The NY Giants started their preseason on the right foot, defeating the Patriots 23-21 off of a Graham Gano game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game.
While there were some negatives to takeaway from this game, there were far too many positives to not notice. Overall, it was a good win for the Giants. Was it the cleanest victory? Nope. However, the team played very well with each other and earned themselves a positive result.
It was a fun game to watch, with many underrated players on the NY Giants performing very well and even topping some of the expectations. With that, here’s four takeaways from the 23-21 win.
4. Giants finally have depth at RB and WR
After the NY Giants starting offense went out, the backups came in and they did not disappoint. As for the receivers, while Collin Johnson’s night will be remembered for his lost fumble in the second quarter, he had a tremendous night overall, catching seven passes for 83 yards. If he continues to play this well, not only will he make the roster, but he could also provide some value as a red-zone target in the regular season.
Richie James caught three passes for 44 yards alongside a nice TD from Tyrod Taylor in the second quarter. James is a gadget-type player who could be used a lot as a returner and/or deep threat due to his speed.
For the running backs, there was a lot to like out of Gary Brightwell, Antonio Williams and Jashaun Corbin. Brightwell performed quite well in the first half, rushing seven times for 40 yards, running the ball hard. In addition to this, Brightwell also caught two passes for 19 yards.
As for Corbin, he played excellent as a dual threat back, catching five passes for 28 yards, while also running the ball six times for 23 yards.
However, a player who really shined was Antonio Williams, who signed with the NY Giants this offseason after spending the last two years with the Bills. In his first game with the Giants, Williams rushed the ball nine times for 61 yards and one TD.
3. Darrian Beavers and Micah McFadden impressed
Something that really stood out while watching the game was the impact both Micah McFadden and Darrian Beavers had during their time on the field, with McFadden racking up four combined tackles, alongside Beavers three combined tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Beavers was all over the field this game, making great plays both in coverage and against the run. During his time in college, Beavers made his name known as a coverage specialist, having great reaction time and reflexes. This was shown off this game. If Beavers can continue this level of play throughout the preseason, he could earn a spot as the starter opposite to Blake Martinez.
As for McFadden, he saw more snaps than Beavers this game, and he looked very impressive. McFadden was seen as a great run stopper/blitzer in college, and in similar fashion to Beavers, that showed this game. While it is unlikely that we see McFadden play as much as Beavers in the regular season, he could still provide a good bit of value in blitz situations.
McFadden and Beavers are two players we are very high on, as they both do things that Tae Crowder cannot. If they continue to impress throughout the preseason, we could potentially see a change in who the NY Giants start at linebacker.
2. NY Giants starting offensive line looked great together
Despite only playing together for the starting drive, the NY Giants starting offensive line looked very good – with Daniel Jones facing almost no pressure for the entirety of that drive.
BRUH!
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) August 11, 2022
This is the most space I’ve ever see DJ have lol pic.twitter.com/dcVo35iIN0
It is somewhat unfortunate that the Giants only stuck with the starting offensive line for one possession. However, it was smart to pull some of the starters after Shane Lemieux went down with a toe injury.
Following the first possession, the NY Giants subbed out some of their starting offensive line, which is when they finally gave up a sack to Josh Uche. Evan Neal looked a little shaky at times, ending up on the ground after a couple of blocks. Despite this, there is no reason to be worried, as Neal is a rookie who was forced to switch positions.
As for the rest of the unit, they played very well together. If this can continue for the remainder of the preseason, NY Giants fans should be very excited about the future of the line.
Obviously the Patriots did not play their starters on defense, which makes it hard to judge just how well the offensive line really played. However, compared to what we have seen in the past, there is reason to be excited about this new offensive line unit.
1. Injuries continue to be a concern for the NY Giants
The NY Giants have been one of the most injured teams in the NFL since 2009, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team continues to be plagued with this issue.
Prior to the game, the NY Giants were missing multiple players due to injuries. Most notably: Leonard Williams, Blake Martinez and Kadarius Toney this game. As the game went on, they lost even more players. Shane Lemieux went down with a toe injury, Cor’Dale Flott with a groin injury, and Jamil Douglas to an ankle injury.
These players are likely being pulled for precautionary reasons and these injuries may not be that bad, except for Lemieux, who was seen wearing a boot on his left foot. It is still not good to see potentially valuable players go down to injuries so early into the preseason. Injuries have been one of the biggest downfalls of the Giants in recent memory. Let’s hope this doesn’t continue in the preseason.