Big Blue falls to 0-2 in preseason, will play Jets Saturday

The New York Giants fell to the Cleveland Browns, 10-6, Monday night in both team’s second preseason game. The Giants are now 0-2 in the preseason.

Dwayne Harris, Darius Powe, J.T. Thomas, Mark Herzlich and Keenan Robinson were all inactive.

Odell Beckham’s night ended after taking a low-hit from Briean Boddy-Calhoun in the second quarter. The Giants later announced that Beckham suffered an ankle sprain. Beckham finished the night with three receptions for 37 yards.

The injuries didn't stop there. Brandon Marshall went back to the Giants locker room to undergo x-rays on his shoulder.

Eli Manning manned every possession at quarterback in the first half except the last, which went to Geno Smith. He finished the night 10-for-14 passing for 80 yards. He was sacked once for a nine-yard loss.

Wayne Gallman led the Giants in rushing, with 22 yards on five carries. Beckham led the Giants in receiving with the 37 yards receiving.

Position Battles

• In the battle for the backup quarterback position, it has come down to Geno Smith and Josh Johnson. Smith finished the night 11-for-17 for 79 yards and an interception, while Johnson finished 2-for-4 for 6 yards.
• In the battle for the place kicker, Aldrick Rosas went 1-for-1 on the night, hitting from 47. Mike Nugent was also 1-for-1 with a hit from 38 yards.

Moments that mattered

• In the first quarter, Olivier Vernon tipped a pass thrown by Browns quarterback Brock Osweiler and it was intercepted by Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants failed to turn the turnover into a score.
• Both defenses showed to be strong early. Between the two teams, the first six possessions of the game turned to six punts.
• The Giants started off the scoring in the second quarter with a 38-yard field goal by Mike Nugent.
• Towards the end of the half, Sterling Shepard was stripped by Browns defensive back Devin McCourty after catching a pass on a bubble screen from Eli Manning. The Browns capitalized as Cleveland’s rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer ran in a one-yard touchdown to go up 7-3.
• The Brown’s extended their lead to 10-3 as Kizer led the Browns on a 15-play, 68 yard drive, ending in a 39-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez on the first possession of the second half.
• On the Giants first possession of the second half, Geno Smith led the Giants on a 11-play, 46 yard drive that finished in a 47-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas. The make brought the score to 10-6.
• Smith led the Giants on another long drive into the Brown’s 10-yard line but then fired an interception. The Browns then matched with a fumble of their own. Then with the ball back in the Browns red zone, Wayne Gallman mishandled a handoff from Josh Johnson and the Browns took the ball back.

What’s next?

The Giants will play in their third preseason game on Aug. 26, when they will head to back to Met Life Stadium to take on the New York Jets. The game can be caught on WNBC-4NY at 7 p.m. EST. The Jets are currently 1-1 this preseason with a win at home against the Tennessee Titans and a loss on the road against the Detroit Lions.

Like BBV on Facebook

NOTE: Be sure to check out Dan Berkman’s post-game Facebook Live session.

Follow BBV on Twitter

Follow BBV Editor Ed Valentine on Twitter

Listen to the Big Blue Chat podcast