Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals and Jevón Holland intercepted Cam Ward in the end zone in the final seconds as the Giants held off Tennessee, 12-7.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants did not score a touchdown Sunday afternoon, but they found another way to win.
Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada supplied all 12 points, the defense kept Tennessee off the scoreboard for more than three quarters, and Jevón Holland intercepted Titans quarterback Cam Ward in the end zone in the closing seconds to preserve a 12-7 Giants victory at MetLife Stadium.
The win moved the Giants to 2-1 and gave New York its second home victory of the season.
Holland Ends Tennessee’s Final Threat
Tennessee finally broke through with 5:39 remaining when Ward found Wan’Dale Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown, cutting a 12-0 Giants lead to 12-7.
The Titans then got the football back and drove deep into Giants territory in the final minute.
Ward completed an 11-yard pass to Elic Ayomanor that moved Tennessee to the New York 7-yard line, putting the Titans within one play of taking the lead.
But with 24 seconds remaining, Ward tried to throw into the end zone and Holland stepped in front of the pass for the game-sealing interception.
Holland has now recorded an interception in each of the Giants’ first three games.
Giants coach John Harbaugh said the type of game told him plenty about his team.
“Even before the game, I mentioned on the phones to a couple of people, we’re going to find out a lot about ourselves as a football team right now in this game,” Harbaugh said in the team’s official postgame recap. “I didn’t really expect it to go the way it did, but it never goes the way you expect it to go.”
Zvada Accounts for Every Giants Point
With the offense unable to finish drives in the end zone, Zvada became the difference.
He connected from 39 yards in the first quarter, 27 and 39 yards in the second quarter and 30 yards in the third.
That gave New York a 12-0 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Giants finished with just 238 total yards, but they controlled the football for more than 34 minutes and committed no turnovers.
Tennessee gained 262 yards but turned the ball over twice.
Winston Manages Game Without Turnover
Jameis Winston made his first start since Jaxson Dart suffered a knee injury that is expected to keep him out for at least the rest of the regular season.
Winston completed 14 of 22 passes for 118 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He was sacked three times but also scrambled for 14 yards.
Harbaugh confirmed after the game that Winston is expected to remain the starter when the Giants host Arizona next week, according to the NFL’s postgame report.
The Giants leaned heavily on the ground game in poor weather conditions, running 33 times compared with 22 pass attempts.
Cam Skattebo carried 20 times for 60 yards and added three catches for 40 yards. Najee Harris ran nine times for 52 yards.
“As a running back, you kind of pray for days like these because you know you are going to touch the football a lot,” Skattebo said. “It’s awesome. I felt great, I was ready to go, and we’re moving onto the next game.”
Giants Defense Controls Most of Afternoon
The Giants defense kept Tennessee scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter.
Rookie linebacker Arvell Reese finished with 14 tackles, including a heavy workload in a game where the Titans struggled to establish consistent drives.
“I felt enough of Reese to give him a game ball,” Harbaugh said. “He had 14 tackles, maybe 10 or 11 unassisted tackles. He was definitely all over the field today.”
Ward finished 23 of 36 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Tony Pollard led Tennessee on the ground with 74 yards on 17 carries, while Robinson caught seven passes for 57 yards and Tennessee’s only touchdown.
Injury Concern for Brian Burns
The Giants did leave the game with another injury concern.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns, who entered Sunday dealing with an ankle issue, left the game with a knee injury during the fourth quarter.
Harbaugh said Burns was scheduled to undergo an MRI.
“There is some hope there, but we won’t know until we see the MRI,” Harbaugh said.
New York now turns its attention to another home game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 4.
The Giants are 2-0 at MetLife Stadium under Harbaugh and 2-1 overall through three games.

