4 NY Giants not named Daniel Jones to blame for the Week 1 train wreck
By Zak Musso
The Dallas Cowboys drubbed the New York Football Giants 40-0 at a rainy MetLife Stadium Sunday night. In an embarrassing, pitful, and poignant display from the Giants to begin the 2023 season, we saw some of the Giants best players, like Daniel Jones, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, and Isaiah Hodgins, fail to show up.
The game was over before it began. The Giants drove right into Dallas territory to begin the contest but then committed a grove of mental mistakes, including a false start, botched snap, and had a field goal blocked that was returned for a touchdown. Dallas never looked back after that play.
Even if you could have imagined the worst-case scenario before the game, Sunday night was unimaginable. Here are four NY Giants not named Daniel Jones (who was pressured and running for his life all night) most to blame for Sunday night's debacle.
4. NY Giants CB Tre Hawkins
Tre Hawkins III, a sixth-round pick back in April, made standout plays all summer. Hawkins' play and out-of-this-world athleticism in camp impressed the coaching staff, prompting them to move Adoree' Jackson to the slot and start Hawkins outside opposite Deonte Banks.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Hawkins entering Sunday, but he had a topsy-turvy debut. Hawkins allowed just one catch and made five tackles on Sunday but committed two critical penalties, including one pass interference call that led to Dallas points.
Dak Prescott posted a 118.2 passer rating when targeting Hawkins Sunday, an elite number. With the Giants trailing Dallas 16-0 in the second quarter, Dallas went for it on fourth down. Prescott completed an easy pass to Brandin Cooks for a first down, who Hawkins promptly body-slammed. Hawkins then celebrated the hit, which was a rough look, considering the score and Dallas just converted on fourth down.
I would not fret about Hawkins, as we saw plenty of good from the youngster. He was caught up in the sloppy action that was Sunday night. Let's hope he can take a step forward vs. the Cardinals on Sunday in Arizona.