The New York Giants beat the Tennessee Titans 12-7 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium without scoring a touchdown. They won the turnover battle without giving the ball away once, and that was enough to cover for an offense that came away empty on both red-zone trips.
How It Happened
Zvada opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal at 6:34 of the first quarter. He added a 27-yarder at 4:49 of the second, then hit another 39-yarder as time expired in the half to send New York to the locker room up 9-0.
The third quarter followed the same script. Zvada connected from 30 yards at 6:56, stretching the lead to 12-0.
Tennessee finally broke through at 5:35 of the fourth quarter. Cam Ward hit Wan'Dale Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown, and Joey Slye's extra point made it a one-score game. The Titans never got closer.
Key Performers
Dominic Zvada, NYG: 4 field goals – 39, 27, 39, 30 YDS
Cam Ward, TEN: 4-yard TD pass to Wan'Dale Robinson
Wan'Dale Robinson, TEN: 4-yard TD reception
Giants rushing: 33 ATT, 138 YDS, 4.2 per carry
Titans passing: 23-36, 181 net YDS, 1-1 (TD-INT)
Zvada was the Giants' entire scoring output. His 4 kicks alone outscored the Titans.
The ground game did the rest. New York ran for nearly 140 yards and picked up 9 of its 16 first downs on the ground. That let the Giants hold the ball for more than 34 minutes despite throwing for only 100 net yards.
Tennessee actually moved the ball better overall, out-gaining New York 262 to 238. But an interception and a lost fumble wiped out possessions, and the Titans scored on only 1 of their 3 red-zone trips.
What It Means
The Giants are 2-1, and both wins have come at home. They are 2-0 at home and 0-1 on the road, and Sunday showed why the home split matters. This was not a clean performance, with 10 penalties for 88 yards and 3 sacks allowed, yet the Giants still controlled the clock and the scoreboard.
That kind of margin for error is what a home field buys. New York went 0-2 in the red zone and 4 of 13 on third down, numbers that usually lose games. At home, against a team that kept giving the ball away, they were enough.
The Titans fall to 0-3, with losses at home and on the road. Their offense wasn't the problem in volume on Sunday, as they won the first-down count 17 to 16 and weren't sacked once. Turnovers and finishing drives were the problem in this one.
Tennessee also went 0-for-1 on fourth down. In a game decided by 5 points, every empty possession counted.