Don't look now, but the New York Giants might just be a competent football team. After years and years of questioning whether or not this team understood what was going on in between the sidelines, it looks like they've figured it out... at least in the preseason.
The G-Men played host to the other New York team on Saturday at MetLife Stadium for a little sibling rivalry. The two teams had held joint practices together on Tuesday and Wednesday, but an actual game allowed them to really get after it. And one team did.
Related: 4 takeaways from Jaxson Dart's electric preseason performance vs Jets
Big Blue kept the good times rolling with an impressive 31-12 victory over Gang Green. The game wasn't perfect, but the team looked good. Head coach Brian Daboll has to be happy with the effort. Here are the Giants’ winners and losers from an electric second preseason game.
Biggest winners and losers from Giants' second preseason game against the Jets
Winner No. 1: Jaxson Dart
We’ll start with the most obvious winner. No one on either side of the field played better than the 22-year-old rookie. After an impressive preseason debut against Buffalo, Dart followed it up with an even better showing against the J-E-T-S. He went 14-of-16 for 137 yards and a touchdown, and added two carries for five yards and another score on the ground.
While the counting stats were impressive, it was really just how good he looked and his feel for the game that impressed. He got a rep in with the ones, made some crazy arm-angle throws, and just commanded the offense like a seasoned vet. Overall, it was an electric performance and one that’ll have just about everyone questioning his positioning on the depth chart.
Winner No. 2: Mike Kafka's encore
Did the Giants just score over 30 points again? That can’t be right. There’s no way they… (checks boxscore). Yup, they did indeed. After scoring 34 points in their preseason opener vs the Bills, a 31-point follow-up performance is just what the doctor ordered. And that means the guy calling the plays is a big-time winner. Enter offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
Dabs gave the play-calling duties back to Kafka after he stole them away last season. Two games in, and it already feels like the right move. The offense looked good. And that says something around these parts. Yes, it's only preseason, but it's the little things. The Jets have a respectable defense, so putting up 478 total yards and 31 points with some electric downfield, monster plays is a huge win.
Winner No. 3: Giants' no-fly zone
The Jets didn’t necessarily enter the game looking to throw the ball all over Big Blue’s defense, but they couldn’t have even if they wanted to. Talk about a strong effort. None of Gang Green’s quarterbacks had answers for Big Blue’s sticky coverage. They ended the night 19/37 for 192 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The counting numbers look solid, but it was the coverage throughout the game that passed the eye test. The seven passes defensed were also nice. All in all, a very solid game for the pass defense.
Loser No. 1: Giants pass rush
For all the talk about this team's pass rush and the sack numbers they could put up, they came away with a resounding zero Saturday night. While sack totals aren't the be-all, end-all for pass-rushing metrics, they do matter. Two quarterback hits won't be enough to strike fear in opposing offenses.
It's still only the preseason, but it's not an encouraging sign.
Loser No. 2: Russell Wilson's grasp on QB1
Russ isn’t going to lose the starting job to Jaxson Dart. Not for Week 1. That’s not part of the plan. But the better the rookie plays, the shorter the leash for Wilson. If the 36-year-old struggles early and often, it won’t be long before Daboll has no other choice but to throw Dart into the fire.
No one had more at stake than Wilson. And while the organization will maintain its stance on Russ as the starter, the court of public opinion won't care. The outside noise will grow deafening, making for a horrifically uncomfortable situation in East Rutherford. Wilson ended the night 4/7 for 108 yards and an interception — he played fine.
Extra loser: Deonte Banks (by association)
No Deonte Banks plus an impressive Giants pass defense equals a bad outlook for the 24-year-old’s depth chart spot. Locked in a roster battle with Cor’Dale Flott, he can ill-afford to miss time for really any reason. He was ruled out for the contest due to an undisclosed injury, allowing Flott to prove himself opposite Paulson Adebo. He did just that, putting Banks in catch-up mode.