5 things to watch as Giants Face Titans In Week 3 Of 2026 Nfl Season

The Giants are regrouping following Monday night's disappointing 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. 

The loss of QB Jaxson Dart for the remainder of the regular season was compounded by further injuries to key starters on both sides of the ball. 

Can Sunday's clash against the 0-2 Titans be a "get right" game for New York?

Here are the storylines to watch as Big Blue looks to bounce back…

Jameis Winston takes the reins

Dart's devastating injury has the potential to derail a promising first season for John Harbaugh as Giants head coach. However, at least New York has one of the NFL's more experienced backups in Winston.

Unfortunately, when Winston was called upon against the Rams, he responded poorly. 

The veteran backup struggled from the start, completing just one of his first six passes for one total yard. He ended up completing just 11 of 27 passes for 111 yards and threw a costly red zone pick with the Giants set up to cut into the deficit heading into halftime. 

Winston has had plenty of success in his career, but he's always been inconsistent. With a good team around him, he's shown he can win games, and optimism will pick up if he can defeat the Titans in a very winnable game.

Familiar faces look to step up against their old team

After being fired as the Giants' head coach midseason last year, Brian Daboll landed on Tennessee's staff as their new offensive coordinator, and he may be looking for a measure of revenge on Sunday.

A handful of players Daboll coached with the Giants now play key roles for the Titans, and they should be motivated to perform well on Sunday, too. That includes WR Wan'Dale Robinson, who will be looking for a breakout game after being held to just 47 yards and six catches so far this season.

The other former Giants in key roles are starting C Austin Schlottmann, CB Cor'Dale Flott and TE Daniel Bellinger, although Flott missed the last game due to injury and Bellinger is off to a slow start. 

Can Malik Nabers get going?

The Giants must have breathed a sigh of relief when Nabers returned to the game against the Rams after briefly departing in significant pain due to a shoulder injury.

However, he was completely ineffective during the game, ending up with just one catch for one yard.

This could be attributed to the fact that he's still not completely confident playing on his surgically repaired knee, but he seemed to be over that in Week 1, bringing in six passes for 69 yards in the win over Dallas.

With Winston known as a quarterback who is not afraid to take risks and air it out air it out, Nabers might actually enjoy playing with him, and the pair could quickly establish chemistry.

Watch out for Jeffery Simmons

The Titans' biggest weapon is Simmons, who is regarded as one of the best defensive linemen in the league.

Simmons racked up a whopping 11 sacks last season and is a force against the run, so he'll provide a major challenge for John Michael Schmitz, Jon Runyan, Jr. and the rookie Francis Mauigoa.

In this regard, facing star Rams DT Aaron Donald in Week 2 might have been useful in preparing New York for this challenge.

The Giants need more from their pass rush

New York's pass rush was one of their greatest strengths over the past few seasons, but they have gotten off to a slow start in Harbaugh's 3-4 system.

Abdul Carter broke through with a sack late in Monday night's game, but it was the only sack the Giants have registered so far this season. They also have just five quarterback hits over the first two games.

Brian Burns' ankle injury doesn't exactly help, even though he wasn't producing like last season so far in 2026. New York will need Kayvon Thibodeaux to step up in Burns' absence. They may also look to employ rookie LB Arvell Reese more as a pass rusher, as he has been struggling in coverage.