The New York Giants improved to 3-1 and now lead the NFC East after dramatically defeating the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The 36-24 victory before a full house of enthusiastic, rain-sodden fans leaves Big Blue alone atop the NFC East after four games. That hasn't happened since 2015.
It was a sloppy game on a sloppy day, but when you win, no one cares.
According to NFL Research, the Cardinals and Giants combined for five interceptions and 60 points in Week 4. There have only been two games in the past 10 seasons to have more combined interceptions in a game that featured 60-plus points scored. The Lions and Jets combined for six interceptions and 65 points in Week 1 of 2018, and the Titans and Bengals combined for six interceptions and 64
points in Week 15 of 2024.
Here are a few other things we learned from Sunday.
Closing time
Last year, the Giants would have gone home losers in a game such as this. They blew five games in the fourth quarter. That isn't happening this year. The Giants had their backs to the wall with 22 seconds left and held the Cardinals out of the end zone three straight downs before Deonte Banks picked off Jacoby Brissett's fourth-down pass and returned it 98 yards for a score to seal the win.
Uneven officiating
There were only 13 accepted penalties in the game, but many calls, and some non-calls, were glaring and, upon replay, inaccurate. It wasn't just at MetLife; it was happening all over the league on Sunday. The sticky wicket remains pass interference, which has become anyone's guess. These calls are deciding games, and even Giants head coach John Harbaugh openly questioned the DPI criteria after the game.
The officials are frustrated as well. After a clear infraction by Giants cornerback Dru Phillips on Arizona tight end Trey McBride was not called, McBride pleaded with the official, who promptly cursed him out.
Who, or what, is this Arvell Reese?
The rookie linebacker was all over the field, batting down passes, bringing down ball carriers, and torturing anyone who got in his path. You couldn't miss him. No. 52. Reese is a force to be reckoned with. The Giants had to defend their selection of him with the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft back in April. No need to do that anymore. We got the message.
Like a good Nabers, Malik is there
Nabers appeared wary of his rehabbed knee the first few games, and he needed a signature performance to reassure himself he's elite again. That came on Sunday with a six-catch, 112-yard performance that included a 39-yard touchdown and several other key grabs.
Jameis was Plus-1 on the day
In hockey, plus-minus is a key stat to gauge a player's value. In football, not so much. That said, quarterback Jameis Winston was plus-one on the day, throwing three touchdowns to two interceptions. It was the typical Jameis experience: Entertaining but not necessarily fruitful. The Giants aren't going to get away with this "flying by the seat of their pants" nonsense much longer. They had help from the weather the past two weeks and have been bending, but not breaking, on defense.
Three yards and a cloud of rubber pellets
The Giants' running game allowed them to win the time of possession again (32:13 to 27:47), but they only gained three first downs on the ground and averaged a measly 3.1 yards per attempt. If they are to succeed going forward, they need to run the football more consistently.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What we learned from New York Giants' 36-24 win over Arizona Cardinals
