On Sunday, the New York Giants(1-1) went into halftime trailing the Arizona Cardinals(0-2) 20-0. At that point, it appeared that the Giants were on their way to falling to 0-2.
The Giants, who were routed by the Cowboys 40-0 in Week 1, were the first team to surrender at least 60 points in a season before scoring since 1978.
However, the second half was a much different story for the Giants. New York trailed 28-7 in the third quarter, but they would score 24 straight points and take the lead on a Graham Gano 34-yard field goal as they defeated Arizona 31-28 at State Farm Stadium.
The last time New York came back from a 21-point deficit was in 1949.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and the offense struggled mightily in the first half. The team had zero points and had only 81 yards of total yards.
However, n the second half, Jones woke up. He completed 17/21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he scored a touchdown on the ground. Jones ended the night completing 26/37 passes for 317 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception(first half). He also added 59 yards on the ground.
The Giants finished the game with 439 total yards, the second-highest total of the 21-game Brian Daboll era and the most they’ve had in a victory.
Daboll was happy with how Jones finished the game.
“Yeah, I thought he finished strong,” Daboll said. “Played a really good second half. We had a couple of things that we could have improved on in the first half, (we) talked about those. But he is a resilient young man who went out there and played well along with, I’d say, a number of people.”
Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was also impressed by Jones’ resiliency.
“It’s resiliency,” Shepard said. “It’s something that we talk about all the time too. Those are two guys that are very competitive and want to win, and they play with a lot of heart and passion. That’s exactly what was just played.”
Jones, who improved to 8-1-1 in his last ten games following a loss (since Week 7, 2021), felt the team needed to execute better in the second half, which they did.
“I think it’s about execution, and you can’t really afford to think about any of that or get emotional or think about anything outside of what your job is, and that’s to execute and focus on one play at a time and being right there in that play and making sure you’re taking advantage of it and making good decisions, giving guys chances to make plays. That was my focus, and I thought we did that well as a team.”
New York avoided disaster on Sunday. This would have been a terrible loss but credit to Jones and the rest of this team for getting things right in the second half.
Saquon Barkley:
Barkley led the Giants with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run, and tied with Darren Waller for the team lead with six receptions (for 29 yards, including a nine-yard score).
However, late in the game, Barkley injured his right ankle. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Barkley is scheduled to undergo an MRI on the ankle Monday in Arizona to determine the severity of his injury and how much time he could miss.
Entering the 2023 NFL season, there was a lot of excitement surrounding the New York Giants. However, that excitement has been quieted down for now after New York(0-1) was routed by the Cowboys 40-0 in the season opener at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night.
Dallas(1-0) scored its first points of the season after a block field goal that Noah Igbinoghene returned 58 yards for a touchdown; after a field goal that made it 9-0, the Cowboys would score again as DaRon Bland picked off Daniel Jones and returned it 22 yards for another touchdown.
The Cowboys extended their lead to 26-0 at halftime, and the rout was on.
Everything the Giants did on Sunday went wrong. They couldn’t protect their quarterback; Jones was sacked seven times. They didn’t protect the football; New York had three turnovers. It was just a lousy opening night for the Giants.
“It sucks,” Giants running back Saquon Barkley said after the loss. “We got skunked in the National Football League against Dallas and at home, but I don’t think that takes away anything from what we did in training camp. I feel like we had a good week of practice; we came out, and we just didn’t execute and play to the level we could play to.”
Jones, who finished the game completing 15 of 28 passes for only 104 yards and two interceptions, was disappointed by the team’s performance.
“We are certainly frustrated and extremely disappointed with how we performed tonight, and I know I certainly am with myself, so a lot to work on and clean up,” Jones said. “We are going to be critical of ourselves and look to correct it and get back on the right page.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll added: “We just got skunked here, 40 to nothing. When you play a game like that and coach a game like that, there’s nothing that’s good enough. Our job is to go back and look at it with a critical eye, just like we would do in any game, but 40 to nothing is not a good score, obviously. So, a lot to work on, and that’s what we’ll do.”
It’s only one game, and there is a lot of season left, but if you want to make noise in the NFC East, you have to beat the Cowboys and Eagles, and the Giants know that, which makes this performance even more disappointing.
