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Giants news, 9/20: Andrew Thomas speaks, Russell Wilson, Cor’Dale Flott, more headlines

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

NFL Week 3 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips | ESPN.com

Just because the Chiefs are 0-2 doesn’t mean the Giants look at them any differently than a Super Bowl contender. DL Dexter Lawrence II chuckled at the idea that they have slipped, noting Kansas City still has most of its core players and the “best of the best” in Mahomes. The Chiefs are still among the league’s best teams despite their record, according to Lawrence. “That just don’t disappear,” he said.

Andrew Thomas: Feel more confident then I did last week (h/t Pat Leonard)

Giants QB Russell Wilson must prove vs. Chiefs that vintage performance was no fluke | The Athletic

Sunday’s moon-ball barrage established a blueprint for what the Giants hope their offense will look like. But they won’t find Kansas City’s scheme as accommodating as Dallas’ basic zone coverages that coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka easily dissected.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo certainly will not sit back in soft zone coverages Sunday night as he runs one of the most aggressive and complex schemes in the league. Wilson completed 23-of-37 passes for 205 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in a 29-10 loss to the Chiefs late last season. However, Wilson has had more success in previous matchups, including a 334-yard, three-touchdown showing in a 24-7 win over Spagnuolo’s Giants defense in 2017.

Jaxson Dart tells The Post how Mike Kafka is mentoring him like he once did Patrick Mahomes | New York Post

Earlier in his coaching career, Mike Kafka was a member of the Chiefs staff while a prized rookie quarterback did not play for most of his first season in the NFL.

Patrick Mahomes went on to become the MVP of the league by his second year — and a Super Bowl champion by Year 4 — after Kafka was promoted to Kansas City’s quarterbacks coach before becoming the Giants offensive coordinator in 2022.

Will Jaxson Dart play in NY Giants’ home opener Sunday night vs Kansas City Chiefs? | The Record

The New York Giants have had two quarterbacks in mind when team brass got together to develop a plan for Jaxson Dart to reach the potential the franchise believes he has.

Brian Daboll would tap into his experience with Josh Allen in Buffalo. Mike Kafka, his assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, was there in Kansas City when Patrick Mahomes was the QB1-in-waiting behind Alex Smith.

Coach Brian Daboll 1-on-1: Facing the Chiefs on SNF | Giants.com

Q: On to the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is leading them in rushing. Is that what keeps a coach up at night?

Daboll: “I think that any time a quarterback can use his legs, it benefits an offense because it turns into 11-on-11 football. Or in the passing game, it extends the time that a quarterback is holding onto the ball and it gives these skill players, who are very talented and athletic, the opportunity to create space for quarterbacks. Either it’s with his arm when he’s doing it or his legs, but he’s got a very good ability to extend plays and a lot of those create explosives. It’s always a challenge.”

Rookie running back messing with Coach Daboll

Cor’Dale Flott Eyes Bigger Role in NY Giants Defense | SI.com

While Flott admits it’s been a challenge to rotate, he’s just doing what’s asked of him.

“I just focus on when I am out there and the plays that I can make,” he said. “I don’t really look at when I’m not out there or what it could be if I did have more plays. I just do what I can with the plays I have.”

When asked where his game has taken its biggest jump, Flott responded, “Just playing fast and understanding the game, my IQ level, and watching film and tape on guys and just understanding how they want to attack the defense.”

Still, Nubin isn’t wavering in his confidence, even with this offense looming for his team’s home opener.

“It’s fun to watch,” he said. “It’s definitely one of the most challenging quarterbacks and offenses that I’ve had to study and face ever. But it’s going to be fun, though. “It is fun, because it’s a challenge. You want to go against the best. It’s going to be fun, man. I wouldn’t say intimidating at all.”

Tracy averaged 26.4 yards on five kickoff returns with a long of 30 versus Dallas last week. That’s a steady performance. Expect to see more of it, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said on Thursday.

“Every week is a new week, and it depends on, obviously, volume for different players and all that,” said Ghobrial. “But if he gives us the best chance to win on kickoff return, then he may be back there. “He’s a guy that he obviously did it in college, and he did a little bit last year. It’s one opportunity to give a guy an extra touch, and he obviously has a skill set that’s very valuable to this team, with his run skill as a running back. He has good top-end speed, he has good vision, so whenever you give a guy a touch like that and he’s able to have a day the way he did, it makes us very confident in him to have the ability to be used back there as a returner.”

2025 NFL trade deadline: Candidates to move, teams to watch | ESPN.com

Even if quarterback Russell Wilson is playing well by midseason, there’s a possibility the Giants will decide to switch to first-round pick Jaxson Dart — either because they think he’s ready to take over or because they’re losing too much and feel they need to change something to produce a spark. When and if that happens, Wilson could be appealing to a front office looking to acquire a veteran QB for the stretch run. Jameis Winston is also in the Giants’ quarterbacks room, though he might be in their 2026 plans as a veteran backup to Dart.

New York picked up the fifth-year option on edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, so he’s signed through 2026. But given the Giants’ depth in the defensive front seven, they could certainly get calls on someone such as Thibodeaux if they’re falling out of contention. He has 1.5 sacks to begin the season.

This week’s opponent

“I think [there’s] always a sense of urgency in this building,” Jones told reporters on Thursday. “[But] urgency kind of picks up when you’re not winning. The energy is good. I think you’ve got to keep the energy high.

“It’s still the first quarter of the season. We can’t get down on ourselves. We’ve got to continue to push each other — get the best out of each other — [and] tighten up on the details.”

NFL Week 3 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips | ESPN.com

One key factor for the Chiefs’ defense will be taking the ball away, as they haven’t done that all season. “Turnovers affect the game,” DT Chris Jones said. “It can completely change the game. As a defense, we have to find ways to create more turnovers and give the ball back to [QB Patrick Mahomes] and coach [Andy] Reid. If we give the ball back to them, points will be generated.” Since the Chiefs’ offense has struggled, a pivotal highlight from the defense could be what sparks Mahomes and the offense to score enough points for the first victory of the season.

The Slow, Boring Erosion of the Kansas City Chiefs Dynasty | The Ringer

If you’ve watched either of the Kansas City Chiefs’ two nationally televised games so far this season—losses to the Chargers and Eagles—you know that Mahomes isn’t running more often because he wants to; he’s doing so because the Chiefs offense desperately needs it. If you exclude scrambles, Kansas City ranks 26th in the NFL in EPA and 30th in success rate. (Even with those runs included, the Chiefs are merely mediocre—20th in EPA and 27th in success rate.) Mahomes’s 49-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton at the end of the loss to the Eagles last week marked the first time the Chiefs found the end zone on a drive that didn’t include at least one Mahomes scramble. (Two of their four touchdowns have been on scrambles.) It’s really the only thing this offense has going for it, which is the primary reason the team is 0-2 for the first time in nearly a decade.