After taking down the Green Bay Packers 27-22 in shocking fashion, it seems as if things could not be better for the NY Giants. For the first time since 2009, the team is 4-1 throughout their first five games.
It may have been a rough, bruising game for both sides, but the Giants came out on top in London, making for a huge upset that not many people saw coming. This win would not have been possible without some outstanding play from members of the G-Men getting the job done in head-turning fashion. Here’s four in particular that impressed:
4. WR Darius Slayton
After not seeing much action throughout the first four weeks of the season, Darius Slayton was forced to step up as the NY Giants WR1. As we all saw, he did not disappoint, catching six passes for 79 yards.
It was up in the air if we would see Slayton play a big role again this season, as he was very clearly in coach Daboll’s “dog house.” Despite this, when given the opportunity, he showed up in a big way and was a huge reason for the Giants second half success offensively.
Daniel Jones has really been without a consistent receiver throughout the season thus far. Against Green Bay, Slayton put forth arguably the best WR showing we’ve seen from a guy in Big Blue this campaign.
This is something the Giants desperately need, with Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Kenny Golladay, all being out for an unknown amount of time.
Entering next week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the NY Giants may need another consistent performance out of Slayton. Even with it being probable that Robinson and potentially Golladay as well return, Slayton will still likely see the ball more than them. Regardless, this is the best performance we have seen out of Slayton in quite some time. For him to show up like this in a huge game says a lot about what his future could be with this team.
3. DL Dexter Lawrence
In the midst of a breakout season, Dexter Lawrence continued to impress this week against a strong Packers offensive line. Racking up five combined tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one QB hit.
Lawrence has been the NY Giants most consistent pass rusher all season thus far, tallying three sacks, and eight QB hits in five games played.
The moment that really showed the difference Lawrence made was his sack of Aaron Rodgers on third down in the third quarter to push the Packers out of field goal range to keep the Giants within seven. Outside of this sack, Lawrence was all over the field, whether it be against the run, or chasing Rodgers in the pocket.
For the second consecutive week, Lawrence was arguably the NY Giants best defensive player on the field. Which shows, as Lawrence was recently crowned the highest graded defender in the NFC according to PFF.
If Lawrence manages to keep this level of play up, he will easily cement himself as a Pro-Bowler, and could even potentially make one of the All-Pro teams. The evolution he has had this season has truly been a blessing to watch.
2. QB Daniel Jones
Forget his level of play in the past, forget how you may feel about him. Daniel Jones is the undoubted leader and QB for this team this season. The leadership and toughness he has showcased throughout the first five games is truly something special.
In this game, Jones completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 217 yards while also gaining 37 yards on 10 attempts running the ball. It is unfortunate that Jones was unable to record a TD, however, the way he was able to lead an offense of practice squad players was absolutely incredible.
The best moment of this game for Jones was in the third and fourth quarter. Without Saquon Barkley able to go for a little while due to a shoulder injury, Jones led the NY Giants offense 91 yards down the field and Gary Brightwell would eventually punch it in. Jones found a way to help his team and now he has more people thinking he’s potentially the long-term answer for this organization.
1. RB Saquon Barkley
Despite not seeing as many touches as he did in last week’s game, Barkley was absolutely electric yet again. He ran the ball 13 times for 70 yards and a TD, in addition to catching three passes for 36 yards.
Barkley gave fans a scare towards the end of the third quarter after he went down with a shoulder injury. However, he was able to make his way back and would make a huge impact. The 41-yard play Barkley recorded was a thing of beauty:
The things that Barkley is able to do on the field is something we really have never seen before. His combination of speed, agility, strength, etc. is truly unique and should not be taken for granted. What was possibly the most interesting part about Barkley’s performance this week was the snaps he took in the Wildcat formation.
This was something we saw out of him last week after Jones missed some time with an ankle injury. However, this week the Giants decided to run Wildcat on the goal line and it paid off: Barkley sprinted to the outside and walked in for an easy TD.
There are very few doubts that Barkley has been the best player on the NY Giants this season, with the only other contender being Andrew Thomas. If he is able to keep this up, Barkley could find himself in the MVP conversation later this year.
5 takeaways from NY Giants stunning upset over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers
The NY Giants just pulled off the unthinkable, taking down the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.