‘D’ turns it on, just in time
HOUSTON — The Texans were on the verge of stealing Sunday’s game from the Giants until Kerry Wynn, Donte Deayon and Alec Ogletree took it back with two turnovers on consecutive defensive possessions to stem the tide.
The Giants’ 20-6 halftime lead was on the verge of disappearing entirely due to a suddenly-stalled offense with Eli Manning managing just 37 yards passing. And Deshaun Watson and Houston’s offense simultaneously had broken out of their early funk and began to move the ball downfield at will.
But then Giants defensive end Kerry Wynn forced a Lamar Miller fumble, one recovered by corner Donte Deayon, and on the next Texans drive linebacker Alec Ogletree intercepted Watson in the end zone. And that was enough to hold a narrow lead at 20-15 that Manning ultimately would extend.
“We had a stretch there in the second half where we didn’t move the ball worth a darn and our defense did a really, really good job of creating two turnovers when they were driving the ball,” Pat Shurmur said. “That’s very critical … You felt the game tipping a little bit … To get turnovers like that is a huge boost.”
Deayon’s opportunistic pounce on the loose football was a solid bounce-back by the playmaking defensive back who had dropped what would have been a fourthquarter interception in Dallas in Week 2. The Cowboys scored a touchdown two plays later to ice the game. Neither Deayon nor his coaches were happy with his failure to secure that Dak Prescott pass.
“It was real big to capitalize off the opportunities we got,” Deayon said. “(Ogle)tree’s pick in the end zone, that’s saving seven points, three at least.”
Wynn, who chased Miller down from behind, said: “We kept saying let’s get one, let’s get one, let’s get one. And the only way you can turn them over is if you run to the ball. Sooner or later somebody was gonna get one.”
Ogletree described his interception as: “I just plastered my man and turned around and saw the ball in the air. We (are taught) to go get the ball at the highest point, and we were able to get it.”
James Bettcher’s defense, playing without starters Olivier Vernon and Eli Apple, wasn’t perfect. Despite flustering Watson most of the first half, the Giants defense was on its heels the final drive of the second quarter and most of the second half.
The defense surrendered 267 yards of offense in the second half, with Watson extending plays and hitting DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller for huge gains to both sides of the field. The Texans, in fact, hit three pass plays for over 30 yards and seven for 20 yards or more.
“You saw when Watson breaks the pocket, all hell can break loose,” Shurmur said.
But the Giants stopped the run, allowing just 59 rushing yards on 19 carries and bottling up Miller. They had three sacks, including the first career sacks for Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill. Watson’s 24of-40 passing for 385 yards, two TDs and one INT nearly brought Houston back, but the Giants’ playmakers stepped up when they were needed most.