The Giants have taken the town by storm with another comeback win on Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens to improve to 5-1 on the season. Safe to say that not many had predicted Brian Daboll’s Giants to get off to the start that they have or have just one loss through the first six weeks, especially with wins over the Green Bay Packers and Ravens.
Daboll said that New York still had plenty to clean up after his team picked up the come-from-behind victory at MetLife Stadium and the Giants did allow the Ravens over 200 yards on the ground. Still, the play of Daniel Jones and the defense came up big when they needed it the most.
Let’s take a look back at a big win for the Giants.
Duds
Here’s a look at some of the bad.
Rushing defense
The Giants’ defense played a huge part in the 24-20 win over the Ravens, but we would be remiss if it wasn’t noted how many yards Baltimore picked up on the ground. It wasn’t their finest hour in that regard and Kenyan Drake alone rushed for 119 of the 211 total running yards on Sunday. Lamar Jackson had 77 of his rushing yards in the loss.
In particular, the Ravens had an easy time penetrating the middle of the field while on the ground. Of the 119 yards that Drake finished with, 64 of those came on four attempts on the inside left, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Giants doubters
There are a number of people that doubted the Giants’ ability to win this season, even up until as recently as last week, but New York is doing everything it can to silence the critics after their latest win. Now that’s not to say things could swing the other way for the Giants and it was back in 2009 when they had another strong start only to finish the year 8-8.
All of that taken into account, those that didn’t think the Nets would see a Giants team that would be this competitive or even scratch four wins have plenty of egg on their face.
Run game
The Giants’ run game was hampered by the fact that Saquon Barkley was dealing with a shoulder issue and that played a large part in why New York only moved the ball a total of 83 yards on the ground. They were held to just 16 in the first half and their total running yards fell well short of the 179 thy had averaged this season.
Studs
Now here’s a look at the good.
Daniel Jones
The Giants quarterback is building his case to be the team’s signal caller for the foreseeable future with every game he’s on the field for. Daniel Jones’ execution hasn’t been perfect, but he completed 19 of his 27 passes for 197 yards on Sunday, which included two touchdowns and no interceptions.
It was his smart playmaking ability that helped lead the Giants down the field after they fell behind in the second half. Considering what Jones has done with the limited receiving options that he has had so far this season, he deserves the accolades for getting the Giants off to the start they’ve had.
Wan’Dale Robinson
The rookie receiver made two big catches on the Giant’s first touchdown drive of the afternoon. Jones hit Robinson with a 15-yard pass earlier in the sequence and then he snagged the five-yard touchdown pass moments later.
While it wasn’t his NFL debut, Sunday at the Meadowlands basically served as it since he played so little in the season opener in Tennesee before he got injured in that game. The Giants have some high hopes for the rookie wideout and he came through when they needed him on Sunday. In the end he finished with three receptions for 37 yards and was the second-most-targeted receiver on the field for New York.
Daniel Bellinger
Another rookie makes the studs category after he led the team in receptions with five for 38 yards and a touchdown that pulled the Giants within three of the Ravens in the fourth. He has managed to make big plays over the course of the season and has a team-leading two receiving touchdowns.
Through the first six weeks, he has 15 receptions for 159 yards and during the win on Sunday he was on the field for 94% of the snaps.
“My biggest thing is I just want to keep growing as a player. Keep growing the trust with the coaches, the quarterback and the whole offense,” Bellinger told amNewYork. “I think I’m doing that, but I still have to take some strides.”
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Kayvon Thibodeaux
It was clearly a big game for rookies and Thibodeaux was no exception of that. The edge rusher sealed the win with a sack that forced a fumble that New York recovered in the closing minute of the game. Additionally, he had three tackles for the Giants.
The play at the end will be the most memorable moment for Thibodeaux, almost as memorable as his emotional reaction after the win. The rookie may have made crying cool after he celebrated with tears in his eyes.
“It’s a blessing. It was the greatest moment,” he said afterward. “I really sat out there and cried just because the emotion I felt that now, I’m in the NFL. Now that you can really contribute and this is what they pay me to be here for, so the fact that I was able to get it done is a great feeling.”
