Five Takeaways From the Giants' 2023 Season

Sunday's win over the Eagles featured many themes from the Giants' season that either strengthened or tarnished team trends since Week 1.

Author:
Hunter De Siver
Publish date:
Jan 8, 2024 10:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

The New York Giants couldn't have ended their rough season on a stronger note as they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 at home in Week 18.

Sunday's results gave New York its sixth win of the season and Philadelphia its sixth loss. It also continues the non-NFC East repeat champion streak, as the Eagles were the last to do so from 2001-04.

This game featured many themes from the Giants' season that strengthened or tarnished team trends since Week 1. Here are five of them:

Offensive Line Sacks Allowed

The Giants' offensive line allowed two sacks against the Eagles, but they've allowed the second-most in NFL history (85, including Sunday).

Sure, injuries, roster moves, and even some drama affected these drastic numbers. However, allowing over 20 more sacks than any other team in the league is simply a historic problem.

It didn't affect two-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley in Week 18, but overall, he had his second-worst season (minimum ten games) in every rushing category.

The Giants have a lot on their mind regarding improvement for 2024-25, but the offensive line has to be a top priority if they want to improve.

Jalin Hyatt's Usage

Rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt ended the season on a sour note, as an early second-quarter hamstring injury against the Eagles forced him to be sidelined the rest of the game. He had just one target that was a deep incompletion due to some contact by Philadelphia rookie cornerback Eli Ricks.

This summer, the third-round draft pick was among the most popular Giants at training camp. The consensus around the Quest Diagnostics Training Center was that New York had found a future big-time duo in quarterback Daniel Jones and Hyatt.

However, the young third-rounder wasn't an immediate starter and didn't see much time on the field in the season's first quarter. As the weeks passed, he gradually earned more snaps, but Jones' injuries automatically eliminated the exciting duo dream until the next season.-

Hyatt continued to show some flashes with backup Tyrod Taylor under center, but after his injury, it came down to third-string rookie Tommy DeVito. With DeVito starting, Hyatt was quiet against Dallas and Washington. But his offseason hype finally showed in Week 12's victory over the Patriots, as he collected career-highs in receptions (5) and yards (109), winning the NFC's Rookie of the Week.

Based on this summer, "some flashes" didn't seem like Hyatt's ceiling or expectations. Heading into Week 18, he played on 52.84 percent of offensive snaps. The Tennessee product averaged a team-high 16.7 yards per reception yet was the fifth-most targeted pass-catcher.

Hopefully, the Giants will utilize him more during his sophomore campaign.

Giants Secondary vs. Pro Bowl Wide Receivers

Going into Week 18, the Giants' pass defense has allowed the 12th-most passing yards per game this season. This slightly mediocre stat isn't as bad as it seems due to New York's opponents.

The Giants were given a tough schedule this season regarding opposing receivers, as many of them last year and even this year are Pro Bowl-caliber talents. To have a "Welcome to the NFL" receiver matchup practically every week could be detrimental to a rookie cornerback's future, but Deonte Banks has held his own.

The University of Maryland product has done a very solid his first season, as he led New York in pass breakups (11--second-most by any rookie in the NFL) and is in a four-way tie for the second-most interceptions (2).

Veteran defensive backs Adoree' Jackson and Xavier McKinney opened up about being mentors to the rest of the secondary, and they've done so fairly well. Young defensive backs like Banks, Jason Pinnock, Cordale Flott, and Tre Hawkins, among others, have shown flashes that could be beneficial next season.

The secondary's efforts in Week 18 tremendously influenced the 27-10 outcome. Banks missed the game due to injury, but McKinney hauled in two interceptions to become the team leader for the season. Additionally, the Giants finished with eight pass breakups compared to the Eagles' three.

The Third Down Paradox

Although the Giants' defense wasn't necessarily at the top of the league this season, it's indisputable that the unit was better than the offense and special teams.

One of the best ways to prove this statement is through third-down percentages.

Offensively, whether it was sacks, tackles for loss, incompletions, or targets that were well before the first down marker, New York converted on just 29.5 percent of third-down attempts heading into Week 18--the second-lowest percentage in the league. However, this wasn't apparent against the Eagles, as New York converted on 6 of 14 attempts (42 percent).

Defensively, New York was stout on third down as they allowed opponents to move the chains on just under 37 percent of attempts heading into Week 18--the seventh-lowest percentage in the NFL. That trend continued on Sunday as the Eagles converted on 5 of 13 attempts (38 percent).

Three Giants Who Broke Out in 2023

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was voted as the team's MVP by his peers, but numerous other defenders broke out as future New York stars. There were three players, and they were all designated as linebackers with different roles.

Outside linebacker/edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux was widely considered a breakout candidate ahead of his sophomore campaign after a solid rookie season. The former fifth overall pick delivered, as heading into Week 18, he led the team in sacks (11.5) and is tied for the most tackles for loss (12). The 23-year-old's ability to create pressure off the edge and stop the running back behind the line of scrimmage has been arguably the best this season.

Linebacker Micah McFadden was tied with Thibodeaux as the co-tackles for loss leaders, but most of his came from opposing running backs heading toward the outside zone. Other teams have struggled to prevent the 2022 fifth-rounder from doing this every week.

Middle linebacker Bobby Okereke ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in tackles, as he rarely allows opposing running backs to move past him. An argument can be made that he's been the most consistent Giant this season as he tied Thibodeaux and McFadden's tackles-for-loss numbers against the Eagles.

On Sunday, McFadden and Okereke each recorded eight tackles. Additionally, McFadden had two pass breakups and a fumble recovery, while Okereke had a sack, tackle for loss, and one pass breakup. Thibodeaux was relatively quiet for himself but still turned in a solid three tackles, a quarterback hit, and a pass breakup.

These three have become arguably the most underrated linebacker trio in the NFL.