Giants-Seahawks ‘things I think’: Since when do good things happen to the Giants?

Giants earn a victory that will change the narrative — at least for a while

The New York Giants may well have changed the course of their 2024 season with their improbable, exhilarating 29-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Through a 1-3 start to the 2024 season, not to mention a 6-11 2023 season, we have spent a lot of time talking about how the Giants have consistently found ways to lose winnable games. Losses in Week 2 to the Washington Commanders and Week 4 to the Dallas Cowboys fell into that category.

Plays like this? The New York Football Giants don’t make plays like this. At least not the Giants of recent vintage.

They make stunningly awful plays like this:

Then, almost always, those stunningly awful plays lead to losses in games that could have, and maybe should have, been won.

Not, though, on this Sunday in Seattle, Washington.

And now, the possibilities for this Giants’ season look much different.

Face it. Had the Giants lost to the Seahawks they would have been 1-4. You know what the topics of conversation would have been:

• No matter how well he has been playing, how much longer could the Giants afford to have Daniel Jones starting games at quarterback? The Giants would have reached the point where they may have had to begin thinking about protecting themselves from the 2025 injury guarantee in Jones’ contract.
• Justified or not, the chatter about whether or not Brian Daboll was/is the right head coach for the Giants to go forward with would have grown louder.

Now? Those things are on the back burner. Off in the distance somewhere as potential storm clouds that could return.

Now, it’s OK to entertain the notion that maybe, just maybe the Giants can make something of this season.

The Giants host a reeling Cincinnati Bengals team that is 1-4 next week on Sunday Night Football. The Bengals were thought to be a contender in the AFC, but after an overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday they look a team whose season is on the brink of disaster.

Now, the Giants can entertain the idea of getting to 3-3 six games through the season and making themselves relevant, even if the 4-1 Commanders are threatening to run away with the NFC East.

“I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of our coaches to come all the way across the country and lose a tough couple games here in the last month which I thought we competed at. I think we’re getting better,” Daboll said.

“We’re certainly not there but I just think the cohesiveness of the staff, the players, I think that’s important particularly early on in the year. A lot of hard workers. A lot of team players put the team first but long way to go.

“It’s one game in a tough environment but what I’m proud of is how they responded to early in the game when that big play happened.”

It’s one game, sure. It is one game, though, that now gives the Giants a chance to redirect a season that looked like it might be heading off the rails.

No Malik Nabers. No Devin Singletary. No problem.

That seems to be the phrase of the day for the Giants.

• The Giants totaled 420 yards of offense, the first time this year they have gone over 400 yards.
• They possessed the ball for 37:22.
• They three drives of at least 11 plays.
• They got the first 100-yard rushing game of Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s career, as he went for 129 yards on 18 carries.

“He was tough,” Daboll said. “He ran hard. He saw the holes. He pressed the hole.

That’s something we’ve been working hard on him with is pressing the hole and setting up your blocks. Made some extra yards with the ball in his hand.”

“Tracy’s a baller. I mean, y’all saw that today,” said offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor. “It was Tracy’s turn to go in there and just do his thing and that’s what he did. His patience in the back field and the way he’s able to hit the hole and create something out of nothing, it’s ridiculous.”

• They got outstanding contributions from a number of receivers. A hurting Darius Slayton had eight catches for 122 yards, Wan’Dale Robinson had six for 36, Theo Johnson had five for 48 yards, and Eric Gray had three for 50 yards.

The quarterback was outstanding

Yes, I said it. Daniel Jones was terrific. His numbers are good — 23 of 34, 257 yards, two touchdowns, 109.6 passer rating, 11 rushes for 38 yards. A first play of the game fumble could have been disastrous, but wasn’t.

It wasn’t just the numbers, though. It was the toughness and determination Jones played with. He ran 11 times, never sliding, constantly putting his body on the line to try and win a football game his team needed desperately.

Jones may or may not have a future with the Giants beyond this year. He deserves some props, though, for what he did Sunday. For that matter, what he has done since an awful Week 1 performance.

Daboll was actually asked Sunday night how much fun it was to coach Jones. Has a Giants coach ever been asked that before?

“It’s always been fun to coach him because he’s a true pro,” Daboll said. “Again, I always want the results but have a lot of confidence in him, how he’s playing, how he’s preparing, feel comfortable putting the ball in his hands. That’s what we did early in the game.

“We went after him a little bit throwing the ball. I’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

Daboll lauded Jones’ leadership, and his toughness.

“He’s a competitive young man who, again, Daniel Jones has done everything that I and we have asked him to do. He’s here early. He stays late,” Daboll said. “He’s got good leadership traits. It’s never been easy for him but everything we’ve asked him to do, he does it at the very best he can do it. He’s played some good football here.

“We’re going to need him to continue to do that.”

The Giants played like a real football team

The offense, defense, and special teams (obviously) all had a hand in this victory.

The blocked field goal by Isaiah Simmons that clinched it was a great play that had been designed and pushed for by special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial.

Substitute placekicker Greg Joseph went 3 for 3 on field goals, and has made eight straight.

The defense harassed Seattle quarterback Geno Smith all day, with seven sacks and 10 quarterback hits. More impressively, and importantly, they made some plays (I see you Brian Burns) in the fourth quarter.

Deonte Banks, dressed down by his position coach a few days, played like a No. 1 cornerback for the first time.

There was a lot to feel good about on Sunday.

Mostly, the thing to feel best about is that the Giants opened the door to the possibility that we will have more to talk about the rest of the season than whether or not the coach and the quarterback deserve to keep their jobs.