The Giants have the look of a team with an identity their fan base can finally invest in.
If this is what a rebuild looks like for the Giants, patience will be a lot easier to come by.
Sunday’s 19-16 win over the Carolina Panthers has the Giants sitting on top of the NFC East division at 2-0. Yes, it’s only two games into the season — it’s also, however, their first 2-0 start since 2016.
There’s been a great deal of change for the Giants since then, specifically at head coach. With the team moving on from the last two years of Joe Judge, the need for credibility on the coaching staff has never been greater for this franchise.
My observations from Sunday’s win all have a common thread, the coaching staff and the faith they’re showing in their players.
Commitment to the Run Game
The Giants rushed for 103 yards, all in the second half (they had eight carries for zero yards in the first two quarters). Saquon Barkley led the Giants’ rushing attack with 72 yards on 21 carries. He ran for 69 yards in the second half.
Head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, instead of moving towards an air attack, stuck with Barkley and the run against a Panthers defense which allowed over 200 rushing yards last week against Cleveland.
“We made a couple of adjustments at halftime, but a lot of it was just staying at it and wearing them down,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “The run game will happen like that sometimes where early on in the game they match it and they are playing physical, but I thought we amped it up in the second half and found some creases. Once you hit one, it helps the next one. The guys up front did a good job. Saquon did a good job, too.”
In the fourth quarter, with the game tied up at 16-16 and the ball, Barkley ran right for 10 yards and a first down. On the next play, he went right again for eight more yards. A couple plays later, it was running back Gary Brightwell picking up a key first down on 3rd-and-1 with a 14-yard gain.
Kudos to the offensive line, the running backs, and coaching staff for sticking with the ground attack after halftime. They eventually wore down Carolina’s defense just enough to capitalize on opportunities when it mattered most.
Wink putting his stamp on Giants defense
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale kept his word for his defense to give the MetLife Stadium something to be loud about.
Julian Love sacked quarterback Baker Mayfield on third-and-5 to force a punt with 2:06 to play. From there, the Giants were able to run out the clock.
The Giants’ defense limited the Panthers to 275 yards of total offense and held them to 2 of 12 on third-down conversion attempts. Last week, in their season-opening win, the Giants held the Titans to 3 of 11 on third-down attempts.
On four red zone attempts, the Giants held Carolina to just one touchdown.
Additionally, the unit isn’t at full-strength yet.
The Giants were without OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (knee), S Jason Pinnock (shoulder), CB Aaron Robinson (appendicitis), CB Nick McCloud (hamstring), and OLB Azeez Ojulari (calf).
“I think we have really good coaches, Wink being one of them,” said Daboll. “I have a lot of confidence in Wink. I think the players have a lot of confidence. They’re playing fast. Give a lot of credit to the coaches on the defensive side and the players out there executing the assignments.
“But again, Wink’s done this a long time. Wink’s not afraid of failure, and that’s really what we want for the entire organization: to not be afraid of failure, not to be afraid of the consequence.”
The Giants forced two turnovers while stifling Carolina’s offense for most of the game.
Martindale, widely known throughout the league for his aggressive game-calling, has the defense buying in.
The Maturation of Daniel Jones
This wasn’t a breakthrough performance for Jones, not by any means. By his own admission afterwards, the offense has a long way to go.
“It wasn’t perfect, especially on offense,” Jones said. “Execution-wise, there’s a lot to clean up for us. Slow start in the first half, picked it up a little in the second half, but a lot we can do better. At the end of the day, we did enough. We made enough plays to win the game, and that’s something to build off of.”
Jones is attempting to build a credible resume for his coaching staff to evaluate him on this season. A big part of that evaluation is making the right decisions in critical situations. It’s an area where Jones has been widely inconsistent throughout his career.
On third-and-6 with less than two minutes to play, Jones faked a handoff to the running back and used his legs to get up the middle for 11 yards. The play helped the Giants secure victory formation.
When the game’s on the line, it’s the playmakers who are expected to step up. Jones, at quarterback, has the ball in his hands. It’s the trust from the coaching staff which gets it all going.
Last week in Tennessee, after throwing a head-scratching interception, Daboll trusted Jones to bounce back — and he did. This week, Jones made the plays which mattered to keep the Giants in the game. Furthermore, he did this while making sure to take care of the football.
“I think it’s important to show players that you have faith in them,” Daboll said. “They work their asses off during the week. They’ve worked their asses off during camp. They’re the ones out there playing on Sunday, and you have to put in their hands when counts the most. And that’s what Kafka did with Daniel, and Daniel made the right decision.”
Faith in the coaches, as much as the players, will lead to more success in the win column
Two weeks into the season, trust is a keyword with this franchise. Brian Daboll has gotten off on the right foot with his players. He’s shown confidence in his players, trusting them to execute in key situations, moreover, holding them accountable. The results, so far, have produced two wins.
It’s not, however, just the trust in the players which is giving good vibes. Daboll, a first-time head coach, is showing his ability to delegate effectively. He fully trusts his coordinators to have their respective sides of the ball ready for game day. He’s also been quick to show his staff love, such as he did in the postgame press conference, making sure they get the recognition for their contributions.
There’s a good energy in the air with the Giants, how long it continues remains to be seen. In the meanwhile, we’ll continue to observe.
Anthony Rushing is on Twitter @TonyRushingNY
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
