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Photo: NY Giants
Six weeks. Six long weeks, and the Giants finally secured a win. It took a missed Field Goal, a defensive scoop and score, and a missed 2-point conversion to defeat the nameless football team, but a win is a win. I didn't want to get my hopes up but this was a must-win for the Giants and they needed this W for the pride column. I had a good feeling about this game after seeing that three of the Giants' last four victories have been against Washington and they have beaten their division rivals four consecutive times. My mentality coming into this week was to hammer the Giants, and fade the Jets. Both New York teams did not disappoint.
Giants M/L... check
NYG/WAS under 42.5... check
Dolphins M/L... check
NYJ/MIA under 46.5... check
The Giants by no means are a good football team and they probably took themselves out of contention for Trevor Lawrence, but this win was needed. Head Coach Joe Judge secures his first win in New York and there is good momentum for the near future.
Pros
James, the best corner in the league, Bradberry
Can I say it anymore? James Bradberry is one of the best corners in the league and is the Giants DPOY, no question. Through the first five weeks, he is the second-highest-graded player at his position (85.7). Bradberry essentially eliminates one side of the field for the opposing offense. Bradberry allowed 3 catches and was targeted 4 times against Washington. That's good, right? Well how good was he? He only allowed 12 yards and recorded an interception. Although a gift served on a silver plater by Kyle Allen, Bradberry intercepted the Washington quarterback and returned the ball to the 27-yard line for a Giants first down which later led to 23-yard touchdown.
Mr. Irrelevant who?
Faith, Family, and Football.... Go Dawgs. The Georgia University prospect, Tae Crowder, was the last man drafted in the 2020 draft, and he has improved his play week after week. Today was a great breakout day. The rookie linebacker Tae Crowder scored the winning points on a 43-yard fumble return. Hallelujah! Shoutout to Kyle Fackrell though, who sacked Allen to cause the fumble. Last pick in the draft but first in my heart today, am I right?
Defense wins championships, and your first game of the season
Bradberry and Crowder were the MVPs, but the rest of the defense also carried a nice load of work as well. Kyler Fackrell, Logan Ryan, and Leonard Williams all had one sack on the day. Blake Martinez tallied 14 total tackles, and the team had a combined 74 tackles. They did allow around 330 yards of total offense and almost blew the game in the fourth, but the defense stopped the win-it-all two point conversion and secured the dub for New York.
Graham Gano > Aldrick Rosas
A 33 yard field goal, 2/2 on the day plus two extra points. Gano is good, Gano is great, Gano is the only stability present on the offense.
Not great but no terrible
Damn Daniel
Danny Dimes had a halfway decent game. Jones went 12/19 with a TD and an interception, plus 74 yards rushing on 7 attempts. The Jones-to-Slayton combination returns for the first time since week 1 and we couldn't be happier. Besides this score, Jones was not on the same page with his wide receivers. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett recognized this and adjusted the offense to rely on the run. The Giants totaled 132 rushing yards with 66 coming off six designed runs by Jones.
Photo: NY Giants
Cons
Hot Seat, Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas has been had a disappointing start to the season, to say the least. It was a head scratching move by the Giants, but Thomas spent the first quarter on the bench while third-round pick Matt Peart played 25 snaps at left tackle. To be fair, Thomas has had very difficult opponents so far this season, but the Giants have one of the worst pass-protecting offensive lines in the NFL. They have allowed the second-most pressures (99) through the first five weeks. Today, they only allowed five total pressures, so I really hope that Thomas isn't a bust.
The Offense is still MIA
Another week of lackluster offensive play by the Giants. We already talked about Daniel Jones not getting much going in the air, but it doesn't help that Shepard and Saquon are hurt, Evan Engram is ineffective, and Tate is washed. Devonta Freeman had 61 yards rushing so that was nice, but Slayton was only targeted two times. I don't understand what the issue is, but something needs to change.
What's Next?
Dave Gettleman lives to see another day. The Giants have a short week before they head over to Philadelphia for a Thursday night matchup. The Eagles swept the season series in 2019 for the third year in a row and the fifth time in six seasons. The Giants have lost their last six games in Philly, where they are 6-11 in the regular season and 0-1 in postseason play. The Giants are 4-6 in Thursday night games since 2009, including 2-5 on the road and are 0-2 against the Eagles on Thursday night. Do I think they will win? No. It's 2020 so anything can happen. I hope the G-Men can enjoy this win just as much as the fans tonight.
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