After a loud and controversial offseason filled with Saquon’s free agency fallout, Burn’s blockbuster trade, and questions at quarterback all captured in the first iteration of Offseason Hard Knocks we’ve finally made it to Game 1!!
Sadly, no one told the Giants because they forgot to show up… in the 100th season no less!
The Giants lost twice in Week 1, first after watching Saquon celebrate in the endzone three times with our division rival and then being embarrassed on our home turf by the team we beat in the playoffs just two years ago.
Week 1 is one I’d love to forget.
As much as I’d like to throw the entire 53-man roster on the losers list this week and call it a day, it really wasn’t ALL bad. Here are the winners from this week!
- Dexter Lawrence: Mr. Consistency himself, week in and week out we can rely on Dexter to win his matchup and be a force on the defensive line. With all the talk this off-season about the defensive line’s potential, yet again Sexy Dexy was the only one to make a real impact. 1 sack, 1 TFL, and 1 batted pass and what felt like countless pressures, Dexter Lawrence did his usual thing and belongs in the winner’s column. Although I’m sure he doesn’t see it that way.
- Andrew Thomas: It was a quiet day on the left side of the line. AT is back and fully healthy, showing once again he is a premier left tackle in this league giving up no sacks and no pressures. I thought about putting the entire offensive line on this list for their average performance but will need to see them be “consistently average” before they earn this prestigious honor on my list.
- Malik Nabers: 5 catches 66 yards, leading all rookie receivers in yards for week 1 while consistently drawing safety help on every play. Brian Flores gave the rookie respect and he still had a productive day. Keep getting this guy the ball and good things will happen.
These three guys are what I’d like to call “The Usual Suspects” because, in a season with low expectations, I suspect they’ll be on this side of the list for most weeks this season. But unlike the 1995 classic, it’s no mystery that Daniel Jones is the Keyser Soze of this story, killing his own team’s chance of winning.
Here’s this week’s loser’s list:
- Daniel Jones: Two interceptions, countless erratic throws, and about 50% completion percentage on the day. This may have been the worst I’ve ever seen DJ play. He had solid protection all day and still couldn’t get anything done. Even the Vikings’ defense is quoted as saying they felt bad for the guy. Some beat reports and internet pundits defended Daniel, who got mocked by fans on his way out of the stadium, even going as far as to say they “crossed a line.” I am not one of those people. The guy makes $40 million a year and could barely throw a 10-yard slant, yet I, like every other NY Giants fan, have to go into the office on Monday to get shit for interceptions I didnt throw. So yeah I can understand why a few fans who paid hundreds of dollars on tickets wanted to give DJ an in-person review of his performance on the way out. The solution is simple, play better next week.
- Brian Daboll: The big man finally picked up the play-calling mantle, but seemingly was more than a bit rusty. This team was not ready to play, offensively or defensively. I mean c’mon Sam Darnold started 10/10 with a perfect passer rating!! I love Daboll as a coach and believe in him, but this team needs to show some fight, or else the weekly fan boos and dwindling attendance will convince John Mara to pick up the phone and beg Belichick to come save this franchise in their 101st season.
- The Defensive line: I was gonna name Brian Burns and Kavyon specifically but they’ve gotta earn that right and differentiate themselves from the backups behind them. Seriously, did they even play? I swear for all the talk of how good they can be, they went silent in their first outing. The unit that was supposed to be this team’s strength was nothing more than a disappointment. You’d like to think with Lawrence Taylor on the sideline these guys would’ve come to play. Instead, I would’ve preferred the 65-year-old Hall of Famer out there on the D-line, at least he would’ve shown some effort.
Overall this week couldn’t have gone worse, but on the bright side, that means we can only go up from here!! At least I hope so… see y’all next week!!
Let’s beat the Commanders and forget this whole debacle ever happened.
