The New York Giants were hoping to put a Week 1 disaster in the rearview in their Week 2 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX. In a back-and-forth, you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it overtime thriller, they did exactly that. Even if it didn’t result in a win, their 40-37 OT loss to the Cowboys is at least an improvement. Still, it’s nine in a row for Dallas over the G-Men.
To say they didn’t need to do much to improve on the season opener’s debacle would be an understatement. Heck, finally finding the end zone was already a win. But walking away with a 40-37 OT loss was definitely a bummer. It made sense, considering they played such undisciplined football. It started with James Hudson on the opening drive and never stopped. They finished with 14 penalties for 160 yards in one of the ugliest outings fans will see. But who cares for now? At least they showed signs of life.
But holy moly, Russ. Wilson looked unrecognizable in his second Giants start. It was the exact performance Giants fans needed. Convincing Big Blue Nation that the 36-year-old was the answer was practically impossible after Week 1, but that doesn’t seem so far-fetched after Week 2. Here are four Russell Wilson observations from one of the most electric performances fans could see all year.
4 Russell Wilson takeaways from Giants' heartbreaking Week 2 win vs Cowboys
Russ can still sling it deep
Talk about a rebound game. The Russ Bus was gassed up and ready to roll in his Week 1 follow-up. Clearly. His final stat line was insane — 30-of-41 for 450 yards and three touchdowns — but it was his use of the deep ball that’ll leave fans in awe.
I could spend all day hyping up the moonball, but all you need to know is it’s back — and in a big way.
His stat line was super impressive (but it won't tell the whole story)
After a terrible Week 1 showing, Russ looked much better in Week 2. It wasn’t that hard — going 17-of-37 for 168 yards isn’t exactly difficult to top. Still, Wilson’s second Giants start looked much improved, especially on paper.
It was a much-needed 400-yard-plus performance. No one needed a statistical bounce-back more than Wilson, and he delivered. Wilson was a man on a mission against the Cowboys — they had no answers for his downfield throws. But even with more offensive explosion, Big Blue needs to finish drives in the end zone and not settle for field goals. Speaking of…
He still needs to be better in the red zone
There’s just no other way to put it: the team needs to figure out how to get six points when they’re in the red zone. It’s an embarrassment at this point. They entered the red zone five times on Sunday and came away with 15 points: one Cam Skattebo rushing touchdown, three field goals, and a turnover on downs.
The big passing numbers are awesome, but they’ll be empty if he can’t come away with touchdowns inside the 20. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has to figure out a package that works when the field shrinks. Relying on vintage Russ to moonball them into the end zone every drive just isn’t sustainable — which ultimately proved true in overtime with a terrible interception thrown to Donovan Wilson to seal their chance at winning the game.
Decision-making has to be better
No matter how you slice it, throwing a ball to no one, on a whim, in overtime, for it to get picked off is a bone-headed decision. After playing a lights-out game, Wilson ended it on a blunder of all blunders. It might be the play that did them in, but it wasn’t what cost them the game. They played well enough to win — which makes the loss that much more frustrating.