Giants Report Card: Zvada, Holland Shine in Gritty 12-7 Win Over Titans

The New York Giants’ 12-7 win over the Tennessee Titans was ugly and, at times, lackluster.

But if you’re looking for a silver lining on an otherwise dreary day that saw the Giants potentially lose another key starter, outside linebacker Brian Burns, to a knee injury, running back Cam Skattebo said it best in his postgame comments.

“A year ago, we lost that game, 100%, and this year we were able to pull it through.”

Let’s sort through the grades.

Offense: C

The Giants got deep into Titans territory six times, and all they had to show for it was four field goals, including two scored on red zone drives.

As expected, the Giants leaned heavily on the ground game, rushing for 138 yards on 33 carries (4.2 yards per carry).

“I thought (running back Cam Skattebo) had a lot of tough yards against a tough run defense. And I thought our wide receivers did a great job blocking,” said head coach John Harbaugh.

“(Running back) Najee (Harris) did a great job running the ball, north and south with some power. All those guys did really well. We had (running back Tyrone Tracy Jr.). Tyrone had a huge third-down conversion there on a crack toss.”

Sep 27, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants quarterback Jameis Winston (19) walks off the field after the game against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As for the passing game, Jameis Winston, who head coach John Harbaugh said will remain the team’s starter, averaged 4.0 yards per pass play, which may have been part of the game plan given the rainy conditions.

The good news is that he didn’t throw any interceptions, which is why Harbaugh probably said that Winston did what he had to do to win. Even better, Winston got the ball out of his hands fairly quickly, averaging 2.67 seconds to throw.

Defense: A-

Safety Jevon Holland became the first Giants defender since Michael Boley in 2012 to record at least one takeaway in each of his first three games to start a season, and his game-sealing pick of a Cam Ward pass in the end zone was about as big as they come.

Holland also had a big pass breakup on third down late in the first half on what appeared to be busted coverage by the cornerbacks.

Sep 27, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants safety Jevon Holland (8) breaks up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (4) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The run defense also came to play this week, recording two tackles for loss and holding the Titans to 3.9 yards per carry (81 yards on 21 rushing attempts). Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese, who finished with a team-leading 12 tackles after having a relatively quiet game on Monday night, had a superb game.

The only glaring negative was that the pass rush was once again quiet, recording zero sacks.

Special Teams: A

Sep 27, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants kicker Dominic Zvada (34) after a kick against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dominic Zvada nailed all four of his field goals, putting his amazing leg strength on display each time by hitting the ball straight down Broadway.

Jordan Stout? What more can be said about him and that bionic leg of his, with which he nailed a 74-yard punt and finished with an impressive 44.2 net punting average. What a difference he has made in giving the Giants advantageous field position!

The punt coverage unit was a bit shaky, as Chimere Dike averaged 9.5 yards per return (four returns), but otherwise it was another solid showing by the Giants' special teams units.

Coaching: B+

Sep 27, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh calls a time out during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Solid game plans from defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson and special teams coordinator Chris Horton, the latter of whom, by the way, resisted the urge to get greedy on those borderline situations where, had the weather not been a factor, maybe there might have been some more field goals that were in Zvada’s range.

The only negative to the coaching performance was offensive coordinator Matt Nagy getting too cute down in the red zone when he called for the Wildcat, the direct snap going to running back Cam Skattebo, who didn’t look sure of whether to run the ball or throw it (Winston was wide open on the other side of the field).

Why call for a wide play when you're that close to the end zone? The Giants lost seven yards on the play and had to settle for the second of Zvada’s four field goals for a 6-0 lead at the time, which makes one wonder what they could've done with better play-calling decisions.

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