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Cam Ward intercepted
Cam Ward was just picked off by Jevon Holland in the end zone. Horrific throw by the young QB, and this game is over.
The New York Giants won their first game with Jameis Winston under center, as they defeated Robert Saleh, Brian Daboll and the Tennessee Titans, 12-7.
Weather dominated the game, as a nor'easter brought wind and rain to the Meadowlands. Still, Cam Ward and the Titans offense found themselves in position to win after an impressive fourth quarter. Ward led the Titans 70 yards down the field to the Giants' seven-yard line with 24 seconds remaining, but the young quarterback threw a bad interception to Jevon Holland in the end zone, sealing New York's victory.
Ward completed 23 of 36 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Tony Pollard carried the offense on the ground with 74 yards on 17 carries. Rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate had the best game of his young career with 58 yards receiving on six catches. The Titans offense at large was M.I.A. until the final stanza. They had just 54 yards of total offense at halftime and went three-and-out on each of their first five possessions.
Winston wasn't perfect, but he played turnover-free football. The former No. 1 overall pick completed 14 of 22 passes for 118 yards, while Cam Skattebo led the G-Men in rushing and receiving with 100 yards from scrimmage on 23 touches.
Let's take a look at what went down in New York on Sunday.
How did Jameis Winston perform?
One of the main storylines to watch on Sunday was how new starting quarterback Jameis Winston would perform in place of the injured Jaxson Dart. As we mentioned, Winston did take care of the football, but New York mustered just 238 yards of total offense and went 4 of 13 on third downs.
It didn't seem like Winston's arm had enough juice to push the ball downfield, and that's a bit worrisome. You can blame the poor conditions for the low offensive output in general, sure, but this franchise isn't giving up on the season, and it's a legitimate question if Winston is the correct quarterback to lead this team moving forward.
After the game, head coach John Harbaugh was asked if Winston was going to remain the Giants' starter, per ESPN. Harbaugh responded with a "yes." He was then asked how much Sunday would affect how the Giants address the quarterback situation in the near future, and the coach said, "not at all."
Harbaugh told reporters this past week that "all options are open" for the quarterback the Giants will bring in. Will it be a borderline starter or just another backup?
ESPN reported that New York's list includes Jimmy Garoppolo, Arizona Cardinals backup Gardner Minshew, former Minnesota Vikings No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy, San Francisco 49ers backup Mac Jones and Kansas City Chiefs backup Justin Fields.
Giants' offensive issues
There are some issues with the Giants' offense that extend past the quarterback. It's notable that the fourth quarter was actually the only quarter where the Giants failed to score points on Sunday, which opened the door for the Titans to come back. Additionally, how New York fell apart in the red zone was maddening.
The Giants went 0-2 in the red zone vs. Tennessee. In the second quarter, the Giants had a first-and-goal at the Titans' five-yard line. Matt Nagy called this bizarre wildcat play where Skattebo lost seven yards. There's blame that falls on Skattebo there, obviously, but any time a play call like that blows up in your face and ruins a drive, it looks ridiculous. New York couldn't recover from that blunder, and kicked a field goal.
In the third quarter, the Giants had a second-and-goal from the Titans' 2-yard line. However, an illegal shift and holding penalty pushed them 15 yards backward, leading to another field goal. Those are sequences that can cost you games -- and it almost did. The Giants looked like the better team for 90% of the afternoon, but it took a Holland interception in the end zone to save them.
Titans also have issues
Tennessee became the fifth team in the past 40 years to start 0-3 over three straight seasons. It's only Week 3, but the Titans again appear to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. That's not a controversial statement, but what the fan base would really like is certainty that they have a franchise quarterback worth building around. Former No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward has not established himself as that, and you have to wonder how much patience the organization will have.
Saleh was even asked after the game if they would consider sitting Ward. The coach responded with a quick "no." It's probably an unwarranted question given that it's just Week 3, but yes, Ward has to be better and he has to prove he's making strides. If he doesn't, the Titans could be selecting another quarterback very high in the draft yet again. That's a tough pill to swallow.
Ward is now 3-17 as a starting quarterback. He's just the seventh quarterback since 1950 to lose 17 of their first 20 starts.
Plays of the day
You're not going to find many big plays from Titans vs. Giants, but Winston did have a nice 30-yard completion to Skattebo.
What was the running back doing down there? Credit to Skattebo on this scramble drill. He just turned his RB swing route into a wheel route and went up the sideline.
Brian Burns injury
Giants star pass rusher Brian Burns came into this matchup with an ankle injury, and didn't even practice all week. In the fourth quarter, he went down with a right knee injury that did not look good.
He walked off with trainers, but this is definitely something to monitor. For a team that already lost Dart, it would be devastating to lose one of their best defensive players.
What's next
The Titans will travel to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens next week. It also marks the first time Derrick Henry will play against his former team. The Ravens are in Brazil today to play the Dallas Cowboys. As for the Giants, they will host the Cardinals next Sunday.
