EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (AP) Jameis Winston showed the good, the bad and the ugly of his football career and it took another late defensive stand to do it. It was far from a masterpiece, but the New York Giants will take it.
Winston threw three touchdown passes to offset two interceptions, Deonte Banks had a 98-yard pick-6 to seal it and the Giants won another not-so-pretty game, beating the Arizona Cardinals 36-24 on Sunday to take sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game, in terms of perfect play: It was a winning game,” coach John Harbaugh said. “That’s what winning teams do: They find ways to win games, and that’s why they win teams.”
Making his second start in place of injured franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart, Winston again did what he needed to do to earn a win with TD passes to Malachi Fields, Malik Nabers and Theo Johnson. Winston’s 12-yard throw to Fields with 4:30 left in the second quarter was the team’s first touchdown since the season opener, ending a drought that lasted more than nine quarters.
Winston finished 18 of 29 for 250 yards in a roller coaster showing of ups and downs. JJ McCarthy was in uniform six days after the Giants (3-1) acquired him in a trade with Minnesota, but did not play.
“It just gave us an option in case we wanted to put JJ on the field and run some plays that we had prepared for him,” said Harbaugh, who added that McCarthy wasn’t close to entering the game.
Nabers more than doubled his receiving yardage this season by making six catches for 112 yards. He had 96 in his first three games after a serious knee injury.
“I knew it was going to happen this game,” Nabers said. “I don’t know, I just felt good. I felt good all week. I just didn’t want to hurt myself, so I was just trying to be humble and wait for the game to come to me.”
The defense also made big plays, sacking Brissett twice and rebounding after allowing two long touchdowns in the first 12 minutes. For a second straight game, New York was intercepted after its opponent reached the red zone, and Banks made up for his pass interference penalty a few plays earlier that Harbaugh called crazy.
“I thought you had to hit a guy for it to be pass interference,” Harbaugh said. “He didn’t bat an eye. Nobody flinched, nobody blinked.”
Dominic Zvada continued to validate Harbaugh’s faith in another rookie kicker by improving to 9 of 9 on field goal attempts.
Jacoby Brissett was 21 of 35 and threw three interceptions – the last on the final play – which proved to be the difference. Arizona (1-3) blew a 14-3 lead after Brissett connected with Marvin Harrison Jr. for a touchdown and Tyler Allgeier ran into the end zone in the first quarter.
“We kind of got in our own way,” Brissett said. “We made some plays after making stops, but you can’t have three interceptions.”
The Cardinals gained just 138 yards the rest of the game, losing their third straight since coach Mike LaFleur’s Week 1 debut at the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The three losses we’ve had in the last three weeks have been different,” LaFleur said. “This one is going to sting. It’s not going to be the most fun homecoming. There are definitely things I know I could have done better. We need to get back to work immediately because no one is going to feel sorry for us.”
Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese picked off Brissett for his first NFL interception as part of a dominant performance that included nine tackles. And the No. 5 overall draft pick did so in the presence of Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of the 1986 Super Bowl champion team at halftime.
“He’s been great,” Taylor said. “I think he’s a good player.”
Cardinals: Safety Andrew Wingard was out with a knee injury and right guard Isaiah Adams was out with an ankle injury. … Tight end Hunter Long is out with a knee injury. … Left tackle Paris Johnson left the field holding his left arm late.
Giants: Receiver/returner Braxton Berrios (foot), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck) and safety Jason Pinnock (concussion) are out with injuries.
Cardinals: Host Detroit next Sunday.
Giants: Visit Washington next Sunday.
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