The New York Giants were a much-improved team last season; they made the playoffs for the first time in a long time(2016), and the play of Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley was a big reason.
After a down season in 2021, Barkley was big-time in 2022. The Pro Bowl running back rushed for a career-high 1312 yards. Regarding Jones, he threw 15 touchdowns and had a career-low five interceptions. In addition, he had career-highs of 708 yards rushing and another seven touchdowns on the ground.
Jones and Barkley are entering Year two in Brian Daboll’s offense, and they are entering this season with more weapons, including tight end Darren Waller. With the addition of the one-time Pro Bowler, things could open up even more for both Jones and Barkley.
“I think adding (tight end) Darren (Waller) definitely helps, being able to bring a little to attention to him and all the guys,” Barkley said on Wednesday. “All the wide receivers, not just DJ (quarterback Daniel Jones), stepping up to another level but (wide receiver Darius) Slay(ton), (wide receiver) Isaiah (Hodgins), (wide receiver) P(arris Campbell), Belly (tight end Daniel Bellinger), (wide receiver Sterling) Shep(ard), all those guys, the O-line. I think we feed off each other really well, and I feel like last year we really showed that, being a team that, whatever it takes to win, and that’s what I am excited for—just going out there and competing at a high level with all the extra talent that we have.
“With DJ showing the type of player that he is and him taking it to another level, it forces you to take it to another level, too. I just feel like me being in the second year, understanding the offense a little bit more, knowing the scheme, knowing where to block, being able to time it better is just going to help my game.”
The Giants offense should be better in 2023; Barkley wants a big contract, and he’s going to be motivated to play at a high level. In addition, Waller, if he can stay healthy, will help. The offense line is solid. If Jones is what the Giants think he could be when they gave him a big contract in the offseason, things could be great for New York on offense, which could mean even better days for the Giants.
The New York Giants released its initial 53-man roster on Tuesday. To get down to 53 players, the Giants waived 15 players and terminated the contracts of six vested veterans.
New York waived the following players:
Quarterback Tommy DeVito, who played most of the Giants’ preseason snaps; running back Jashaun Corbin; wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton; tight end Ryan Jones; tackle Tyre Phillips; defensive tackles Ryder Anderson and Kobe Smith; defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado; linebackers Darrian Beavers, Tomon Fox, Ray Wilborn and Dyontae Johnson; cornerback Gemon Green; safety Alex Cook; and long snapper Cameron Lyons.
Those whose contracts were terminated were linebacker Oshane Ximines, wide receivers Jamison Crowder, Cole Beasley, and David Sills, cornerback Amani Oruwariye, and center Sean Harlow.
Tight end Tommy Sweeney was placed on the reserve/non-football list (NFI), and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who is returning after tearing his ACL as a rookie last November, was activated off the physically unable to perform list (PUP) after he passed his physical.
In addition, third-year cornerback Aaron Robinson was moved from active/PUP to reserve/PUP and must miss at least the season’s first four games. The team’s third-round draft choice in 2021, Robinson was limited to two games last season because he had his appendix removed and tore his ACL.
This is the initial 53-man roster, so a lot can change, which Giants head coach Brian Daboll discussed.
“Long couple of days here, obviously made some cuts,” Daboll said. “I’m not going to talk about who was released today. It’s kind of still a fluid situation right now, so really all-encompassing – the roster, whether it’s the practice squad, who we have so that’s really more for tomorrow.”
Giants name team captains:
Daboll today announced the team’s 2023 captains, which consists of 10 players: Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Andrew Thomas, Darren Waller, Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams, Bobby Okereke, Adoree’ Jackson, Xavier McKinney and Graham Gano.
Barkley is a captain for the fifth consecutive season, the team’s longest active streak. Jones is a fourth-year captain, and Gano is in his third season in the leadership position. Thomas, Lawrence, Williams, and McKinney are second-year captains. Jackson, Waller, and Okereke were selected captains for the first time, the latter two players in their debut season with the Giants.
“The way we do it is I have six slots, and I have all the players vote, and then if you get a certain amount of votes, then you are named captain,” Daboll said. “I think there were 22 people on the team that received votes, which to me is good for our team in terms of the way players perceive other players in leadership roles. Just because you are not a captain doesn’t mean you are not a leader on the team. There was a considerable number of guys who got, maybe it was five votes or three votes. Some guys got over 50 votes, but that was all by the players.”
