Poor Daniel Jones can’t catch a break. The Giants can’t even let the other team lose properly! On Thursday Night Football, with the world watching, the Giants quarterback rose to the occasion and played one of his best games that I can remember. The New York Giants had several opportunities to put the game away, but penalties, receiving blunders, and an inexcusable special teams debacle handed the Washington Football Team the win in the closing seconds. Overall, it was a good game with 5 lead changes including a back-and-forth 4th quarter and a game-winning field goal on the last play.
Daniel Jones finished the game with a 22 for 32 passing line, with 249 yards and a touchdown, while adding 9 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground as well. That line could have been incredible as the 2 total touchdowns for Jones really should have been 4. With about 6 minutes left in the first half, Jones took a run to the outside for a 58-yard touchdown that was called back on a debatable holding penalty. Then with about 6 minutes left in the game, Jones had Darius Slayton open down the middle for a 43-yard touchdown, but the pass went off Slayton’s hands and was dropped in the endzone. Both of those drives and missed touchdown opportunities turned into field goals and ultimately could have cost the Giants the game.
On the other side, Taylor Heinicke got the start for the Washington Football Team and looked poised throughout the game. Heinicke threw 46 times and had 34 completions and 2 passing touchdowns. He did throw an inopportune interception in the 4th quarter in Washington territory, but conservative Giants play calling led to a field goal and the pick didn’t cost Washington the game like it could have. Heinicke made some bad passes, but he also made some nice ones including a perfectly thrown touchdown pass to Ricky Seals-Jones in the back of the endzone.
Terry McLaurin was Heinicke’s favorite target as he should be. “McScorin” was targeted 14 times and caught 11 passes for 107 yards including a touchdown on a nice second quarter drive where he beat Giants top cover corner James Bradberry a few times in one-on-one coverage. McLaurin showed us that he is a dynamic route runner and can be trusted in fantasy lineups even in a tougher cornerback matchup and with a backup quarterback under center.
Sterling Shepard was the leading receiver on the Giants’ side, leading the team in both targets and receptions. He was targeted 10 times and caught 9 of those passes for 94 yards. Shepard and Jones seem to have a nice connection and he looks good running out of the slot.
Kenny Golladay was targeted 8 times but only caught 3 passes for 38 yards. He was visibly upset on the sideline, and this may be a storyline to watch this season. Many people expected him to come in and be the alpha receiver, but he and Jones don’t seem to be on the same page yet while Shepard is thriving in the offense.
Darius Slayton also made an appearance catching 3 passes for 54 yards including a 33-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter, he dropped the long touchdown like I mentioned, but also failed to keep both feet inbounds on a clutch 3rd down play that could have helped milk the clock. Those 2 plays helped keep Washington in this game. We may see the rookie Kadarius Toney getting more involved moving forward.
Both running backs were largely non-factors in this contest. Antonio Gibson on the Washington side had 13 carries for 69 yards (noice), while Saquan Barkley also has 13 carries on the Giants side for only 57 yards. The lone running back touchdown came on a 3rd down draw that JD McKissic took in for a 4-yard touchdown before halftime. McKissic also contributed in the passing game catching 5 passes for 83 yards including a big 56-yard catch on a wheel route that Heinicke delivered perfectly.
Other Notes:
Logan Thomas was 5 for 45 on 7 targets. Adam Humphries was 7 for 44 on 8 targets and Dyami Brown was 3 for 34 on 6 targets. Ricky Seals-Jones caught his lone target for a 19-yard touchdown. It was nice to see Heinicke’s ability to spread the ball around, although our fantasy teams would have preferred the touchdown go elsewhere I’m sure.
The Washington defense did sack Daniel Jones 4 times but didn’t look as dominant as we expected. The Giants offensive line, which many people bash regularly, held their own against the Washington fierce defensive front.
Graham Gano was perfect for the Giants, going 5 for 5 on his field goals and 2 for 2 on extra points.
Dustin Hopkins went from donkey to hero in the closing seconds. He had a game-winning field goal opportunity that he missed wide right, but an offsides penalty on the Giants allowed him another chance. He connected on the second chance game-winner and finished 3 for 3 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra points as well. Once again, KICKERS MATTER!
That will do it for the week 2 Thursday Night Football Wrap Up. Make sure you head over to Razzball.com and check out Rudy Gamble’s Pigskinator as you get ready to set the rest of your week 2 lineup. You are always invited to follow me on Twitter @FantasyCoachJB and ask me any questions you may have. Good luck in your upcoming matchups!
