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That’s what the New York Giants envisioned when they formed this team.
Daniel Jones throwing darts – or “Dimes,” if you prefer – and leading strong comebacks. Saquon Barkley is a game-changer. Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay and John Ross do plays. Graham Gano being clutch. Defense stops when necessary.
It’s just a shame it took four games and three brutal losses for this version of the Giants to show up.
Let’s review the “Kudos & Wet Willies”.
Congratulations to…
Daniel Jones – If you’re going to pitch for pitch, you can find some 40 Jones shots on Sunday that were off target. I can think of one in Saquon Barkley and one in Evan Engram. But, come on, you can’t really play much better than Jones on Sunday afternoon. Pro Football Focus had Jones’ adjusted completion percentage of 86.8, and his 9.9 yards per attempt is more than three yards above his career average.
Throughout the second half, Jones threw big throw after big throw. If you ask me, what we saw on Sunday from Jones is what the great quarterback is supposed to look like.
Saquon Barkley – There were a few hesitant descents early in the match that caused you to complain about Barkley’s unwillingness to go north and south. For the first time in a long time, however, Barkley finally reminded everyone that he was Saquon Barkley. He totaled 126 attacking yards in his best performance of the season, was exceptional as a receiver with five catches for 74 yards and one touchdown, and ran hard when it counted in the end. It was the best we’ve seen Barkley since the Week 15 game against Washington in 2019 when he totaled 279 yards of attack. It was a welcome sight.
Kadarius Toney – As I wrote on Sunday night, Toney’s performance against the Saints showed why the Giants drafted him. Toney had six catches for 78 yards and he left Saints defensemen all over the field fidgeting as he passed them. His third and 18 year conversion was it. Elusiveness, competitiveness, speed, ball safety. Toney showed it all. Perhaps the Giants were too slow to fully integrate Toney’s skills into the offense.
Kenny Golladay – The Giants’ $ 72 million free receiver showed on Sunday why the Giants handed him that big pile of money. Golladay had six catches on seven targets for 116 yards. Golladay had a 28-yard catch-and-run with: 58 left in regulation, catching a short pass, bouncing off a tackle attempt and making a big play. He caught a 23-yard overtime catch to establish Barkley’s winning score.
Protection pass – No bag allowed in 40 attempted passes. Andrew Thomas was a rock at the left tackle. The rest of the Fortune Line was pretty good.
Kyle Rudolph’s fumble recovery skills – Saquon Barkley NEVER fumbles. Entering Sunday, he managed a career fumble with 694 touches. Still, in overtime, with the Giants on the verge of victory, the ball slipped across the turf of Caesar’s Superdome, having escaped Barkley’s grip as he desperately tried to play. Are the Giants about to snatch another defeat from the clutches of victory? Not this time, because Rudolph circled the ball at the New Orleans 35-yard line. Three games later, the Giants were the winners.
Dexter Lawrence – Sexy Dexy practically blew up New Orleans’ first possession on his own, with a defended pass and a loss tackle on an attempted on-screen pass that ended up forcing a punt from New Orleans. Lawrence finished with six tackles
John Ross – Ross’s 52-yard recovery touchdown is exactly the kind of play the Giants hoped Ross would make for them. Ross used his speed to open up, made his way to the end zone, then had the awareness and the energy to fall on the ball when he dropped it. The Giants don’t win without this game.
Wet Willies at …
pass rush – The fact that he deserved a ‘Wet Willie’ at least means that he deserved a mention. The “pass rush” was really non-existent. The Giants have had just one hit over Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill in 26 passing attempts. It won’t be a winning recipe very often.
Running defense – I’m not even sure I want to know how many tackles the Giants missed. They allowed New Orleans rushing for 170 yards on 39 attempts, 4.4 yards per carry. Several times they seemed unwilling to tackle Taysom Hill. As with the pass rush, this kind of all-round defense against the run is not a recipe for success.
Decisions in fourth position – All’s well that ends well, but I once again find myself at odds with Joe Judge’s fourth down decisions. As I detailed on Sunday night, I thought there were at least two occasions against the Saints where the correct – and obvious – play was to try for the first down. The judge kicked. The Giants won the game, but I thought Judge made it harder for the players.
Kwillies to …
James Bradberry – Give up a 52-yard run on the first play of the second half, but rebounded with a big interception from Taysom Hill.
Graham Gano – Got a 35 yard field goal left for his first miss in 38 downs. Landed a 48-yard equalizer with: 31 left in regulation to compensate.
Defense – For all the things the Giants did wrong in defense – tackles, pass rush, overall run defense – they got three huge saves. The Giants stopped New Orleans twice in the fourth quarter to give the offense a chance to come back. They also made a fourth and 3-point save with New Orleans on the Giants 29-yard line in the first quarter.
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