5 takeaways from NY Giants heart-stopping win over the Jaguars

It’s starting to get difficult to find words to describe the NY Giants, who are now 6-1. That’s not a typo, the G-Men are 6-1! In what was another roller coaster ride on Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Giants were able to make some more massive plays down the stretch to record another nail-biting win, this time 23-17. Christian Kirk nearly sent everyone into panic mode with the final play of the game, but he was somehow kept out of the end zone. GOODNESS.

While there were plenty of negatives from the showing, the Giants wouldn’t stop fighting in this one and posted yet another come-from-behind victory. If you’re just catching your breath from that victory, allow us to hit you with our five takeways from the action:

5. Drops by the NY Giants were unacceptable

We’d love to start with a big positive, but head man Brian Daboll has to be furious with the play of his receivers in this one. Darius Slayton recorded a nifty touchdown grab in the first quarter from Daniel Jones, but overall, it was a day to forget for the pass-catchers, particularly in the first half.

In the first 30 minutes alone, the G-Men posted three drops – and they finished with five for the game. Jones started off 7-of-10 in his throwing attempts, but two of those three incompletions were drops. That simply can’t happen for a young team like this, especially playing in a tough road environment like Jacksonville – where you’re the underdog.

With the offense struggling to get going quite a bit this year, it’s going to be on the receivers to make plays for Danny Dimes. Slayton showcased the unit’s potential with his score, but the drops had people fuming, especially the one from Marcus Johnson on 4th down in the second half. This unit must improve and fast.

4. Major concern arrives on right tackle Evan Neal

Hearts dropped all over the place when rookie right tackle Evan Neal went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury. According to Tom Pelissero, the initial belief is that the former Alabama standout suffered an MCL injury and he’s going to undergo additional tests to determine how serious this is.

However, the Giants wasted no time in ruling Neal out for the rest of the game and there’s most definitely a ton of fear among the fanbase that Neal could miss a significant amount of time. If this turns out to be the case, it would be a major blow for this offense and the offensive line as a whole here.

The o-line has dealt with so many injuries already this year and Neal has really made a lot of strides in recent weeks. He struggled early on this campaign, recording a nightmare showing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3. However, Neal looked strong in the wins over the Packers and Ravens. You hate to see the youngster have to deal with this kind of adversity.

3. Daniel Jones keeps improving for the Giants

The hate on Danny Dimes keeps getting lower and lower. We’ve seen so many blast the fourth-year Giants signal-caller, but he really impressed in the showdown with the Jaguars. In the first half alone, Jones tossed for 168 yards and his TD to Slayton. Jones went 15-of-22 on his pass attempts in the first two quarters, with three of the incompletions being drops.

What’s been so impressive about Jones too is that he’s making smarter decisions with the pigskin. How many times in the past have we seen Jones try to threat the needle on a throw instead of just living to see another down? That’s something that Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka have clearly been working with him on, as Jones is taking care of the football.

Don’t forget that he’s operating this offense with one of the worst receiving cores in the league. The second half was a bit more difficult for Jones, as the offense couldn’t get things going and a drop on 4th down near the goal line was back-breaking. Johnson blew it there and Jones was furious, but luckily this team was able to overcome this mishap. On the day, Jones finished with 202 passing yards and a TD, while adding an insane 107 rushing yards and another score.

2. Roughing the passer call on Dexter Lawrence was a total joke

This play is going to be talked about for a long time and rightfully so. People, especially Giants fans, were fuming in the third quarter of this matchup when a roughing the passer penalty was called against star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence. On this particular play, Lawrence got a hold of Trevor Lawrence’s jersey and brought him down in delicate fashion.

This should not have been called a penalty and no laundry should have hit the field. If only this was the case. The Giants standout was called for the 15-yard infraction and no one could believe it. Take a look for yourself.

Give us a break. This was one of the worst calls you’ll ever see. We’re all for protecting the quarterback, but this never should be called. Dexter Lawrence was falling to the ground and it’s not like he was trying to do damage to the Jacksonville quarterback. Later on this drive, the Jaguars ended up scoring, only making things worse for NY.

1. Giants keep finding ways to come out on top

The difference between good teams and great teams are the ones who can overcome adversity and record close Ws. The New York Football Giants are not only well coached, but they’re proving they have what it takes to be a great team. This group is somehow 6-1.

With the Giants trailing 17-13 and the offense sputtering in the second half, it really felt like this game was going to end in a defeat. You’ve got to be foolish to count out the Giants in close games, though, as the offense recorded one hell of a drive in the fourth quarter to take its 20-17 lead, with Jones and Saquon Barkley really stepping up. This run from Saquon was unreal:

It had been a relatively quiet day for Barkley, but when his number was called late, he showcased his usual electric abilities. He posted 110 rushing yards when it was all said and done. Jones was able to record his clutch late score too, which was a beautiful thing to see and the NY players were ecstatic. The defense stood strong with the game on the line as well.

Keep things close and the Giants will make you pay. Kirk and the Jags nearly walked things off in devastating fashion, but he was stopped short and NY is 6-1. This feels incredible.