Once again considered underdogs, the New York Giants rose to the occasion against the Jacksonville Jaguars down south on Sunday afternoon. The Jaguars entered the game as three-point favorites, but Big Blue gave them trouble all day long with a potent offense that sustained a number of injuries.
The Giants lost starting left guard Ben Bredesen, right tackle Evan Neal, and tight end Daniel Bellinger during the game. Both Bredeson and Neal sustained injuries, and Bellinger was poked in the eye, being taken to a nearby hospital for further evaluation. His eye was completely swollen and bloody following the injury, which could spell a more significant issue. He was seen after the game with ice on his eye, completely swollen shut.
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A resilient New York Giants effort:
Nonetheless, the Giants rode quarterback Daniel Jones to a stout offensive performance. They tallied 23 points, with Jones completing 19 of 30 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown. However, the Giants’ receivers tallied six drops, hurting Jones significantly throughout the game. At one point, the fourth-year quarterback showed his frustration after Marcus Johnson dropped a 4th-and-2 pass on the goal line.
The Giants did plenty of damage on the ground, though, recording 236 yards and a score across 39 attempts. Saquon Barkley averaged 4.6 yards per carry, rushing for 110 yards to go with Jones’s 107 yards across 11 carries.
Aside from several drops, Darius Slayton and Wan’Dale Robinson made an impact in the receiving game. Slayton hauled in a 44-yard touchdown, finishing the game with three receptions for 58 yards and a score. Robinson hauled six receptions on eight targets for 50 yards but left the game prematurely after being stepped on.
Defensively, Big Blue gave up just 17 points, fighting against awful refereeing the entire day. Trevor Lawrence completed 22 of 43 attempts, earning 310 yards.
Reserve corner Fabian Moreau had a fantastic day, recording nine total tackles and a past defended, with one of his biggest moments coming on the goal line with seconds on the clock. Moreau and Xavier McKinney stuffed Christian Kirk trying to push his way into the end zone, wasting out the clock effectively.
Adoree Jackson also had a solid outing, earning two pass breakups with seven total tackles. While the team was unable to get a sack in the win, they played a bend, don’t break style, something the team has done in the past when their defense was struggling in the open field.
Altogether, it wasn’t the prettiest showing from the Giants, but it was enough to secure their sixth win of the season, tying their highest total since the 2016 campaign.