‘Thinks I think’ before Giants face the Bengals on Sunday Night Football

Pre-game thoughts about the Giants, and more

We have to wait all day for the New York Giants to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football. Here are some of the things I am thinking about while waiting for game time.

Drake Maye’s debut

The Drake Maye era begins on Sunday for the New England Patriots when the No. 3 overall pick makes his first career start against the Houston Texans. I probably don’t need to tell Giants fans that it is going to be worth taking note of how it turns out.

Were the Patriots right to hang on to the third overall pick, rebuffing overtures from the Giants in order to select Maye? Were the Giants right in trying to go up and get Maye? Were they also right in not being willing to give New England something extraordinary, like three first-round picks, to make a deal happen?

One start won’t answer those questions. It will, though, give us our first bit of information regarding a decision that might — or might not — end up haunting the Giants.

We know they were in the market to find a potential replacement for Daniel Jones this past offseason. They told Jones as much.

As far as what we know thus far, GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have — in my view — shown good judgment with quarterbacks in the draft.

The Giants had an opportunity in 2023 to draft Will Levis. They passed, taking Deonte Banks. Would anyone really rather have Levis than Jones right now? I wouldn’t. We know Daboll would have approved trading up for Jayden Daniels, and he looks like a star. We know they weren’t impressed enough with the rest of the quarterback class to pass on Malik Nabers. That seems like a good call.

What will we learn as Maye begins to compile a body of work? I’m curious. I think you should be, too.

Prime time woes

Since quarterback Daniel Jones and star defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence were drafted by the Giants in Round 1 of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Giants have gone 2-17 in prime time games. I think it’s a topic that won’t be quieted until the Giants’ play on the field quiets it.

I asked both of them about that this week. Neither of them wants to hear about prime time problems:

Lawrence:

“Since I’ve been here, a lot of games have been tough for us. I don’t think the timing of the game is what causes any losing or anything like that. It’s just us coming out and showing that just playing on Sunday rather than – I understand that’s the narrative and all that, but I think it’s just showing up on that day and being ready to play.”

Jones:

“I think we got to win more games. You look at the past, over the years, we haven’t won enough, period. So, to say primetime or not, I think we got to win. We know we got to win and play well. I’m confident. I’m excited for the opportunity. I think we all are.

“We want to win every game and play well every game. It doesn’t change when it is or where it is.”

They have a chance to put a dent in the “prime time” narrative Sunday night against a Cincinnati team that is probably better than its 1-4 record.

Malik Nabers and Travis Scott

Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers got some heat online for attending a Travis Scott concert on Wednesday at MetLife Stadium while still in the NFL’s concussion protocol. That was exacerbated by the news on Friday that Nabers is still not cleared from the concussion he suffered Sept. 26 against the Dallas Cowboys and will not play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Here is Nabers, apparently with Isaiah Simmons, at the concert:

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Nabers did not violate protocol by attending the concert. As for his personal reaction, Daboll said he would “keep that all in-house.”

My initial thought on this was that it was a bad look for the rookie, just like a video this summer of him at a strip club tossing around bills from a massive stack of cash, but that it likely wasn’t a big medical issue.

I asked Dr. David Chao, former team doctor for the San Diego Chagers now known online as @ProFootballDoc. He confirmed what I suspected.

“Bad look, but not necessarily bad medicine,” Chao said.

The young man has money. He has fame. He can spend his time, and his money, however he wants to spend his time and his money.

I’m an old codger, I know. If I was giving the 21-year-old advice, though, I would tell him to choose more carefully. There are cameras, and opinions, everywhere. Don’t put yourself in situations where people can make assumptions, even faulty ones, that your priorities are not in the right place.

There are a lot of people out there, including some in the media, who enjoy nothing more than knocking successful people down. I would advise Nabers not to give them ammunition.

Secondary challenge

I don’t know about anyone else, but I came out of last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks thinking that maybe the Giants’ young secondary will be better than expected.

Deonte Banks, asked to be the Giants’ No. 1 cornerback, probably played the best game of his career last week with three passes defensed, a forced fumble and a 49.6 passer rating against.

Cor’Dale Flott has had pass breakups in each of the last two weeks. His passer rating against has gone down every week this season, from a high of 158.3 (the worst possible rating) to 77.1 against the Seahawks.

Dru Phillips has been outstanding when he has been on the field this season. He has a passer rating against of 70.5, and has shown aggression and the ability to tackle.

Safety Tyler Nubin, the team’s second-round pick, has given up six catches in six targets, but has allowed only 15 yards after catch. Nubin has played all but two snaps through five games.

The high-scoring Bengals, with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, are an incredible challenge.

I am interested to see how the young defensive backs handle Sunday night. To me, if Banks can build off his performance vs. the Seahawks, the prospects for the secondary, are vastly different.