On Thursday, the New York Giants added some talent to their defense when they acquired LB/DB Isaiah Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals for a seventh-round pick in 2024, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Simmons, the eighth pick in the 2020 draft, had his fifth-year option declined in the offseason, making him a free agent at the end of the season.
With the addition of Simmons, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has another toy.
The 25-year-old can play multiple positions on defense, including safety, linebacker, and corner.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll said the team made the trade because of Simmons’ versatility.
“Again, that’s one of the reasons why we made the trade,” Daboll said. “We thought there’s some upside there. Again, we’ll put him in; we’ll ask him to do probably quite a bit of things just to see what he takes to. A guy that’s, again, athletic, explosive, has good size. I’ve seen him do some multiple things. So again, until we get him here, I’ll give you a better answer, but certainly happy to have him.”
Daboll credited Giants GM Joe Schoen for adding more talent to the defense.
“(General manager) Joe (Schoen)’s done a good job with his staff of, again, just evaluating and keeping conversations open about a number of players, him being one of them,” Schoen said. “Again, he’s almost 6’4”, around 240, explosive, high pick. So, just got off the phone with him a little while ago, said hello to him, introduced ourselves. We’ll put him in our system and start teaching him our stuff.’
Last season, the four-year veteran started 13 games for the Cardinals and recorded 99 tackles, including four sacks and two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown.
Simmons could replicate Tony Jefferson and Landon Collins’s role for the Giants last season, as both players played the linebacker/safety in Martindale’s defense.
In the New York Giants preseason opener, where they lost to the Detroit Lions 21-16 at Ford Field on Friday night, the Giants got an extended look out of undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Tommy DeVito.
The 25-year-old, who relieved backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor late in the first quarter, played the rest way and led the Giants on two scoring drives, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tommy Sweeney.
DeVito finished the night completing 15 of 24 passes for 155 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. At times, he showed his scrambling ability and had some decent throws.
“Yeah, I thought he did a nice job,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said after the game. “He operated well. He had a play; obviously, we threw the interception there at the end, but it was fourth-and-15, and he hit a play like that in camp early on. Where it was fourth-and-15, and he threw checkdown for five yards. And obviously, he threw it up to try to give him a chance. They made a play on it. But I thought he operated well. Made some good decisions. Used his legs. He was under some pressure sometimes there. Took care of the ball on some of those sacks. So definitely a performance to work off of.”
As a whole, DeVito was happy with his play.
“I think it turned out well at times,” he said. “There were a lot of things to clean up, a couple throws that I missed that will haunt me tonight, that I’ll be sitting up thinking about. But I think it’s just a step in the right direction, and I look forward to getting up tomorrow and watching the film.”
According to DeVito, Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who got the night off, and Taylor encouraged him from the sideline.
“Everybody was, especially (Giants QBs) Daniel (Jones) and Tyrod (Taylor), just going back and picking their brains as to what they saw, what can I do here, what can I do better, just small things in that detail just looking at the iPads and they helped me a lot throughout the game.”
As Daboll said, this is a “performance to work off of” for DeVito.
New York will return to the practice field on Monday as they prepare for their next preseason game, Friday, August 18, at MetLife Stadium against the Panthers.
The season did not end the way the New York Giants wanted it to, but when they look back on it, they will realize it was a success.
New York’s season ended in Philadelphia on Saturday night as they fell to the Eagles 38-7 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
The Giants, who lost three times to Philadelphia this season, allowed the Eagles to score four touchdowns on their first five drives and trailed 28-0 at halftime. New York was dominated from start to finish.
“Well, crash landing here,” Daboll said after the loss. “Give Philly credit. They did everything better than we did today—tough game. We really got beat in all facets, so it wasn’t one thing in particular. It was a team game, and we just didn’t get it done. Congratulations to Philly. They get to move on, and unfortunately, we don’t.”
After five straight 10-loss seasons, New York was 9-7-1 this year, made the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and got their playoff win since 2011.
Despite the blowout loss, Daboll wanted his team to keep their heads up.
“I told them to keep their heads up,” he said. “They competed hard. It’s a crash landing in the playoffs. Anytime you lose, it hurts because of the amount of effort and energy you put into it each week. And when you lose this time of year, it hurts even more. You work extremely hard to get to this point. You’re blessed to get to this point. It’s hard to do.”
