Giants 2-0 for first time in six years as they beat Panthers 19-16

Cleveland Browns booed off the field as they blow two-touchdown lead in final minutes to gift Jets victory

HOW? Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett leaves the field frustrated. The Jets won 31-30. 

With Brian Daboll as their coach, the New York Giants are doing something they haven’t done for more than five years: They’re finding ways to win consistently.

Graham Gano kicked a 56-yard field goal with 3.34 to play, and the Giants ignored being booed off the field at halftime and beat the Carolina Panthers 19-16 on Sunday.

New York improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2016 and sent the Panthers to their ninth straight loss.

“Whether you score a lot or not, it’s important to figure out ways to win games,” Daboll said. “You can win a game a variety of ways, and also lose it a lot of ways. Again, the object of the game is to have one more point and to give yourself a chance in the fourth quarter.” 

That’s what the Giants have done the first two weeks in beating Tennessee and now Carolina.

The Panthers (0-2) are doing the opposite. They dropped a 26-24 decision to Cleveland on a late field goal last week. On Sunday, they spotted the Giants six points early and allowed New York to come through late.

“We prepare our (tails) off,” said Baker Mayfield, who was 14 of 29 for 145 yards and a touchdown. “We work during the week. There’s no question about that. We’re ready to go. We just have to come out and execute.” 

Gano also hit from 51, 36 and 33 yards and Daniel Jones found rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger on a 16-yard touchdown pass as the Giants responded in the second half after the game was tied 6-6 at the break.

The Panthers’ losing streak is the longest active skid in the NFL. Matt Rhule is 10-25 as Carolina’s coach and fans are losing patience.

“That’s two games in a row where we came down to the end with a chance to win the game and come up short both times,” Rhule said. “I take full responsibility for that. That’s my job. That falls on me. I have to help these guys find a way to make one more play and win the game.” 

Meanwhile in Cleveland, Browns linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. felt the need to apologise.

“Sorry,” he said, surrounded by reporters in a corner of Cleveland’s quiet locker room. “Still in shock.” 

He wasn’t the only one. Anyone inside FirstEnergy Stadium or watching on TV was just as stunned after Cleveland blew a two-touchdown lead in the final 1.55 and lost 31-30 to the New York Jets.

The Browns (1-1) were moments from their first 2-0 start in 29 years when the floor fell out from under them. An epic collapse, even by Cleveland’s lowly standards.

A home opener with the usual pomp and plenty of positives before an energised, sellout crowd will instead be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Leading 30-17 with 1:55 left, the Browns missed an extra point, gave up a 66-yard TD pass with 1:22, failed to recover an onside kick and then let Joe Flacco finish them with a 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Garrett Wilson with 22 seconds left.

Cleveland’s last chance ended when Jacoby Brissett, who played the final few minutes on a sore ankle, threw an interception with six seconds to go.

As Flacco dropped to his knee at mid-field — directly on top of Cleveland’s elf logo making its comeback debut — to run out the clock, the Jets celebrated wildly on their sideline while some in the home crowd let the Browns know how they felt.

“I mean the more disappointing thing was the booing at the end,” said star defensive end Myles Garrett. “It was not the most optimal ending that we’d want. Of course we’d want to win. Of course we wanted to play out the game and it end 30-16 or 30-17 or whatever it was, we get a pick or a strip-sack and end the game.

“But that’s not always how it goes.” 

The Browns have little time to dwell on their collapse. They host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

*San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance will miss the rest of the season after breaking his right ankle on Sunday.

Associated Press