Giants defensive curveball leads to relentless pounding of Deshaun Watson

CLEVELAND — The team that does not specialize in applying pressure via the blitz changed things up and that made all the difference.“I mean, they switched up the game plan,” Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson said Sunday, after he finally picked himself up off the turf after a hard day’s work at Huntington Bank Field.The Giants sacked Watson eight times and hit him 17 times, severe punishment that had Browns fans booing and jeering as the Giants went on the road and notched their first victory of the season, 21-15.Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is not known for heavy blitz packages, preferring to rely on establishing pressure up front with his four defensive linemen.The Browns started out double-teaming both edge players, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Bowen adjusted by sending pressure up the middle, where Dexter Lawrence was dominating anyway.“We knew there would be opportunities to get home because he’s a dynamic player, he looks for the big play, he likes to extend play,” Burns said.

“We just kept in our minds to stay relentless and stay in the rush and that’s kind of what we did.”Lawrence led the charge with two sacks and nine different players had their hands on the eight sacks.Watson did not help himself by holding onto the ball far too long, at times seemingly unaware where the rush was coming from.Burns blew by left tackle Dawand Jones on a strip-sack late in the second quarter, recovered by rookie Elijah Chatman, leading to a Giants touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the first half.

Chatman, an undrafted rookie from SMU, notched his first NFL sack in the first quarter.“It’s kinda just instinct when you’re coming around the edge,’’ Burns said of his strip-sack.“I felt like he was getting ready to wind up and I just waited a little bit and aimed for his arm, got the ball out.’’Burns was listed as questionable going into the game, added to the injury report late last week with a groin issue.

He went through...