The New York Giants ended a four-game losing streak on Sunday, taking down the Washington Commanders by a score of 14-7 at a very windy MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Big Blue’s defense stole the show, recording six tackles an an interception of Sam Howell, while the offense started hot and then sputtered.
With the win, the Giants improved to 2-5 on the season and kept their slim (and fading) playoff hopes alive.
Whose stock is up and whose is down after the Week 7 win? Let’s take a look.
Stock up: Dexter Lawrence
Dexter Lawrence put together one of the most individually dominant performances you will ever see on Sunday, winning nearly every single snap he took defensively.
Ex-Giant Nick Gates and Washington’s guard duo took the brunt of the beating as Sexy Dexy recorded six tackles (two solo, one for a loss), four QB hits and 2.0 sacks.
Lawrence may have been credited with just two sacks but he was in on at least five of the team’s six.
Stock down: Eric Gray
Before leaving the game due to injury, rookie running back Eric Gray muffed yet another punt and it’s clear that this experiment is not working. Fielding punts isn’t an easy thing to do and the rookie simply isn’t comfortable doing it.
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard did no better in place of Gray, muffing a punt of his own that was recovered by Washington.
Gray also had no impact on offense, taking a grand total of zero snaps.
Stock up: Nick McCloud
Nick McCloud played just 16 defensive snaps and 24 special teams snaps on Sunday, but he made each one of them count.
McCloud not only recorded two tackles and a pass defensed in his limited defensive role, he also fell on an Eric Gray fumble (muffed punt), preventing a back-breaking turnover.
Not to be overlooked, McCloud held kickoffs for Graham Gano on a windy day in East Rutherford.
Stock down: Justin Pugh
One week after coming off the couch to start at left guard and then left tackle, Justin Pugh was once again thrust into the starting role at left tackle on Sunday.
It feels almost unfair to be critical of Pugh for obvious reasons but he struggled against Commanders edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat — but who doesn’t?
Pugh surrendered at least two sacks (one unblocked that may not have been his fault) and will almost certainly grade out poorly. Still, his presence has helped the Giants weather the injury storm along the offensive line.
Stock up: Jalin Hyatt
Leading up to a Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills, rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was averaging just 26 offensive snaps per game. He’s now seen 104 over the past two games and it’s paying dividends for Big Blue.
On Sunday, Hyatt hauled in two receptions on five targets for 75 yards. The catch percentage may not be what he or the team wants, but there’s no denying that he’s a big-play guy capable of taking the top off of defenses.
The Giants must continue going his way.
Stock down: Graham Gano
Graham Gano has been one of the Giants’ most consistent and reliable players since 2020 but he’s had some struggles this season. On Sunday, he missed a 42-yard field goal, pushing it right despite the operation appearing clean.
For Gano, it was his fourth miss of the season (one was blocked), which is already more than he missed a season ago and is tied for his most missed field goals since 2016.
