What we learned from Giants’ 25-3 win over Panthers

The New York Giants improved to 2-5 on the season following a 25-3 upset victory over the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday.

Here’s a few things we learned from the Week 7 win.

Do-It-All Daniel Jones

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

We’ve known Daniel Jones can both pass and run, but we learned on Sunday that he can run a decent route and haul in a difficult pass, too.

Jones immediately went viral following his one-handed reception in the third quarter, drawing comparisons to Odell Beckham Jr. and David Tyree.

After ribbing him a little bit, many of Jones’ coaches and teammates went on to publicly praise his remarkable athleticism.

Jason Garrett showing signs of life

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It was evident early on in Sunday’s game that the offensive line was understandably struggling. Down many of its key players, they were abused over the first half.

Coming out in the second half, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett got a little more creative in his play-calling and began to roll Daniel Jones out away from the pressure — often to the right side.

The designed rollouts helped limit the pressure, prevent sacks and gave Jones lanes to throw. And while some may not want to hear it, Garrett deserves a tip of the cap. He called a good game.

O-Line still a major issue

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Forget the Pro Football Focus grades and don’t whitewash the first half because the Giants got hot late in the third quarter and beyond. Had they lost on Sunday, it would have been a direct result of the offensive line.

Again, credit Jason Garrett for adjusting his play-calling around that, but there’s still plenty of reason to be concerned with the unit.

There were entirely too many blown assignments and missed blocks (especially on screens), there was a terrible false start and a pair of illegal man downfield penalties. The run blocking was also atrocious until later in the game.

Good on them for playing a little better late, but the inconsistency will continue to haunt this team until they get it right.

Pass rush exists?

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Was it just an anomaly or has the Giants defense finally found some sort of rhythm?

Patrick Graham’s unit were on fire against the Panthers, recording 10 QB hits, 6.0 sacks and seven tackles for a loss. They also registered 16 pressures, which was a season-high.

The better news is that Graham didn’t scheme in all of the pressure. Much of it came organically, which took pressure off of the secondary and allowed them to blitz more freely (Jabrill Peppers recorded the team’s first DB sack of 2021).

And how about Azeez Ojulari? What more even needs to be said?

They’ll need this to continue in Week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Resilient

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Are these Giants resilient? Head coach Joe Judge certainly thinks so and despite some growing cracks in the foundation a week ago, it’s hard to dismiss how well they bounced-back on Sunday.

“We’re a very resilient team,” head coach Joe Judge told reporters after the game. “You guys ask me all the time, how do I see the guys come to work, how can I gauge the mood in the building? I tell you all the time, I do it based on how they show up to work, how they meet, their intent in their actions and what they’re doing, how they practice on the field, so that’s my barometer. That’s my measuring stick right there.

“When the team comes in, they work, they prepare and they do everything necessary to have success, they work together, that’s when you know your team is moving in the right direction. I see it from our guys every week.”

We’ll find out just how resilient the Giants truly are over the next month or so.

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