5 key NY Giants takeaways from the preseason loss to the Jets

The preseason is officially in the books for the NY Giants and head man Brian Daboll. On Saturday night, the G-Men closed things out with a fun showdown against the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers. In the end, though, the Giants suffered a 32-24 loss.

There were plenty of takeaways from the action, with some positives and negatives for Coach Dabes and his staff to take a look at. So, what stood out the most?

5. Isaiah Simmons wasted no time making a splash for the Giants

Just two days after being traded to the Giants, linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons put on the pads and suited up to take on the Jets. Simmons started out at inside linebacker and he was out there for five snaps. While it was only a small sample size, Simmons got his Giants career going strong, almost taking down Rodgers for a sack in the first quarter.

On this particular play, Simmons exploded off the edge, got past a Jets running back and then got a hand on AR12. Rodgers was able to escape Simmons, but then the pressure that came moments later from Oshane Ximines was enough to get him to lose his footing and throw the ball out of bounds while falling to the ground. This was all set up by Simmons.

The Giants pulled off the stunner in landing Simmons from the Arizona Cardinals and it only took a seventh-round pick in next spring's NFL Draft to get it done. Once Week 1 of the regular season gets here, we should be seeing plenty of Simmons against the Dallas Cowboys. He'll take the next two weeks to grow more comfortable with the defense. Fans can't wait to see what Simmons can get done this fall.

4. Matt Peart had fans upset with his inconsistent play

Yes we're stating the obvious here, but it's imperative for offensive tackles Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas to stay healthy this season. The swing tackle has been Matt Peart, but his play against the Jets had plenty of people ready to rip their hair out. To start Saturday's contest, Peart was called for holding against the Jets starters.

After that, there were other mistakes, including Peart getting blown by Bryce Huff to give up a sack on Tommy DeVito, plus a false start penalty. While Peart did make some solid plays in his run-blocking, the inconsistency is not great to see at this point in the preseason. The backup offensive line as a whole hasn't looked sharp, but folks were expecting to see better play from Peart.

Neal worked his tail off this offseason to improve his game, while Thomas signed a massive extension worth $117.5 million over five years. These two are going to be relied upon to keep Daniel Jones on his feet, but if Peart is going to have his number called in the regular season, then he's going to have to pick up his game. Another showing like the one he had vs. the Jets will not be tolerated.

3. Injuries were a nightmare for the Giants vs. the Jets

A major win for a team is if you can leave a preseason game with your guys healthy. That wasn't the case for Daboll and Co. on Saturday night, as in the first half alone multiple guys went down. This included wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton, who was hoping to make a splash against Gang Green to try and earn a spot on the 53-man roster.

It's now looking like Ford-Wheaton could be destined for the practice squad, as he went down with a knee injury in the first quarter. You've got to feel for this kid. Out of West Virginia, he went undrafted, but then had mutliple teams trying to land him as an UDFA. The Giants inked him and there was a good chance he could be on the Week 1 roster. Things are unlikely now.

Ford-Wheaton wasn't the only one, as Bobby McCain, Zyon Gilbert, Chris Myarick and Wyatt Davis were all ruled out early on as well. Davis had to be carted off the field, but luckily it appears to be a high-ankle sprain. Before the final whistle, Gervarrius Owens and Germon Green also had their nights cut short due to injury.

2. Aaron Rodgers is going to make a huge difference for the Jets

We hate to give the Jets any credit from this action, but this showdown made it quite clear that Rodgers is going to be a great leader for that offense. On the night, Rodgers was only in action for two series, but he finished going 5-of-8 for 47 yards, plus a touchdown pass to 2022's Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson.

Wilson is coming off a special campaign with the Jets and things are only going to be on the up and up for him now that he has a future Hall of Famer throwing him the pigskin. The Giants didn't play their starting secondary, but the Rodgers to Wilson TD wasn't going to be stopped by anyone. This was a dime from Rodgers:

It wouldn't have mattered if Deonte Banks or Tre Hawkins would have been on the outside trying to contain Wilson. This was simply a perfect ball from Rodgers and a great catch from Wilson. When these two teams meet in the regular season, Wink Martindale will have quite the task in trying to slow down Rodgers. He's still got a lot of good football in him left.

1. Graham Gano continues to be among the best in the business

Perhaps the biggest positive for Daboll and the Giants was the incredible right boot of Graham Gano. Time and time again, Gano has been Mr. Reliable for this team and more of the same arrived at MetLife on Saturday. Despite the Giants suffering the eight-point loss, Gano was automatic in his field-goal attemps.

To start things off, Gano split the uprights with a 57-yard kick. Then, he added a 40-yarder right before the end of the first half. In the third quarter, Gano lined up for a 56-yard try and once again he delivered for Daboll. Gano was 3-for-3 on the night and a perfect 2-for-2 on his kicks of 50+ yards. Talk about being in midseason form.

While Big Blue Nation is hoping to see plenty of Jones and Saquon Barkley touchdowns in '23, there are going to be plenty of times where Gano will trot out onto the field to try and give his offense needed three points. He has been so consistent for the Giants and people are going to have all the confidence in the world in him once the regular season gets here. Gano is a stud.

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