What We’ve Learned About the Giants Through 2 Weeks
After a sunny preseason, the clouds have come in, the raindrops are starting to fall, and unfortunately, it looks like Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen may not have an umbrella. After a frankly humbling loss to the Commanders, and now an overtime thriller loss to the rival Cowboys, the Giants have fallen to 0-2 for the second straight year, and the fourth time in the last six seasons. It’s definitely been a mixed bag, but let’s take a look at five things we’ve learned so far about this team:
Malik Nabers is a Superstar
Look, I know it doesn’t feel great after losing to the Cowboys (again) to be looking for moral victories, but if there’s anything to take away from today’s game, it’s that Malik Nabers is exactly who we hoped he was. Through two games, he has 14 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Not only that, but he and Russell Wilson seem to have found a connection that will hopefully continue to grow as the season goes on. However, it’s not only what he’s doing but how he’s doing it. The highlight catches from last season are still there, and if he keeps this up, my prediction of him leading the league in touchdown receptions looks pretty good.
Dak Prescott Still Owns the Giants
After starting his career losing both games against New York in 2016, Dak Prescott has rattled off 14 straight wins against the Giants, and the Cowboys overall have won nine in a row in this rivalry. Right now, it seems like Dak just has something over the Giants, and even though this may be melodramatic, it feels like if not now, when will it happen? Dak had another great game, despite facing solid pressure from the D-line, but this Cowboys defense is legitimately awful, and unfortunately, they still couldn’t get it done.
Russ Turns Back the Clock?
Unfortunately, I’m thinking that this Russell Wilson performance today (450 yds, 3 TDs) is less of a return to prime Seattle Russ form and more of an indictment of the Cowboys defense as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, Russ looked great, and had a few beautiful signature moonballs, but even after week two, I can’t get the first game out of my head. Against teams with a competent pass rush, Russ doesn’t have the same elusiveness he used to, and with Andrew Thomas out, the line has looked rough. I still think Russ can be good enough to get a few wins, but unfortunately for him, he may not end up getting the runway to do so.
Brian Daboll is not Handling the Pressure Well
I really wanted this to be the year, and after the preseason, I thought a contract year was on the way from Brian Daboll. I at least thought the Giants would be exciting on offense, and yeah, they scored 37 today, but again, the Cowboys' defense had Wandale Robinson running routes in air.
The more concerning issue is that Daboll is making Joe Judge 3rd and 9 QB sneak level decisions. I’m not one to sit on the couch and question coaches who are paid a lot of money to make decisions, but Week 1, it was a Marcus Mbow fade on the goal line, and this week it’s putting in Jaxson Dart randomly in the fourth quarter of a close game when your starter has been playing very well. Daboll’s seat is getting warmer and warmer, and with decisions like this, he may be out sooner rather than later.
The Defensive Line is Showing Promise
Let’s close out this negative sandwich with another positive. The defensive line showed some promise, especially the pass rush. They got to Jayden Daniels a few times in week 1, and had three more sacks on Dak Prescott in week 2 to go along with eight tackles for loss. While the other units on the defense haven’t looked great, there have been glimpses of what fans hoped the d-line would look like, including a beautiful sack where Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux all converged on Dak at once. Hopefully, Carter continues to grow, and this unit can really take over a few games later on.
I’m not totally ready to give up on this team, although I think Daboll is done, but there’s been enough good for me not to hit the panic button yet completely. And honestly, the worst part of today wasn’t the Russell Wilson gift-wrapped, Malik down there somewhere interception in overtime, but it’s the fact that Daniel Jones has the Colts clicking and undefeated.