The duality of the Giants’ defense last Sunday in Washington was that while it didn’t allow a touchdown, it also didn’t force a punt. Not once! The Commanders scored on all their drives with seven field goals, the exception being a kneel down at the end of the first half. It allowed Washington to dominate time of possession (37:32 to 22:28) and ultimately come away with a 21-18 win on a last-minute field-goal drive. “We can’t let them down there seven times,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said this week. “We can’t. We got to be better out in the field. We got to make sure we’re getting off the field on third down, doing our part and not fouling on third down to extend drives. So, a lot to improve upon.” The Giants weren’t the only ones kicking themselves in the foot. The Commanders committed five false starts in the red zone and four inside the 10-yard line. So as much as the Giants’ defense may have tightened up when the field became less vertical, it also had help from an offense with a rookie quarterback. It likely won’t have that same luxury when it travels to face Deshaun Watson and the Browns on Sunday in Cleveland. Moreover, the Commanders were able to control the clock in that game because they ran the ball 35 times for a whopping 215 yards. Brian Robinson Jr. looked like the second coming of Barry Sanders with the Giants’ inability to penetrate the interior or tackle well at any part of the field. “Personally, I’m pissed because I hate losing with a passion,” All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “I really don’t like it. For me, it’s just something that I’m not going to keep accepting. I want to see this team grow and be as good as we put on throughout the week in practice. It’s just that one day. That Sunday or that Thursday or whatever day. We’ve got to show up.” Lawrence, one of the team’s five captains, pointed to bad tackling and penalties as the reasons why the Giants’ defense was on the field for so long in Week 2. He vowed that it will get better because of the players’ attitude and approach behind the scenes. These are just two weeks of growing pains, Lawrence insisted, and you can’t compare last season’s team to this one. While those are nice sentiments and no one can doubt that the players hate losing, it’s hard to forecast significantly better play from the Giants’ run defense in particular given the personnel. That’s a shame because Bowen’s Titans defenses allowed the fewest rushing yards in the league during Bowen’s three seasons in Tennessee from 2021-23. It’s a major reason why head coach Brian Daboll hired him. But the problem is that general manager Joe Schoen did little to address the interior line depth in the offseason. Last season the Giants had veteran run stoppers like Leonard Williams and A’Shawn Robinson, and now players like undrafted rookie Elijah Chatman and 2022 fifth-round pick D.J. Davidson are playing prominent roles. Still, fundamental tackling can always get better, and you’d expect the Giants to improve their run fits as they adjust to Bowen’s system, which is much different from predecessor Wink Martindale’s. The Giants were blitzing more, playing more man coverage and using different formations up front last year. And even if total yards remain an issue, being a classic “bend but don’t break” defense will pay off in future games where the Giants score more points and, you know, don’t have their kicker get injured on the opening kickoff like in Washington. It’s just hard to see everything coming together in this tough Week 3 road matchup. The Browns complement an elite defense with a strong rushing attack. Running back Jerome Ford is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and backup Jameis Winston both help the offense pick up key yards on the ground as well. If the Giants are going to begin digging out of their 0-2 hole, their best bet to win is through the turnover battle in what could be a low-scoring game. The Browns are averaging only 17.5 points with two turnovers and no takeaways. “You have a 1-0 mentality, and you focus on what you can control and that’s practice,” said inside linebacker Bobby Okereke, another team captain. “We’ll have an emphasis on run fits, an emphasis on tackling and an emphasis on discipline, doing our job. Giants Gameday The Game: Giants (0-2) at Browns (1-1), Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX) The Line: Cleveland by 6.5 History: The Browns lead the all-time series, 28-22-2, and won the most recent meeting in 2020 in East Rutherford, 20-6. The Giants won in Cleveland in 2016. Key Matchups: Giants LT Andrew Thomas vs. Browns DE Myles Garrett: It’s a battle between two All-Pro players, though the Browns will also move Garrett around the defensive line. Garrett had a strip-sack in each of Cleveland’s first two games, which is something the Giants can’t afford to let happen to quarterback Daniel Jones. Giants WR Malik Nabers vs. Browns CB Denzel Ward: The rookie Nabers went off for 10 catches, 127 yards and one touchdown in Week 2. He gets a tougher matchup now against the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Ward has defended four passes so far but has been nursing a shoulder injury, so Nabers could have the upper hand. Giants run defense vs. Browns RB Jerome Ford: The Giants have been dreadful defending the run with 326 yards allowed to Minnesota and Washington. The Browns have been more of a pass-oriented offense so far, but Ford averaged 5.7 yards on 19 carries against Dallas and Jacksonville. Giants CB Deonte Banks vs. Browns WR Jerry Jeudy: A first-round pick of the Broncos in 2020, Jeudy has gotten off to a solid start in Cleveland since signing a three-year contract in March with eight catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Banks is coming off a good performance in Washington where he helped the Giants limit Terry McLaurin to 22 yards. Injury Report: Giants: OUT: CB Nick McCloud (knee); OLB Brian Burns (groin), IL Darius Muasau (knee). Browns: OUT: TE David Njoku (ankle), RB Pierre Strong Jr. (hamstring); OT Jack Conklin (knee), OT Jedrick Willis Jr. (knee). Giant Facts: The Giants’ 41.67 third-down conversion percentage ranks 23rd. … The Browns are one of nine teams with a worse turnover differential (-2) than the Giants (-1). … Last week the Giants became the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns, allow none and still lose a game in regulation. The 1989 Los Angeles Rams are the only other team to lose with that scoring but did so in overtime. The other 1,294 teams with that scoring won the game. The Prediction: Browns 20, Giants 13