DENVER -- Coach Ben McAdoo was right. Nobody gave his New York Giants a chance on Sunday night.

The Giants were 13.5-point underdogs to the Denver Broncos. They opened the week as nine-point underdogs and, as player after player was ruled out by injury, the doubt only increased. There was no way they were going into Denver for a prime-time game without their top three wide receivers and seven starters and leave with a victory.

Wrong. That’s why they play the games. The Giants stunned the Broncos 23-10 for their first victory of the season.

“Even my friends had no belief that we would get this done,” said tight end Evan Engram, who accounted for 82 of the Giants’ 128 receiving yards.

But they won. The Giants (1-5) are no longer in the same winless category as the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns.

How they did it ...

McAdoo gave up playcalling

McAdoo didn’t call plays for the first time in a regular-season game since he was hired as the offensive coordinator in 2014. This can’t be minimized. McAdoo was able to concentrate on being the head coach; offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan handled the playcalling. It's a massive change that many had been demanding for weeks.

“I need to do what is best for the team, just like we ask the players and just like we ask the coaches,” McAdoo said. “I thought the team and the whole locker room needed me this week. I needed to be at my best for these players and coaches this week.”

Sullivan had a good mix of run and pass. The Giants looked especially effective as he pushed the right buttons on the opening drive when they went 69 yards on 13 plays and settled for a momentum-setting field goal.

The Giants' offense didn’t exactly light it up (264 total yards), but they moved the ball somewhat consistently against the league’s top defense with Sullivan calling the plays. That’s a win considering what he was working with as life without Odell Beckham Jr. began.

They rushed for more yards (148) than they passed (118) for on Sunday night.

“We knew it was going to be a different type of game,” quarterback Eli Manning said. “We were going up against a good defense. We knew we were going to have to run it and keep running it and stick with it. I thought the guys did a nice job.”

Revamped offensive line

The Giants went with their fifth different offensive line combination in six games. This one with (from left to right) Ereck Flowers, John Jerry, Brett Jones, D.J. Fluker and Justin Pugh worked.

Fluker’s block coming across the formation on a trap sprung running back Orleans Darkwa for a 47-yard run in the first half. Pugh also held up well matched mostly against Broncos star defensive end Von Miller, who didn’t do much until he recorded a sack in the fourth quarter.

“Chip him, run at him. That was a team effort getting him blocked,” Pugh said. “There was one spin move where he got pressure on Eli and it was like he teleported. … He’s the best pass-rusher in the NFL in my opinion.”

The Giants' line performed relatively well in a loud and difficult environment. The team rushed for 148 yards. Darkwa had a career high 117 yards.

Improved defense

Remember last season when the Giants' defense carried the team? It finally looked like that unit against the Broncos by stuffing the run and making big plays.

Denver rushed for just 46 yards. With Damon Harrison clogging the middle, Kerry Wynn stout at right defensive end, B.J. Goodson all over the field from his middle linebacker spot and the Giants’ cornerbacks playing physical on the edges, the Broncos fell into an early deficit and had 30 yards rushing in the first half.

The Giants' defense even provided some points. It helped that Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian played poorly, but the Giants had two interceptions after only one in the first five weeks. One went for a touchdown when Janoris Jenkins, playing in a zone, jumped in front of a Denver receiver and went 43 yards for the score.

Cornerback Eli Apple also had his best game of the season after struggling early and being benched last week. He allowed one reception for 3 yards on a handful of targets in the first half. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul also played his best game of the year and had three sacks.

“It’s all about the guys,” Pierre-Paul said. “We came out and we played for each other.”

The league's top red zone defense last year produced a goal-line stop and allowed one late touchdown. The recipe for success that worked for them last season (play good defense, create turnovers and do just enough on offense) produced the stunning upset.