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who can be an unrestricted free agent, showed much improvement this season. He became a better player, and he hopes to continue to grow moving forward.
“I don’t know what I proved,” he said. “I think I improved every week. I thought I was consistent throughout the year. There are certainly things I like to have back, especially tonight. I think there are some things I’ll go back and look to clean up and improve and grow as a player going forward. I thought, overall, I did do that. I grew and improved throughout the year, and I will continue to try and do that.”
Saquon Barkley, who also can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, said the 2022 Giants is a team he won’t forget.
“It sucks, this was a fun team,” he said. “The guys here, coaches, everything that we were able to build this year. The way we played for each other this year, it was special. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we would have wanted it to end. Not just because of the record or because we made it to playoffs, this is probably one of my favorite teams of all time. That’s a sad thing about the NFL; no matter what, the locker room is not going to be the exact same next year. So just happy to be able to go out there with these guys and lay it all out on the line and compete with them.”
The Giants’ season was a success the moment they beat the Colts and clinched a playoff spot; they should hold their heads high. The future seems bright in New York.
For the first time since 2016, the New York Giants were in the playoffs, and for the first time since 2011, the New York Giants got a playoff win as they defeated the Vikings 31-24 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
With the win, the Giants advance to a divisional round game at Philadelphia next Saturday night.
New York lost to the Vikings on Christmas Eve in Minnesota when kicker Greg Joseph hit a 61-yard field goal at the buzzer, but this game was a different story because of the play of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
In his playoff debut, Jones was outstanding. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he ran for 78 yards(team record for a quarterback in the postseason) on 17 carries. He is the fifth quarterback in the Super Bowl era with 200-plus pass yards, two-plus touchdown passes and 70-plus rushing yards in a playoff game.
After the win, Saquon Barkley, who ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns, including a 28-yard scamper in the first quarter and the game-winning two-yard touchdown run in the fourth, was impressed by Jones.
“I would say I’m impressed,” Barkley said about Jones. “I’m not shocked. He’s been doing it all year. He’s really a special player. You know what a way to start it off. I’m happy for him and proud of him, and we’re going to need him and keep leaning on him.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll was proud of Jones.
“Daniel, I’ve said it all year; he’s been good for us,” Daboll said. “Continues to be good for us. He played a good game. I think there was a lot of other people that played good games to help him play a good game, and he’ll be the first to admit it. But as a leader on our football team, I’m proud of him.”
Barkley believes the Giants have an elite quarterback.
“I know we have an elite quarterback,” Barkley said. “I think he’s shown that most of the time. But we’ve also got amazing players around, too, so we”ve got his back no matter what.”
The fourth-year quarterback is happy with the win but knows more work needs to be done.
“I think it’s a big win for us,” he said. “Obviously, a big playoff game. I thought we played well in all three phases and did enough to win the game. We’ll enjoy it tonight, but we have a lot of work to do moving forward.”
The Giants were swept by the Eagles this season, including a 48-22 beatdown at MetLife Stadium; Jones is excited to get another crack at Philadelphia.
“We’re excited,” he said. “They’re a good team. A divisional opponent. We’ll prepare this week like we do any week and be as prepared as we can going in.”
The Giants continue to play with house money. No one expected them to win a playoff game when the season started. However, many believed the Vikings were a beatable team in this spot, and New York took advantage of it.
Back to Jones, he was exceptional against Minnesota, but Philly will be a bigger test, and we will see if Jones and the Giants can pass it.
Notes:
-This was the Giants’ first victory this season against a team in the NFC playoff field; they had been 0-6 vs. Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle and Minnesota.
-The Giants totaled 431 offense yards, a figure they exceeded just twice in the regular season – 445 against the Vikings here on Dec. 24 and 436 yards at Jacksonville on Oct. 23.
-The Giants’ 31 points are their second-highest total of the season and the second time they exceeded 30 points
On Monday night, the NFL world was stunned when, after making a tackle on Bengals WR Tee Higgins, Bills safety Damar Hamlin stood up and collapsed.
According to the Bills, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest, and his heartbeat was restored on the field. He was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. According to the Bills, Hamlin remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo from 2018 up to last season, and spent time with Hamlin, says the past few days have been tough.
