3 Takeaways from Giants' Week 1 Win
Don't look now, but the New York Giants have a winning record—something they haven't had at any point over the past five seasons. All it took was an upset of last year's No. 1 seed in the AFC, the Tennessee Titans.
New York got a mostly good outing from quarterback Daniel Jones, a monster day from running back Saquon Barkley and a fine coaching performance from rookie head coach Brian Daboll.
Daboll made arguably the gutsiest call of Week 1 when he opted to go for two and, potentially, the win following Chris Myarick's one-yard touchdown grab with just over a minute remaining. Barkley took a shovel pass for the go-ahead score. Had the gamble failed, Tennessee would have stayed ahead and likely won.
Perhaps a gambler's mentality is exactly what Daboll needs to succeed in his first season, though. New York is in a transition season and isn't a team loaded with big-name talent. A team with little to lose and everything to prove can be a problem for supposed contenders like Tennessee.
We learned on Sunday that the Giants cannot be taken lightly. Here are our other big takeaways from the 21-20 victory.
Saquon Barkley Is Back
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The most obvious takeaway from Sunday's win was that Barkley is back. After two injury-plagued seasons, the Penn State product again looks like one of the best offensive skill players in the NFL.
Tennessee's defense, which ranked 12th in yards allowed last season, has plenty of talent. Yet Barkley made little trouble racking up the yards. He finished with 164 of them and a touchdown on only 18 carries—an absurd 9.1 yards-per-carry average.
Barkley also caught six passes for 30 yards on seven targets. His hands were reliable, his cuts were crisp, and the explosiveness we saw from him as a rookie in 2018 was back.
"We got the best back in the league, and he showed it today," Giants receiver Sterling Shepard said, per Ian O'Connor of the New York Post.
If Barkley continues performing at this level, New York will have a chance to win more often than not. The big question now is whether he can stay healthy. A devastating knee injury ended his 2020 campaign after only two games, and Barkley struggled to stay in top form last year.
If Barkley does manage to stay healthy, the questions will move to the negotiating table. Barkley is scheduled to be a free agent in 2023.
Daboll Has a Plan for Daniel Jones
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In addition to turning around New York's fortunes, Daboll is tasked with trying to develop Jones. The Giants' quarterback is also in the final year of his rookie deal—New York declined his fifth-year option—and it remains to be seen if he can be a franchise signal-caller.
Jones flashed promise as a rookie in 2019, throwing 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. However, he was largely inefficient and mistake-prone over the past two years.
On Sunday, Jones did make some mistakes. His fourth-quarter interception from the Tennessee eight-yard line could have been a game-ender, and he lost yet another fumble. However, Daboll had a clear plan to mitigate mistakes, and it was mostly successful.
Jones played the role of game-manager on Sunday, while using his legs and play-action to keep the Titans defense off-balance. He finished a solid 17-of-21 for 188 yards, two touchdowns and two turnovers. He also rushed six times for 25 yards.
Did Jones look like the sort of franchise quarterback in which the Giants should invest long-term? Not exactly. However, he looked and played like a quarterback with which New York can win. That's a departure from what we saw over the past two seasons under Joe Judge.
There's Plenty of Room for Improvement
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It was a great debut for Daboll, and Giants fans can't ask for much more than a monumental Week 1 upset win. However, it's far too early to believe that New York is back in the playoff mix.
Daboll will have plenty of corrections to make heading into next week's game against the Carolina Panthers.
Ball security will need to be stressed. Jones turned it over twice, while Barkley also fumbled, though New York retained possession. The Giants must also cut back on mistakes significantly.
We often see sloppy football in Week 1, and that's exactly what we saw from the Giants at times on Sunday. New York was penalized eight times for 45 yards. The Titans earned four first downs via penalty.
The receiving corps is still a work-in-progress, as Shepard was the only receiver to top 60 yards. Offensive efficiency was also a problem, as New York converted a mere two of 10 third-down opportunities.
These issues may not seem as glaring because the Giants walked away with a win. Continued mistakes will cost them in the future, though, and if the Giants can clean things up, more wins are likely to come.
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