If embattled head coach Brian Daboll could afford a sense of humor, he would have inserted Dexter Lawrence at fullback and handed the ball to the mountainous 340-pounder to finish what he started. 

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Lawrence returned his first career interception 37 yards to the 3-yard line Sunday as one of the highlights of the Giants’ 21-18 victory against Justin Herbert’s Chargers.

It was a bit of redemption for Lawrence, who let what would have been a crucial late-game interception slip away in a loss to the Cowboys two weeks earlier. 

“He just threw it right over my head. I put my hands up,” Lawrence said. “[Against] Dallas, I missed it. This week, I got it.” 

Lawrence was tripped up by Herbert as he tried to stretch for the goal line. 

“I tell everybody I’m the fastest,” Lawrence said. “I thought I was going to score. I knew he was going to go low. I couldn’t catch my feet quick enough and went down.” 

The Giants settled for a field goal after a painfully conservative series of three straight runs.

Giving the ball to Lawrence isn’t a real option, though it wouldn’t be worse than anything else that the offense has tried in the red zone (four touchdowns in 15 trips) through four games. 

“I needed to catch my wind,” Lawrence quipped. 

Lawrence still is searching for his first sack, but edge rushers Brian Burns, Abdul Carter and Kayvon Thibodeaux (20 combined pressures) credited Lawrence for redirecting double teams. 

“We clowned Dex about it when we played Dallas … the ball came to him and he dropped it, could’ve ended the game,” Thibodeaux said. “He showed up today. Super proud of him. And I’d love to see him get in the end zone.” 

LT Andrew Thomas played the entire game after he was limited to 25 snaps last week in his season debut after foot surgery. 

How does he feel? 

“Good,” Thomas said. “It was a tough one. Fought through. Glad to be out there with my teammates, continue to improve and get better so I can help us out.” 

Chargers LB Tuli Tuipulotu collected four sacks and a tackle for loss as a nightmare for the Giants’ offensive line. 

On special teams, Jude McAtamney — who won a practice-week competition against Younghoe Koo to replace the injured Graham Gano — made all three of his kicks (one PAT and field goals from 22 and 31 yards).

Two of his five kickoffs were touchbacks. 

CB Deonte Banks had his first two career kickoff returns, totaling 54 yards.

He also had an interception negated by an offside penalty on Carter. 

Jaxson Dart became just the seventh NFL QB since 1970, and the first since 2002, to win his first career start against an undefeated team with at least three wins, joining Phil Simms (1979), per ESPN.