“It’s been difficult the last couple days,” Daboll said on Wednesday. “This is a relationship business, and when something like that happens to people that mean a lot to you – or even if you don’t know them, you have just a great amount of respect for (them) – it really doesn’t matter what job you do. But having been around the young man, I know him. I know the type of person he is. Yeah, it’s tough.”
Saquon Barkley, who has a relationship with Hamlin, says what happened to the second-year safety is a mother’s worst nightmare.
“You think about it, you talk about, but when you actually see something like that – it leaves you speechless,” Barkley said. “The first text I got was from my mom. My mom was just saying how bad she feels for Damar’s family. That’s a mother’s; that’s a parent’s worst nightmare. It definitely does put it in perspective. Me having kids seeing that – it’s a physical sport, it’s a game I love to play, but at any given moment, it makes you just appreciate all the little things. Going out to practice, spend time with your family, spend time with your teammates, your friends, and even stuff like this. Any moment, anything can happen.”
Hamlin’s tackle on Higgins was a routine play, which Barkley says often happens in an NFL game.
“It’s tough because it’s a routine play,” he said. “It’s a play that’s happened millions, millions of times. It’s a play that I’ve done millions and thousands of times before. It’s tough. It really is tough. It’s hard to even speak on it. Words can’t really explain how you even feel in that moment. Like I said, I know I sound like a broken record, the only thing you really can do is just pray. Just pray for his family, pray for him, pray for the guys over in Buffalo, all of the people that are impacted by that – even the guys in Cincinnati – and just wish for the best.”
At this point, Barkley’s right, all we can do is pray and wish Hamlin the best.
For the first time since 2016, the New York Giants(9-6-1) are in the playoffs after they routed the Colts(4-11-1) 38-10 at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
With the win, Giants head coach Brian Daboll becomes the fifth coach in team history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season.
“I’m just happy we won this game,” Daboll said after the win. “Am I excited? Certainly, I’m excited. But I think you just got to stick with the process that got you here—got to get ready to play another game. You know, the playoffs are a different breed. They’re one and done. But we still got one more game before we get to those.”
Daniel Jones, who completed 19 of 24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns and led the Giants in rushing with 91 yards, including touchdown runs of 18 and 10 yards on Sunday, is excited to make the playoffs.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s just exciting,’ Jones said. “I think, like I said, we’ve been through some tough times, and to be on this side of it is a lot of fun. A lot of hard work has gone into it from a lot of different people, and like I said, I’m grateful for my teammates, grateful for this organization, and looking forward to a lot of work ahead.”
In the fourth, with New York in complete control, Jones, who led the Giants to a winning season for the first time in his four seasons with the team, was removed from the game and received a standing ovation from the fans, something he appreciated.
“I’m really appreciative, grateful,” he said. “Our fans have been tremendous all year. They supported us today; they came out and brought a lot of energy. The whole game we felt it and fed off it the whole game. Grateful, really appreciative of their support for me personally and for our team.”
Saquon Barkley rushed for 58 yards on Sunday and increased his season total to a career-high 1,312 yards, and like Jones, he is making the playoffs for the first time in his career.
According to Barkley, no one gave New York a chance to make the playoffs.
“Yeah, it’s real special,” Barkley said. “It’s a huge accomplishment. You’ve got to give credit to all the guys—from OTAs, coming in every single day with the right mindset, with the right work ethic. I’ve got to give credit to the coaches. And it’s a beautiful thing. I mean, no one, let’s be honest, no one besides the men and women in that facility gave us a chance to accomplish this, and we just stuck to the script, kept believing in each other, and gave ourselves the opportunity, and we did it.
“But at the end of the day, we’ve still got next week to get ready for, and you want to make it to the playoffs, but it’s not like when you’re making the playoffs, it’s not like you’ve won the Super Bowl. You give yourself a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, so it’s just another step ahead, and we’ve just got to keep working.”
At this point, the Giants’ season is a success. They have little to no shot of making the Super Bowl, but anything is possible. In the end, give credit to Daboll, Jones, and Barkley for helping to make the playoffs a reality in New York!
The Giants, who are locked into the sixth-seed, will play their final regular-season game next weekend against the NFC East-leading Eagles in Philadelphia.
