Giants rally past Cardinals as Jameis Winston throws three TDs and Deonte Banks ends it with a 98-yard return

A 14-3 hole did not last

Arizona landed the first two touchdowns and looked ready to control the afternoon. Jacoby Brissett hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 12-yard score at 11:08 of the first quarter, and after Dominic Zvada answered with a 39-yard field goal, Tyler Allgeier broke loose for a 22-yard touchdown run at 3:05 to make it 14-3.

The Giants did not erase that margin in one burst. They chipped at it first, with Zvada's 50-yard field goal 14:55 into the second quarter, then finally started turning yards into touchdowns. Winston found Malachi Fields from 12 yards out with 4:30 left in the half, although the failed two-point try kept New York behind at 14-12. Two minutes later, Winston went back to the air and found Malik Nabers for a 25-yard touchdown that pushed the Giants in front 19-14.

That sequence changed the shape of the game even if Arizona stole the last points of the half. Chad Ryland drilled a 60-yard field goal at the second-quarter horn to trim the Giants' lead to 19-17, but the larger story by then was New York's recovery. After managing only three points in the first quarter, the Giants had put up 16 in the second and forced Arizona to play from a less comfortable script.

Winston and the receivers kept finding answers

Arizona still had another push. Brissett connected with Elijah Higgins for a 2-yard touchdown at 7:20 of the third quarter, restoring a Cardinals lead at 24-19. That could have been the moment the game tilted back the other way. Instead, Winston answered again, and this time the Giants paired the touchdown with the extra detail that mattered. His 11-yard scoring pass to Theo Johnson at 1:44 of the third quarter tied the comeback to execution, and Najee Harris converted the two-point run for a 27-24 edge.

New York never found much on the ground, finishing with 87 rushing yards on 28 carries, so the passing game had to carry the weight. Winston did that with an uneven but productive line: 18 completions on 29 attempts for 250 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Nabers was the clearest game-breaker, catching six passes for 112 yards and a score, while Isaiah Likely added seven catches for 66 yards and Fields chipped in 52 yards on only two receptions. Those are not empty numbers; they explain how the Giants kept generating points even without a strong run game.

Zvada's right leg helped finish the job. After his earlier makes from 39 and 50 yards, he added a 52-yarder with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter for a 30-24 lead. Arizona still had one last possession, but it ended with the game's sharpest defensive moment. Banks stepped in front of Brissett's pass and returned the interception 98 yards for a touchdown as time expired, turning a tense one-score finish into a 12-point final margin.

The Cardinals had useful individual days, but not enough clean offence once the game tightened. Michael Wilson caught seven passes for 95 yards, Allgeier ran eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown, and Brissett added two scoring throws. The problem was the rest of the line: three interceptions, 270 total yards and only 4 of 12 on third down. Arizona moved well enough early, yet too many later possessions stopped short.

Our take: The Giants were better where the game usually turns

This was not a pristine win. The Giants turned the ball over three times themselves, and Winston's two interceptions plus Najee Harris's lost fumble kept Arizona within reach longer than New York would have liked. But the Giants were better in the categories that usually decide messy games. They averaged 5.2 yards per play to Arizona's 4.3, converted third down at a 7-for-15 clip compared with the Cardinals' 4-for-12, and held the ball for 32:13. New York did not need statistical domination; it needed more useful offence, and it got it.

There is still a caution flag attached to the result. A team that rushes for only 87 yards at 3.1 per carry and gives the ball away three times is asking its passing game and defence to solve too much. On this day, the Giants had enough answers: Winston's three touchdown throws, Nabers's vertical production, Zvada's perfect 3-for-3 afternoon on field goals and a secondary that came away with three interceptions. That is a solid formula for one Sunday, not a comfortable one to test every week.

For Arizona, the path forward looks clearer than the final score suggests. The Cardinals ran for 123 yards and opened with two first-quarter touchdowns, so the base offence was not broken. What failed was the ability to sustain it once New York started matching scores. Brissett averaged 4.7 yards per attempt, Trey McBride's seven catches produced only 31 yards, and the three interceptions wiped out any margin for error. When a team starts fast and still finishes with 24 points, the missing piece is usually efficiency after the script changes. The Giants adjusted to that reality better than the Cardinals did.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 11:08

   Marvin Harrison Jr. 12 Yd pass from Jacoby Brissett (Chad Ryland Kick)

2. Period 1 · 6:36

   Dominic Zvada 39 Yd Field Goal

3. Period 1 · 3:05

   Tyler Allgeier 22 Yd Rush (Chad Ryland Kick)

4. Period 2 · 14:55

   Dominic Zvada 50 Yd Field Goal

5. Period 2 · 4:30

   Malachi Fields 12 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Two-Point Pass Conversion Failed)

6. Period 2 · 2:24

   Malik Nabers 25 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Dominic Zvada Kick)

7. Period 2 · 0:00

   Chad Ryland 60 Yd Field Goal

8. Period 3 · 7:20

   Elijah Higgins 2 Yd pass from Jacoby Brissett (Chad Ryland Kick)

9. Period 3 · 1:44

   Theo Johnson 11 Yd pass from Jameis Winston (Najee Harris Run for Two-Point Conversion)

10. Period 4 · 2:11

    Dominic Zvada 52 Yd Field Goal

11. Period 4 · 0:00

    Deonte Banks 98 Yd Interception Return