Ahmad Bradshaw had not run for more than 100 yards since Week Six of the 2011 season and he spent much of Sunday making up for lost time.
Bradshaw, whose fumble on the opening play helped the Browns open up an early 14-0 lead in New Jersey, ran for 200 yards and a touchdown to lead the way to a 41-27 Giants win. Bradshaw ran through holes as wide as a running back could ever hope to see, a welcome development for a Giants offense that hasn’t seen many of those during Bradshaw’s long stretch between games north of the century mark. The courtesy extended to rookie David Wilson, who got a shot to get out of the doghouse with Andre Brown suffering a head injury and made the most of it with an untouched 40-yard touchdown run that flashed the speed that made him a first-round pick.
The other half of the Giants offense was just fine as well. Eli Manning completed 25 of 37 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were caught by Victor Cruz. That’s a lot of salsa dancing and it is a win that the Giants needed with their schedule taking a rougher turn as the season progresses over the final 11 weeks.
Cleveland had some bright moments on offense in the first half, but they weren’t able to keep up with the Giants once the home side found its footing. Brandon Weeden was picked in the end zone with a chance to cut the score to seven points in the fourth quarter -- one play after he amusingly tried to throw a second forward pass after his first attempt was batted back into his hands -- and the combination of the score made it hard to keep going to an effective Trent Richardson in the second half. There were signs of growth, but it was an 11th straight loss all the same.