Giants hold off Titans as Jevon Holland makes interception in end zone in closing seconds
Jevon Holland of the Giants celebrates after defeating the Tennessee Titans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Jameis Winston had high hopes for his first start of the season Sunday. His confidence led to sharing a prophecy with teammate Jevon Holland.
“I said, when the [game] is on the line, you’re going to make the biggest play,” Winston said.
Holland did just that in the Giants’ 12-7 win over the Titans on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
With nervous Giants fans watching the Titans march all the way to the 7-yard line, Holland intercepted a pass from Cam Ward in the end zone with 17 seconds left in regulation. It was his third interception in as many games.
On a day when fellow defensive leader Brian Burns suffered a potentially serious knee injury, Holland did what Burns tried to do as an All-Pro linebacker last season:
Make a play.
“The ball’s just coming my way. I don’t know,” said Holland, who has four takeaways. “Anybody can tell you, like, there’s no rhyme or reason to it. I’m just trying to catch the ones they throw to me.”
The play ensured that the Giants (2-1) will spend a second week above .500, something that hadn’t happened since 2022. It also gave Winston his first win as a Giants quarterback and spoiled the returns to MetLife Stadium of Titans coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who used to coach the Jets and Giants, respectively.
Winston was 0-for-2 last season and took over this week after Jaxson Dart’s knee surgery ended his regular season. His numbers weren’t flashy: 14-for-22 for 118 yards with three sacks. His longest completion went for 30 yards to running back Cam Skattebo on a broken play.
The Giants have yet to score a touchdown since Winston took over for Dart in the first quarter against the Rams last Monday night, but Holland’s takeaway — the team’s second on Sunday after Zaire Barnes forced a fumble on the opening kickoff that Malik Harrison recovered — bailed out the offense.
“We miss Jaxson and he means so much to this team and organization,” said Winston, who hadn’t won a start since Nov. 21, 2024, with the Browns. “So I’m just happy we were able to get that win to support him.”
Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada did all the scoring, going 4-for-4 on field goals. Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese had a breakout game with a team-high 12 tackles.
The Giants greeted Daboll by holding his offense to 122 yards in the first three quarters before
the Titans (0-3) made things interesting.
Ward’s 4-yard TD pass to Wan’Dale Robinson with 5:35 left capped a 13-play, 91-yard drive, and suddenly it was 12-7. Robinson, in his first year with the Titans after playing his first four seasons with the Giants, finished with seven catches for 57 yards.
The Giants then punted after a five-play drive. Jordan Stout’s punt landed at the Titans’ 8-yard line but Elijah Campbell interfered with the fair catch, giving the Titans 15 more yards to start.
Ward and the Titans took over with 3:03 left, and as they marched downfield, it brought back memories of how the Giants blew five fourth-quarter leads last season.
On first-and-goal at the Giants’ 7, Ward escaped the pass rush and looked to scramble before throwing. He fired it right at Holland.
“I’m the free player, so I was gonna go hold him up, basically,” Holland said. “If he sees me running at him, he might stop and try to let the ball go, but then I saw him step to stay lateral and find people. [Ward] does scramble with his eyes downfield, and I just stayed around the front of the end zone.”
It saved a defense that could be without Burns for a while. He was questionable with an ankle injury after not practicing all week but played as a reserve, mostly coming in on third-down rush packages.
In the fourth quarter, Burns was knocked down while trying to rush Ward. He immediately punched the turf while grabbing his right knee and was helped off the field without putting weight on his right leg.
John Harbaugh said Burns, who hasn’t missed a game since being traded to the Giants in 2024, will get an MRI to determine the severity.
It was another blow for a team already reeling without Dart. The offense struggled under Winston, especially in the red zone.
On second-and-goal at the Titans’ 2 in the third quarter, an illegal shift penalty pushed the Giants back five yards. Jermaine Eluemunor then was flagged for holding to make it second-and-goal at the 17. After an incomplete pass and a short run by Skattebo, Zvada converted his fourth field goal.
The sequence mirrored another red zone mistake in the second quarter. On first-and-goal from the Titans’ 5, the Giants called a direct snap for Skattebo. He ran backward and was swarmed for a 7-yard loss, and the Giants settled for a 27-yard field goal and a 6-0 lead.
Despite no touchdowns, they left Sunday as winners thanks to a crucial interception.
“That’s the kind of player Jevon Holland has always been,” Harbaugh said. “So to see him flourishing right now, the way he is, it’s wonderful.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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