Reasons Giants Fans Should Watch the Remaining Eight Games
What an incredible difference a year has made in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the New York Giants.
Around this time 12 months ago, the Giants were riding high atop the early successes of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime, a stretch that included a 6-2 record through eight games and an offense and defense that was competing and coming out victorious in several one score affairs.
Having a season of overachievement that featured the franchise’s first winning record and postseason berth in six years, there was always room made for the possibility of a fallback given the Giants’ tougher schedule but also expectations for a competitive product with new additions on both sides of the ball.
However, the sad reality is those expectations have not come to fruition in 2023. Instead of a minor fallback, the Giants have taken a complete nosedive into what could be one of their most ugly seasons in recent memory.
From the jump, their offensive capabilities have been handicapped by an inability to strike the endzone and score touchdowns early, leading to a unit that went four games without a six-point score and is averaging a league-worst 11.2 points per contest.
The defense has certainly stiffened up in recent weeks, but there were early continuity issues for Wink Martindale’s crew that allowed 28 or more points in the Giants' first five games. That issue has resolved itself with only one 30-point game allowed in the last four matchups, albeit without resulting in wins in a scoring-heavy NFL.
Then there are the questionable coaching decisions and the injuries that have littered the locker room most devastatingly. On top of the carousel that has been their offensive line and the loss of key playmakers, the Giants will have to navigate the rest of their season with a potential group of off-the-street quarterbacks featuring rookie Tommy DeVito as the starter moving forward.
With so much uncertainty heading into the season's final eight games, it’s possible that Big Blue’s campaign gets darker than it already has at the midway point. It’s also likely the question is looming in the minds of the fanbase of whether they should continue watching the miserable product or hit the off switch on the television until next fall rolls around.
The true answer is that there are many positive reasons for fans to stay engaged with their team’s remaining games. Let’s hash those out so that there is cause to not hit the snooze button.
Oct 22, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (25) celebrates after an interception against the Washington Commanders during the first half at MetLife Stadium.
© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Banks and Hawkins III’s Progression
One of the major concerns heading into this season for the Giants was their deploying two rookie cornerbacks, Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins, on the outside to defend some of the best pass catchers on their schedule. As it turns out, that gamble has worked well for at least one side of the duo.
Banks, the Giants' first-round pick last April, has not only been one of the brighter spots on Wink Martindale’s defense but, at times, one of the better perimeter coverage defenders in the entire NFL. Per PFF, the 22-year-old has been targeted the fourth-most times among corners, with at least 20% of the team’s snaps played. The good thing is he’s turned that into just 33 receptions on the other end, which is tied for 15th in the position.
The Giants have deployed Banks mainly in coverage looks but have occasionally let him make his mark on the run game, which holds his sharpest numbers of the year. His coverage numbers have fluctuated a few times already, but the rookie has had some of his best outings against the premier offenses on the team’s slate.
In the season opener against Dallas, where the Giants gave up 40 points in a shutout, Banks felt like the long positive as he played in 25 total snaps and allowed zero receptions on two targets. That was a big start to his professional career, given Dallas was boasting their speedy, talented receiving corps all summer and ready to unleash it on the Giants inexperienced secondary.
Five weeks later, in Buffalo, Banks was charged with slowing down star receiver Stefon Diggs and did so with flying colors. He played in 61 total snaps—34 coming in coverage with Diggs—and rendered the opposition lifeless with another zero-reception outing on three targets.
Given how the Giants defense has shut down opposing run games in their three games before the loss to Las Vegas, teams have been targeting the Maryland product more frequently, with at least ten targets each game. Still, Banks hasn’t succumbed much to the pressure by allowing only 20 catches on 34 targets and keeping his matchups below 100 yards receiving in only two weeks.
Like any other rookie, Banks occasionally makes mistakes with little things like turning his head, playing the ball, and not committing a penalty. That said, he’s been fairly clean of the yellow flags this season, and the hope is that he can continue and inspire some of the same play from his teammate and fellow rookie Tre Hawkins III.
Hawkins, the sixth-round pick from Old Dominion, has had a slightly less successful debut but has shown signs of promise in a few of his performances. The 23-year-old notched two weeks with zero receptions allowed, including one with no targets sent in his direction against Buffalo in Week 6. Yet, the remainder of his games have seen a reception percentage of 75% or greater and an average catch of 19.2 yards.
