All eyes were on the Giants' offense when Week 2 kicked off from AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys. The G-Men failed to score a touchdown in Week 1 against the Commanders, so Big Blue fans were looking forward to seeing the team's offensive improvements heading into Game 2.
One area that struggled significantly was the offensive line. The G-Men learned moments before their Week 1 game that they would be without Andrew Thomas. So Big Blue started James Hudson III in place of the All-Pro left tackle, where he allowed six pressures.
When the Giants learned they would be without Thomas again for Week 2, they started Hudson again, but that decision quickly backfired on them as the 26-year-old committed four personal fouls worth 40 yards on New York's first drive. Not only did he become the first player in NFL history to commit four penalties on the same drive, but he would end up being benched shortly after in favor of rookie lineman Marcus Mbow, which he was clearly not happy about.
If there's anything fans learned, it's that if Thomas is ruled out again for Sunday Night Football, Hudson should not be the starter.
The Giants must bench James Hudson for Week 3 against the Chiefs
Hudson's struggles on the opening drive started with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty after he slapped the back of the head of Cowboys linebacker James Houston on a Cam Skattebo run, which he surprisingly was not ejected for.
Two plays later, an 11-yard pass to Wan'Dale Robinson was negated by a false start, a 16-yard swing. On the very next play, Russell Wilson connected with Robinson for a 50-yard pass, and Hudson drew the whistle again, this time for unnecessary roughness. You can't make this stuff up.
Just when you thought the veteran lineman had learned his lesson, he was whistled again on the next play, where Wilson scrambled for two yards, which was called back for another false start. The Giants' opening drive consisted of four penalties in six plays, all on the fifth-year pro.
Multiple players and coaches attempted to show support for him when he was taken out of the game to make way for Mbow. Still, it was clear how frustrated he was.
The G-Men settled for a 38-yard field goal from Graham Gano on the opening drive, but you could make the case that Hudson cost them a touchdown. The Giants struggled to generate anything in the red zone to start the game, and the fact that penalty flags were being thrown against them left and right didn't help. However, they managed to generate offense after the first drive, thanks to the help of Skattebo, Wan'Dale, and Malik Nabers.
Big Blue comes home for Week 3, where they will face off against the reigning AFC Champions in primetime Sunday night. Fans can only hope their All-Pro left tackle will be ready to go against the Chiefs.
However, should he not be healthy enough to play, 2025 fifth-round pick Mbow could earn his first career start. Giants fans would be livid seeing Hudson start on Sunday night, given his costly mistakes against the Cowboys, and would be furious with Brian Daboll.