Almost defeating the Washington Commanders didn’t help their case much
The New York Giants almost won a football game on Sunday, but as we all know, almost isn’t good enough.
Heading into Week 3 of the NFL season, the media still agrees that the Giants are one of the worst teams in football. Although they are ranked in the bottom portion of the league rankings, the good news is that the Giants still aren’t considered the worst team in football (shoutout to the Carolina Panthers).
Sports Illustrated– No. 29
Oddly, mostly positives for the Giants on this one. I think the injury to the kicker is such a freak occurrence, even if he came into the game on the injury report. I also think Daniel Jones played well enough to stave off a conversation about a QB change for a week. I also think Malik Nabers handled a high volume of targets really well. If the Giants have a kicker, they’re 1–1 and we’re talking about the No. 20–22 team in this week’s power rankings without batting an eye. This Sunday in Cleveland becomes absolute must-win territory against the best pass rush the Giants have faced so far.
Sporting News– No. 30
The Giants showed a lot more needed offensive life with newcomers Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary, lifting Daniel Jones vs. Washington, but there were still key struggles to put up enough points, especially with kicker Graham Gano’s injury issues. The defense keeps wilting too easily in key spots, too.
CBS Sports– No. 31
Seeing their kicker injured and out cost them a chance to beat the Commanders. They were better. At least they have a star in waiting in Malik Nabers.
ESPN.com– No. 31
Most important backup/role player: CB Dru Phillips
The rookie has thrived in the slot cornerback role. Phillips had 12 tackles (two for a loss) and a sack in Sunday’s loss to the Commanders. The third-round pick’s stop percentage of 12.8% is second among all slot corners through two weeks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He has also allowed just five receptions for 22 yards as the nearest defender in coverage. He has made a strong early impression for the Giants.
NBC Sports- No. 31
At least John Mara has a very good reason to always seem irritated.
NFL.com– No. 31
If you showed nothing but Daniel Jones highlights against Washington, a casual viewer might think he’s a pretty darned good QB. And positive things apparently happen when you force-feed the ball to Malik Nabers. Eighteen of Jones’ 28 pass attempts went the rookie’s way, and Nabers responded with 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown that put New York up at the break. He had catches for double-digit yards in all four quarters and came down with several big third- and fourth-down grabs. Even with that performance, the Giants were obviously limited in a game where they crossed midfield on six of their seven possessions but only finished with 18 points. The defense was great in the red zone (allowing the Commanders to score zero TDs in six trips) but didn’t truly stop Washington once all day, not counting the end-of-half kneeldown. Big Blue needs an almost perfect script to win a game right now.
