Safety Stevie Brown’s three takeaways gave the Giants a major boost en route to their 29-24 win over the Cowboys and they have also made him the NFC defensive player of the week.
Brown intercepted Tony Romo twice on Sunday and also recovered a fumble by running back Felix Jones in the fourth quarter to set up the last of Lawrence Tynes’ five field goals. Brown’s game continued a strong stretch for the journeyman who has stepped in for Kenny Phillips well enough to make the loss of the starter a non-issue for the Giants over the last month.
Brown has four interceptions in his four starts for the Giants, all of which have ended with the Giants celebrating a victory. While Phillips is getting closer to a return from the knee sprain that has kept him on the sideline, Brown has done enough to ensure himself a role in the Giants secondary over the rest of the season. He could fill a role that Deon Grant filled in 2011 as a third safety that helps the Giants overcome shortages at cornerback caused by injury.
Antrel Rolle, the other starter at safety for the Giants, picked up a head injury in the Dallas game so there almost certainly won’t be any significant change to Brown’s status in the immediate future.