2 net, with booming kicks of 74 and 64 yards and three punts downed inside the 20.
The ugly part of the afternoon came from the flags. New York was hit with 10 penalties for 88 yards, and several of them undercut drives that could have turned the game into a blowout.
Jermaine Eluemunor was called twice for holding, including once on second-and-goal at the 7. John Michael Schmitz had a holding penalty that wiped out a first down at the Titans’ 16.
Jon Runyan was flagged for a false start. The Giants also drew an illegal shift on second-and-goal at the 2 on their first drive of the third quarter and had to settle for three points.
Then came a late special teams penalty that nearly turned the whole thing upside down. Elijah Campbell was flagged for 15 yards on kick catch interference with 3:03 left, moving the ball from the Tennessee 8 to the 23 and helping set up the Titans’ final drive.
In the end, the Giants got the win, but the messiness was impossible to ignore. They had the hero in Holland, the points from Zvada, and just enough from Winston and the defense to survive. They also had a pile of penalties, a quiet pass rush, and a game that stayed far too close for comfort.
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