Four NFL teams, including the Giants, entered Week 7 of the season having to prove to their fans that they are not as bad as they looked and performed over the first six games.
These four teams dragged records of 1-5 into a home game and were underdogs, seemingly more likely to fall to 1-6 than rise to 2-5.
All four of these teams successfully constructed a speed bump to slow the roll on their descent into irrelevancy.
The Giants beat the Commanders, 14-7, in New Jersey.
The Patriots beat the Bills, 29-25, in Foxborough.
The Bears beat the Raiders, 30-12, in Chicago.
The Broncos beat the Packers, 19-17, in Denver.
The Cardinals, also 1-5 entering the weekend, lost to the Seahawks, 20-10, but that game was in Seattle.
What does it mean, when a team after failing in five of its first six games is able to shed the losing for at least one day, rise up and win a home game?
Most likely, it means these teams remain flawed and undermanned and this was a temporary stopgap result to give the paying customers something to feel good about – until the next time their team takes the field.
The Giants want to believe their ability to end a four-game losing streak means there are better days ahead.
Their performance on defense in Week 6 deserved to produce a victory but the offense failed to produce a single touchdown in a 14-9 loss to the Bills in Orchard Park. Limiting Josh Allen and Co. is far more impressive than dominating Sam Howell, and the six sacks generated by the Giants revealed that there is an offensive line out there in worse shape than their own.
Scoring two touchdowns was an accomplishment for the Giants and there is increasing optimism that Daniel Jones will be able to return to start at quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Jets. If so, that will change the dynamic within a unit that appreciated the way backup-turned-started Tyrod Taylor got the ball out of his hands and avoided turning the ball over.
Coach Brian Daboll has said more than once that when Jones is healthy, he is the starter again. Taylor in his two starts did have Saquon Barkley to hand it to and throw it to and that made a big difference, because there was absolutely no running game without him.
Where the season goes from here is anyone’s guess.
For most of the 1-5 teams that woke up today at 2-5, the positive vibes born out of winning one game will fade away sometime soon.
Here are some observations out of the Giants’ second victory of the season:
It is not as if the Giants weathered the storm when forced to play without their top guys. They lost all three games while Barkley was out with a high-ankle sprain. They are 2-4 in the six games without left tackle Andrew Thomas. They are 1-2 without rookie center John Michael Schmitz.
Barkley is back and he has made an impact the past two weeks. Thomas is expected back this week from his strained hamstring. Schmitz is not far behind.
“We get some reinforcements back this week so hopefully we’ll have some more guys in the field,’’ said fill-in left tackle Justin Pugh, eyeing a move to his preferred left guard spot.
“I don’t want to speak for them and make a prediction that they’re going to play next week or not,’’ Barkley said. “They’re going through their rehab process, and we know that the trainers and the strength staff are going to do whatever they can to help them get back on the field as quick as possible and healthy, but it’ll be really good to get some of our best players back on the field.’’
Putting together an offensive line with Thomas at left tackle, Pugh at left guard, Schmitz at center, Ben Bredeson at right guard and Evan Neal (or possibly Tyre Phillips) at right tackle should give the Giants their best chance to stabilize things up front.
Daboll is always heavily involved in the offensive planning but last week, with his team struggling to score, he stepped up his involvement, taking a more vocal role in meetings and working more closely with players in position-specific drills.
“I think it was all positive reinforcement,’’ guard Mark Glowinski said.
“He’s heavily involved,’’ tight end Darren Waller said. “He’s a guy that’s in there and commanding the installs and the walkthroughs, his energy and his presence is always felt. As it should be. He comes in, he says certain things we just can’t let slide on offense. He’s drilling, he’s asking questions, that just is a coach you want to go behind because he says ‘That’s unacceptable.’’’
- This was the first time in more than 15 years that the Giants won a game when they did not score after halftime – they were outscored by the Commanders, 7-0, in the second half. The last time the Giants won despite scoring no points in the second half was Sept. 4, 2008, when they beat (this sounds familiar) Washington, 16-7, at Giants Stadium.
- The Giants shut out the Bills last week in the first half and held the Commanders scoreless in the first half. This is the first time the Giants held opponents scoreless in the first half of back-to-back games in nearly 18 years. They did it against Washington and the 49ers during the 2005 season.
- The stat that pops: The Giants on defense were at their best on third down, limiting the Commanders to 1-of-15 on third down conversions. That is as close as it comes to pitching a shutout.
- Dexter Lawrence matched his career high with two sacks but he was far more involved and dominant than that. He had one full sack and was credited with two half-sacks he shared with Micah McFadden and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Lawrence pushed the pocket all day, often pushing Howell into the waiting arms of pursuing pass rushers.
- Some more data on the Giants ending their offensive touchdown streak at 220 minutes and 42 seconds of game time: That span included 14 quarters and 38 possessions without reaching the end zone, a span of 252 plays.
- Daboll made good on his assertion he would get rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt more work, as he was on the field for 48 snaps – 71 percent of the 68 total snaps. That workload came at the expense of Parris Campbell, who played only four snaps. Campbell, after four seasons with the Colts, arrived in free agency, signing a one-year deal worth $4.7 million. Thus far, it is a bad signing. Campbell has 16 receptions for only 85 yards and now cannot get on the field.
- Be careful burying players on the depth chart when they get benched because you never know when they will resurface. Rookie cornerback Tre Hawkins was an opening-game starter but could not hold onto the job. With Adoree’ Jackson missing this game with a neck injury, Hawkins moved back in as a starter and was on the field for 59 of the 69 snaps on defense. He continues to give up too much space to receivers – he does not challenge them the way fellow rookie Deonte Banks does – but Hawkins has the size and athletic ability to develop. Hawkins held up against the Commanders after playing only 25 snaps in the past three games.
- Other defensive backs that deserve mention: Cor’Dale Flott played 51 snaps and is growing into the slot corner role. Nick McCloud only played 16 snaps but he continues to show that his physical presence as a corner-safety combo is worth investigating.
- When the Giants need a win they usually appreciate seeing “Washington’’ on the schedule. They are now 8-4-1 against Washington since the 2017 season and 7-2-1 in the last 10 games when facing their favorite (and only) NFC East punching bag.
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