If there’s one issue the young man needs to clean up to improve, he inclines to whiff on tackles in the open field. In Week 4, the rookie had a 42.9% missed tackle rate to add to 16 tallied by the Giants against Seattle. His personal percentage sits at 13.6% currently, but that has to factor in the games where he wasn’t targeted.
The good news for both these players is the Giants do have some games with more talented pass catchers coming up. If they can keep growing their coverage defense skills and fend off any barrage of targets that could come their way, it could signal a good future ahead with these two hunkering the secondary.
Oct 29, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) reacts after sacking New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (2) during the second half at MetLife Stadium.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Kayvon Thibodeaux Chasing Historic Sack Season
Arguably, the top reason to keep the dial tuned into the remainder of the Giants' 2023 seasons is the record year that Kayvon Thibodeaux is having on the edge.
Earlier in his sophomore campaign, the former first-round pick was the subject of heavy criticism for his lack of effort and playmaking for a New York defense that needed his dominant abilities up front. In his first five games, Thibodeaux notched just 12 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery and was rarely a pressure cooker in the opposing backfield with eight total pressures to his name.
Since then, the edge defender seems to have taken all the outside noise to heart and used it as the spark to his pass-rushing feast. In the Giants’ last three contests, Thibodeaux has beaten the aforementioned stats with 14 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, one pass deflected, and one forced fumble. His total stats of 26 tackles and 8.5 sacks are good for third-best among team linebackers yet first on the roster for the second category.
The Oregon alum’s best season showing came against the Jets two weeks ago when he tallied a season-high nine tackles (6 solo) and three sacks to help the Giants stifle New York’s offense to under 200 yards through the air. He didn’t fare so well against the Raiders with just one tackle, but his efforts are on pace to make him the first Giants player since Jason Pierre-Paul to record 10+ sacks by his second season and potentially 15+ in the same span combined.
With the departure of Leonard William via trade to Seattle at the deadline, Wink Martindale’s front line will take a hit down the stretch in terms of continuing pressure against both phases of the offense. It’ll be up to players like Thibodeaux to pick up the slack, bring the heat early, and make the big plays out wide or in the middle, but luckily, the 22-year-old has the athletic intangibles to get it done.
Thibodeaux plays most of his snaps from the outside, but with his athleticism and speed, he can change direction and crack right back down on the interior gaps to throw an extra body at the ball carrier. He can also extend himself outside in coverage to cover the running back or prevent a quarterback sneak in the play-action game.
His physicality at the point of contact allows for Thibodeaux to stuff the run at the line of scrimmage. In nine games this season, he’s collected 16 stops at the first level and forced one fumble while keeping his missed tackle rate below 20%. It feels like anything he wants to do, and more can happen if he puts the effort in consistently like the New York market has been chirping for him to do since the first month of the season.
The ball is in Thibodeaux’s court to continue dominating the backfield on Sundays, becoming a defensive leader, and turning his name into one of the staple pass rushers in New York Giants history. Expect him to be more active than ever to keep the team competitive in the second half, keep eyeballs engaged in their games, and put more sacks into his outstanding campaign.
Oct 15, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs the ball against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter at Highmark Stadium.
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Saquon Barkley Rushing for 1,000+ Yards and Giants History
While he continues to be one of the most debated players on the roster heading towards the offseason, there are only two things Saquon Barkley is concerned with for the rest of the regular season—helping his team win and chasing his piece of the Giants’ record books.
Last spring, the two sides could not reach a team-friendly deal on a long-term contract for the two-time Pro Bowl-starting running back before the franchise tag deadline. Despite coming off his career-best outing that included 1,312 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, the Giants could do best to agree to a slightly better one-year deal to keep Barkley in East Rutherford before returning to the negotiation table in 2024.
Needing to prove himself once again as an invaluable asset to the Giants’ offensive success, the year got off to a slow start for Barkley amid a terrible offensive line and a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 2 that caused him to miss three games and collect just 114 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
However, the 26-year-old has found a spark in the past three weeks and become a more pivotal weapon in the Giants offense. That looks to continue down the final eight games of the regular season, a stretch where he isn’t focused on the outside noise about his future as a Giant but instead on the quest to etch his name in team rushing lore.
Through six games played this fall, Barkley leads all New York rushers with 126 carries for 502 yards (4.0 average) and one touchdown. He has also tallied 110 yards and two scores as a pass catcher with at least three targets over the last five contests dating back to Week 2.
These numbers have the Penn State product at half the distance needed to achieve his feat of a fourth 1,000+ yard rushing season in his six years at the NFL level. More importantly, they have him standing just 349 yards short of crossing the illustrious 5,000 yards mark to join a club that only four Giants running backs have made before him.
If Barkley should surpass the rushing milestone in the aforementioned span, he’ll become the first Giants ball carrier since Brandon Jacobs to hit the mark while serving as the team's starting rusher. On top of that, he will also be the third player to notch four 1,000-yard campaigns and the fastest to hit the 5,000-yard line since Tiki Barber in 2003 during his seventh season in the Big Apple.
Barkley’s last four outings have placed these accomplishments on the horizon with half a season left on the calendar. He returned from the ankle sprain in Week 6 against Buffalo and carried 24 times for 93 yards to help the Giants nearly upset the Bills in primetime.
The following week against Washington saw Barkley pound the pigskin another 21 times for 77 yards and a receiving touchdown in a 14-7 win before following that up with a season-high 38 rushed for 128 yards against the Jets in Week 8. Add in his 16 carries for 90 yards (5.6 average) against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he is on par to break the milestones with the few games before the bye week.
Barkley figures to rely on a lot moving forward as the Giants look to take some of the pressure off of new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito and provide him with an extra set of hands to throw the ball to. The captain has been a close supporter of the rookie gunslinger in the last couple of weeks since he’s been put into live action and will surely want to help him achieve his first taste of winning at the professional level.
If all goes well the rest of the way into the offseason, Barkley could have a chance to continue his tenure in New York and chase the next leg of the Giants rushing hierarchy—the 10,449 career rushing mark held by Barber since he retired in 2006. For now, his main concern is impacting the team’s success in 2023 and letting the work speak for itself.
Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (22) reacts after a play against the Minnesota Vikings during the fourth quarter during a wild card game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Future of the 2024 Free Agents
For some players, sticking out the remainder of the Giants season may be about reaching career milestones or setting new records for the franchise history books. For others, it’s about fortifying their chance to have a future with the organization.
Along with Saquon Barkley, the Giants are slated to have 25 other players enter the free-agent market this spring. The most notable names on the docket include Adoree Jackson, Tyrod Taylor, Xavier McKinney, and Isaiah Simmons; however, there is a slew of other role players and depth pieces that need to show they have what it takes to positively contribute to the team in any three phases of the game.
After not being shipped away at the trade deadline, Jackson has an uphill climb to prove he belongs back on the Giants roster in 2024. While he had been asked to play a much different role as a slot corner at the start of the year, the seventh-year veteran hasn’t produced at the same level as his first two seasons leading the Big Blue secondary.
Following consecutive campaigns with at least 51 total tackles, including two fumble recoveries, one interception, and 15 passes deflected, Jackson has barely collected 28 tackles, which is on par for the second-lowest total of his professional career. He has also been rattled by injuries during a handful of the Giants games and has been a liability as a coverage defender.
Per PFF, Jackson has a 12.9% missed tackle rate, which is good for his highest number in the last four seasons. He has allowed opposing receivers to catch about 75% of their targets for nearly 400 yards and a career-high average of 14.1 yards per catch. Add in the penalties that have hurt the Giants in critical moments, and the team will likely walk away from him short of a team-friendly deal this offseason.
Depending on how he recovers from his ribcage injury and the immediate future of the quarterback position, the Giants would love to bring Taylor back as the No. 2 next year. In his first two starts and Daniel Jones’ neck absence, the 34-year-old could calmly control the offense and keep it moving more consistently. He tallied 42 completions for 479 yards and two touchdowns against Buffalo and Washington and protected the football to put the team in winning positions.
Based on the lack of true talent at the safety position, all signs point toward McKinney being a focal point of the Giants' free-agent signings. The fourth-year player has one of the best seasons of his career with 53 total tackles (41 solo) and one forced fumble while being one of the best tacklers on the defense with just a 7.1% miscue rate.
He could continue getting involved in the pressure packages Wink Martindale throws at some of the quarterbacks set to face his unit weekly. McKinney has earned snaps at all five major alignments this fall, bringing a handful of pressures. The biggest issue will be cleaning up his opposing reception rate, allowing an average of 9.6 yards per target, but his overall coverage abilities should land in a renewed deal.
Beyond these names, it will be interesting to see how guys like Parris Campbell, Raheem Nunez-Roches, Darnay Holmes, and Sterling Shepard get themselves involved, as all are players who’ve underperformed in the past few months of their one-year rentals. With the season heading for nowhere important, they’ll likely earn more reps and have time to prove their worth for the free-agent market.
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