The New York Giants took on the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday in a game they were listed as heavy underdogs.
No one — literally no one — expected the Giants to win and that turned out to be an unsurprisingly safe bet. They were completely overwhelmed and overmatched from the opening kickoff on, and if not for a few self-inflicted wounds from the Dolphins, it would have been uglier than it was.
Buy Giants TicketsOn the plus side, the Giants did score a first-half touchdown for the first time this season. They also recorded three takeaways after tallying zero over the first four weeks of the season.
But the loss was just the beginning of their bad time. Quarterback Daniel Jones was among several players injured during the game and was ruled out with a neck injury.
Here’s a look at some of the studs and duds (and studly duds) from the team’s latest loss.
STUD: S Jason Pinnock
The safeties had some really rough moments on Sunday afternoon but when the team is this bad, the bar has to be set lower. So, despite several notable mistakes, we’re giving Jason Pinnock the “stud” designation for his 102-yard pick-6. It was the first first-half touchdown scored by the Giants this season.
DUD: RT Evan Neal
Days after calling fans hotdog-flipping sheep and then apologizing, right tackle Evan Neal went out on the field and completely flipped the script on his young career. Just kidding. He did this instead:
Starting to think Evan Neal is doing this on purpose. pic.twitter.com/CKctsNrv1o
— Giants Today (@NYGToday) October 8, 2023
STUD: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
There were several instances where linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux appeared to slow down on a play or not chase the ball carrier from behind but again, the bar has been set lower for the “stud” designation. Thibodeaux recovered a fumble (that he failed to even attempt to advance) and recorded one QB hit and one sack.
DUD: TE Darren Waller
Tight end Darren Waller may have led the Giants with eight receptions for 86 yards but his touchdown drop once again lands him in the “dud” category. He’s supposed to be a big-bodied mismatch nightmare who shines in those exact spots but he failed to secure the ball and it cost the Giants points. You can tip your cap to Xavien Howard, who fought to knock the ball away, but it’s a catch Waller absolutely has to make.
STUD: LB Bobby Okereke
Like I said about Thibodeaux previously, there were a number of mistakes made by linebacker Bobby Okereke in this game but he made enough solid plays to outweigh that. He led the team with 10 tackles (four solo) and two passes defensed, which led to the Pinnock pick-6, and an interception of his own.
STUDLY DUD: S Xavier McKinney
Safety Xavier McKinney completely blew a coverage leading to a 69-yard Treek Hill touchdown and he had a couple of other questionable plays, but he did force a fumble (recovered by Thibodeaux) and had a few other positive moments.
Other STUDS
- P Jamie Gillan
Other DUDS
- OL Mark Glowinski
- OL Joshua Ezeudu
- WR Isaiah Hodgins
- DL Leonard Williams
