NY Giants Grades: Andrew Thomas holds up, but offensive woes continue

MVP: Dexter Lawrence

While it’s odd to give the MVP to someone on a defense the morning after a loss, it would have been even stranger to give it to someone on an offense which was only able to score six points, their fewest of the season.

Dexter Lawrence certainly earned this MVP, though. Playing against the NFL’s third highest rushing offense in the league, it was vital for the defense to shut down that facet of the Browns’ offense. They wanted to put the ball in Baker Mayfield’s hand as opposed to Nick Chubb or Kareem Hunt.

Lawrence did everything in his power to disrupt both.

The Giants held the Browns, who came into this game averaging over 150 yards per game, to just 106 yards. While he scored an impressive touchdown on second effort, carrying a few Giants’ defenders along with him, Chubb had a relatively quiet game with just 50 yards on 15 carries. And Hunt was even quieter, with just 21 yards on seven carries.

Lawrence was a big part of that. As mentioned earlier, there were only two Giants players with more than one tackle for loss: Martinez and Lawrence.

Lawrence finished the game with six tackles, a sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass deflection, and a QB hit. For someone on the defensive line, he played a major factor in attempting to break down both facets of the Browns offense.

In fact, Lawrence was the only Giants defender this game with a pass deflection. It came on Cleveland’s first drive of the game, on a 4th & 2 from the Giants’ 43. Lawrence broke up a pass intended for Austin Hooper, and the Giants got the ball with solid field position. They would score a field goal on the subsequent drive.

And while Mayfield had a clean night off the turf, Lawrence was the only Giants player who saw success in pushing him around.

The Giants only had one QB hit and one sack, both of which belong to Lawrence. Their inability to get to Mayfield, whether by sack or hit, helped him throw for 297 yards, two touchdowns, no turnovers, and a 126.2 QB rating.

Without one of their best secondary players in James Bradberry, it’s understandable that defensive coordinator Patrick Graham would be hesitant to put pressure on Mayfield as opposed to dropping more guys into coverage. The plan didn’t work, as Mayfield picked apart the decimated Giants’ secondary.

But Lawrence saw some success in an otherwise weak night. He continues to show improvements in just his second year out of Clemson. And he continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season.