Risers in New York Giants' 21-19 Preseason Win Over Panthers

The New York Giants won their first preseason game of 2023, a 21-19 affair against the Carolina Panthers that wasn't as close as the score indicated.

The major takeaway is that the Giants' first two offensive units looked to be in mid-season form, looking crisp and in sync. The Giants posted two drives of at least nine plays and three total touchdowns in their first five possessions.

Likewise, the defense did a solid job at bringing pressure to the Carolina backfield, and it was that same unit that helped lock things down as the opponent made them sweat on the final meaningful drive.

Beyond the collective effort, there were continued signs of improvement from a handful of players who helped raise their stock in their quest for a spot on the 53-man roster, while some guys either cooled off or still struggled to get out of the gate. With that said, here are our risers and fallers for the week.

S Gervarrius Owens

As a seventh-round draft pick in this past April’s draft, defensive back Gervarrius Owens rebounded from a faint performance against the Lions with a more solid stat line this week.

In extended action Friday night, Owens posted seven tackles (4 solos), and one pass deflected to finish tied for the top of the defensive leaderboard with linebacker Bobby Okereke. Owens's contributions got going in the second quarter when he helped stifle the Panthers’ run game and then continued into the second half when he did an equally good job slowing down the passing attack.

What was nice to see from the Houston product was his ability to not give up huge leaks in deep coverage. Among all the plays that ended with one of his tackles, the only one that saw significant yardage succumbed came in the fourth quarter when Carolina quarterback Jake Luton linked with receiver Josh Vann for a 21-yard reception on a third down-and-5.

Playing the run, he kept the ball carriers below eight yards each carry, which meant he was doing a great job at helping seal the inside and finish tackles.

Owens likely has a long climb to soar up the depth chart, but he helped his cause this week.

LB Tomon Fox

Earning quality reps on the edge after the starters were removed from the contest, outside linebacker Tomon Fox posted three tackles (2 solo) to finish sixth on the defensive leaderboard in that category.

What stood out was his impact behind the line of scrimmage, where he notched one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit to add to the pressure felt by the Panthers’ quarterbacks.

Fox’s sack came in the middle of the third quarter as the Panthers sought to find any semblance of success on the offensive end. Quarterback Matt Corral led them down a 12-play, 40-yard drive to the New York 35-yard line, but the aforementioned sack and other big plays kept Carolina under wraps and limited them to a less favorable 53-yard field goal attempt.

Last season, Fox was one of the more intriguing pass rushers and tacklers on the team not named Azeez Ojulari or Kayvon Thibodeaux. He has continued to quietly deliver production, which should help to solidify his quest for a roster spot, perhaps even as the third man on the outside linebacker depth chart.

WR Jaylin Hyatt

Giants fans got a little taste of what they’ve been anticipating from the highly talked about third-round rookie, Jalin Hyatt, who helped set the tone of the ball game in the

Hyatt produced a four-reception, 35-yard outing highlighted by a deep touchdown that put New York ahead 14-3 early on. Capping off a beautiful nine-play, 60-yard drive that marked the longest possession of the first half, quarterback Tyrod Taylor heaved a long ball 33 yards through the East Rutherford skies to Hyatt, who was wide open in the far right corner of the endzone for his first NFL touchdown catch.

Beyond that flashy play, the 21-year-old earned a fairly good average on his receptions, notching 8.8 yards on his five total targets. It remains to be seen how he fares against the best slot cornerbacks in the league during the regular season, but if his intangibles showed anything on Friday, he could be one of the biggest deep threats for some time to come.

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