The Giants suffered their first lost of the season tonight in Cleveland as the Browns defeated Big Blue by a score of 35 to 14. It was their first road loss since Week One of 2007, ending an 11-game streak.

It was apparent early on that the Browns had come to play. On their first posesssion, the Browns marched down the field on a five minute drive. While they settled for a field goal, this would be a sign of things to come as they dominated the Giants in time of possession. When the Giants did have the ball they were unable to close the deal, as Eli Manning threw three interceptions, two of them in or near the red zone.

The Giants got on the board early in the second quarter after Browns kicker Phil Dawson missed a 51-yard field goal. A 24-yard pass to Kevin Boss put the Giants into Browns territory and a series of runs by Derrick Ward set up a touchdown run from the 7 yard line for Brandon Jacobs who celebrated by doing a tip toe dance, mocking Corey Williams‘ trash talk during the week.

Jacobs didn’t do much dancing the rest of the game, winding up with just 67 yards and more or less shut down by the Browns defense. Derrick Ward was more successful, carrying the ball 10 times for 101 yards. The Browns would drive and score a field goal to regain the lead which they added to with a drive capped by a long pass by Derek Anderson to Darnell Dinkins.

The Giants cut the Browns lead to 3 before the half. Eli Manning targeted Steve Smith three plays in a row leading them to the Browns 21-yard line. Smith led Giants receivers with 9 catches for 94 yards. Eli fumbled the ball soon after that sequence, but had it overturned by an illegal contact penalty called on Browns safety Mike Adams. With the fumble wiped out, the Giants were able to extend the drive and Eli capped it with a short pass to Plaxico Burress for a touchdown. Burress caught 4 passes for 58 yards in his return from suspension.

The first drive of the second half by the Giants ended when Brandon McDonald intercepted a pass intended for Eli Manning. That led to a Browns field goal, giving them a 20-14 lead. The Browns ended a the quarter with a long eight minute drive that was capped by a Braylon Edwards touchdown, extending their lead to 27-14. Edwards had 154 yards and a touchdown on 5 catches. Aaron Ross was injured on the play and did not return.

Things got out of hand from there, Eli Manning drove the Giants down to the Cleveland 9, but on second-and-4, Eli attempted a pass to Amani Toomer, that was intercepted by Eric Wright, who returned it 94-yards for a touchdown, adding on a 2-point conversion making it 35-14.

The Giants would not recover from there, failing to score on their final possession.

This was the Browns team that folks were expecting to see on Week One that had not shown up until this evening. The Giants simply did not come prepared to respond, and were unable to contain the Browns defensively. Eli Manning had his worst game in some time, throwing inaccurate passes at key moments.

A disappointing loss for Big Blue, who were mocked by Browns fans who chanted “Over-rated” at the visiting Giants in the closing minutes. The Giants will look to bounce back and prove they are still worthy of the praise they’ve received before this evening. They will have that chance when they return home next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.