The New York Giants picked up their first win of the preseason on Friday night, dropping the Carolina Panthers by a score of 21-19.
It was an electric start for the Giants’ first-team offense, who looked crisp and dare we say dominant in their only series of the game. It was highlighted by great play from quarterback Daniel Jones and his various receiving threats, including tight end Darren Waller.
Things got a little stale in the second half as the backups and deep reserves struggled, but there’s a lot for the Giants to build upon.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Giants in this win.
Offense: A-
The Giants’ starters performed phenomenally on Friday and this was the most important factor in terms of grading.
While it was only one drive, New York was pretty much perfect to open up the ball game with the majority of their first unit. Daniel Jones demonstrated why he received his massive extension this offseason as he completed eight of his nine pass attempts for 69 yards and a touchdown.
The Jones-Darren Waller connection was also on full display as Waller caught three passes for 30 yards on the first drive alone. The fluidity and precision of the offense on the first drive were very impressive, especially against a competent Panthers defense.
As for the rest of the game, the main backups also played well as Jalin Hyatt caught a 33-yard touchdown and Eric Gray also reached pay dirt for a nine-yard score. This resulted in 21 points in the first half for Big Blue.
Unfortunately, things stagnated in the second half and New York was not able to notch another point but this should not prove to be a problem as they were playing with players who will likely not make the final roster.
Defense: B
Overall, when the first team played, the defense was a nightmare for Carolina (although it was rookie Bryce Young at quarterback).
The defense only allowed three points in the first half as they got solid pressure and executed the majority of assignments. Kayvon Thibodeaux was able to give Young a warm welcome into the league with a first-quarter sack while Bobby Okereke was flying all over the place recording seven tackles (four solo).
However, penalties and missed tackles were a killer for this defense and resulted in them not receiving as high of a grade. Dexter Lawrence had a costly roughing the passer call which helped Carolina score their only three points of the first half. There were also a plethora of missed tackles on the night which is something that will surely get cleaned up by Wink Martindale & Co. as they enter the season.
Special Teams: B-
The majority of the special teams unit played solid on Friday.
Graham Gano once again made all of his extra points while Jaydon Mickens had a nice 30-yard kick return and Eric Gray had a solid nine-yard punt return.
However, the main problem came in the punt game as Jamie Gillan averaged only 43 yards per punt while also recording one touchback on only three tries.
Coaching: B+
Once again, not much to say about a preseason coaching outing. Brian Daboll did his job and came out with a win (not that it matters all that much). He was able to see solid minutes from his starters who ended up producing favorable results. Hopefully, Daboll can keep this success rolling into September.
