CLEVELAND – There’s one play that works better than any other for the New York Giants: Throw the ball anywhere near Malik Nabers.

The rookie wide receiver caught two touchdown passes from Daniel Jones, made a sensational catch over a defender on the sideline and even prevented a potential interception as New York held off the Cleveland Browns 21-15 on Sunday to claim its first victory.

Jones and Nabers scored twice in the first half as the Giants (1-2) built a 21-7 lead before defending it for dear life.

“I have a lot of confidence in him to go up and get the ball,” said Jones, who completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards as New York recovered from a loss at Washington that had led to a week of criticism of coach Brian Daboll.

It wasn't easy.

Although three offensive linemen were out due to injury, Deshaun Watson got the Browns (1-2) back on their feet and Cleveland had three chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter. But the Giants recovered a fumble and stopped the Browns twice on one attack.

As one of the Giants’ only bright spots in two games, the first-round pick once again shone with eight catches for 78 yards, including an incredible catch in the corner of the end zone for his first touchdown.

At 21 years and 56 days, he also became the youngest wide receiver in NFL history to receive two touchdowns.

Nabers said Jones gave him precise instructions on the plays in which he was targeted.

“He said, 'It's either you or nobody,'” Nabers said.

Towards the end of the first half, Nabers grabbed the ball from Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. and threw it 28 yards.

“That's a damn good catch,” Daboll said. “When you have a guy like that, the duel doesn't matter. Throw him the ball and trust that he'll catch it.”

A few plays later, Nabers jumped and spun in the back of the end zone to catch a 3-yard pass from Jones.

Nabers smiled when asked if he knew he had made it all the way.

“I saw where it was going and just thought, 'Oh well,'” Nabers said.

While those catches were notable, Daboll said Naber's biggest play was intercepting an ill-advised pass from Jones that Cleveland nearly intercepted deep in Giants territory.

“The fact that he knocks the ball down so deliberately says more about Malik to me than some other things,” Daboll said. “Everyone can see the touchdowns, but his selfless, smart play was huge.”

The Giants' defensive line did its job, sacking Watson eight times, while the Browns put up a poor performance at home for the second time in three weeks – and some serious injuries piled up.

Cleveland left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) and right guard Wyatt Teller (knee) were injured, as was backup tackle James Hudson III. That forced coach Kevin Stefanski to reshuffle his line in front of Watson, who completed 21 of 37 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

Even more concerning is that All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett may have aggravated foot injuries through his play. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, and a serious injury to Garrett could alter Cleveland's season.

“There's a lot going on,” Garrett said when asked about his feet. “That's part of the game. I'm not going to make excuses. You don't win this game with excuses.”

Aside from the fumble on the opening kickoff, the Giants dominated the first half.

Jones was nearly perfect, completing 17 of 19 passes, and at one point even 12 in a row.

New York's defense kept the pressure on Watson, sacking him four times, with Brian Burns stripping the ball from the Cleveland quarterback, setting up Jones' second touchdown pass to Nabers with 11 seconds left in the first half to give the Giants a 21-7 lead.

Injuries

Giants: CB Dru Phillips (calf) was out for the first half and CB Adoree' Jackson (calf) was injured in the third quarter. … ILB Michah McFadden (back) was out for the start of the fourth quarter. … WR Darius Slayton (thumb) was also injured in the second half.

Browns: Stefanski said all three linemen will undergo imaging tests. … Cooper was slow to get going in Cleveland's second-to-last game but said he's doing OK.

Next

Giants: Host Dallas on Thursday night.

Browns: Sunday in Las Vegas.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL