New York Giants Notebook | Jolting Jones, Halftime Blues and More
It's in the books!
The Giants have their first win of the Joe Judge era. It didn't come easy, it didn't come pretty, and the Giants' played terrible enough to lose, but they are in the win column regardless.
It was a special moment for Judge, albeit one he has very little time to celebrate as he must get his team ready to take on the Eagles in Philadelphia on a short week of practice.
But that's not to say Judge doesn't have any time to celebrate, nor savor a sentimental moment.
Shortly after the game, Judge reflected on his relationship with his late father, Joseph.
"Yes, I did," Judge said of whether thoughts of his father entered his mind after the win. "That's a big part of a lot of things that I do, but the emotion on the sideline was just joy for the players.
"To see them smiling, to see them rewarded for their hard work, that's really what you play for. You really want to teach someone and when you see somebody carry out what you taught them and have success with it, that's really the reward in our profession."
That sentiment might pile up even heavier in the coming days, as Judge is set to return to Philadelphia on Thursday, his hometown.
The preparation for Philadelphia will be unlike any game the Giants have had to get ready for this year, as they will have just one major practice before taking on the Eagles in a Week 7 showdown.
That means Judge will have to be on his players this week, starting on Monday, which, as far as Judge is concerned, the Giants must treat just as urgently as Wednesday.
"Kind of just typical locker room joy after the game and then just remind them, 'Hey, it's Wednesday night, guys,' It Philly week, it's Wednesday night right now," Judge said.
"We've got to turn around, get our bodies right, we've got to get focused, we've got to come back in ready to work and then we'll get a little bit of a break on the back end, but we've got to get ready to grind on through these next few days."
Jolting Jones
Quarterback Daniel Jones put up the Giants' longest rushing play of the season on Sunday with a 49-yard sprint on an RPO.
Jones' impressive runs didn't stop there, as he ultimately led the Giants in rushing once again with seven carries for 74 yards.
Six weeks into the season and Jones stands atop as the team's rushing leader with 130 yards on 20 carries.
Jones' 6.5 yards per carry is the best on the team and 1.4 yards better in that category than the next Giant in running back Wayne Gallman.
"I think it's something he definitely does as a strength and [offensive coordinator] Jason [Garrett] has done a good job incorporating that into our offense, Judge said. "It's something that we always carry and always have available.
"Our offensive coaching staff does a good job communicating on the sidelines and through the headsets of seeing what's available and what we can come back and kind of make a change or an adjustment in the game plan on. Daniel had his number called and he made the most of it right there."
Jones has shown fearlessness and overall toughness on his runs, putting his body on the line with regularity to fight for extra yards and doesn't stand down from taking big hits from defenders.
However, all that running still isn't making up for Jones' passing deficiencies, as he threw his sixth interception of the season on Sunday in a critical moment as the Giants drove deep into Washington territory up three with a chance to extend the lead.
"Just throwing the ball away--didn't get enough on it out of the back of the endzone," Jones said.
"Got to make that decision sooner and get the ball out. I thought there was a chance it would be overturned after seeing it but can't afford to make those mistakes."
Pick Ems
Cornerback James Bradberry came away with his second interception of the season in the first quarter, picking off Washington quarterback Kyle Allen, helping set up the Giants' first and only offensive touchdown of the game.
The interception came on a play when the ball was seemingly thrown right to Bradberry, which caught the veteran corner off guard.
"I was surprised," Bradberry said of the ball being thrown his way. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't drop it. That's kind of why I double caught it. We were in a Cover-3 zone and pretty much took my drop and I was in the right place at the right time."
It was another impressive day for Bradberry overall, as he only allowed three catches on four targets for 12 yards.
Halftime Blues
Despite the win, the Giants' defense continued their trend of letting opponents tack on points at the end of the half.
It's an issue plaguing the team dating back to Week 1 when the Pittsburgh Steelers plowed into the endzone to take a 16-10 lead before the half.
On Sunday, the Giants defense had an opportunity to get off the field before the half, after forcing a Washington punt, but a running-into-the-punter penalty and a fourth-down conversion in a Washington touchdown before the half.
It cut the Giants lead to just three and made for a more dramatic second half than the Giants were probably hoping for.
"Looking at defense first, that has been one of our issues so far, giving up points at the end of the half," said defensive tackle Leonard Williams.
"It's definitely something that we need to work on. Going into the half with that extra seven points would've been better and it's something that we need to work on."
The Giants could have a much better record this season, as well as a win last week against the Dallas Cowboys if their defense held up better before halftime. That is sure to be an issue they will look to address going forward.
C.J. Board's Injury
Wide receiver C.J. Board was carted off the field in the third quarter after taking a hit from Washington cornerback Deshazor Everett.
Board was taken to a local hospital and was treated, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and a sprained neck.
"The one thing I can say good news-wise, even on the field he was moving, he was conscious, he was responding, he had feeling, he had movement in all of his extremities," Judge said.
"They obviously had to have some precautions with what they were doing. I'll let the doctors diagnose exactly what it is, but the feedback I was given just now was pretty positive overall, so that was a relief."
Board's injury marked a lower and scary moment in the Giants' Week 6 win, as Board remained on the ground without movement for several minutes after the hit. Board even had to have his face mask cut off, and his back stabilized before being placed on the cart and carried off the field.
It was a genuinely concerning moment for Board's teammates, including fellow wide receiver Darius Slayton.
"I was running a route so I didn't see the collision, but I heard the collision," Slayton said.
"The first thing I did was I prayed for him, continue to pray for him. They said nothing was wrong with his neck, nothing wrong with his spine, just concussed.
"I wouldn't even want that to be wrong with him, but fortunate that he's alert, he's okay. I believe he'll be able to go home tonight.
"Obviously, stuff like that is a little unnerving. At the end of the day, at that point, you're kind of almost playing, not in their memory, he didn't die. You're kind of playing for that person to some degree."
