The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 31-29 in their preseason finale on Thursday night. After a last-second victory on an Alonzo Russell touchdown, the Giants finished the preseason a perfect 4-0 for the first time since 2014.
With final cuts on the horizon, here are the three main takeaways from last night as we are now less than a week away from the regular season:
Backup quarterback play
First-round pick Daniel Jones got the start and shined bright once again. Jones was a perfect 4-of-4 for 47 yards on his lone drive of the game.
The rookie’s most impressive pass of the night came on a 23-yard dime to Golden Tate with heavy pressure in his face. Jones had a more than strong first preseason as a pro going 29-of-34 (85%) for 416 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
After Jones, veteran journeyman Alex Tanney handled the remainder of first half duties. Tanney dropped a beautiful 35-yard dime of a touchdown pass to Alonzo Russell to start off his night on a bright note.
Unfortunately, Tanney would struggle mightily following his first drive going 4-of-12 for 53 yards and two interceptions. This sub par performance did not help his case with an already hot Kyle Lauletta breathing down his neck for the third QB spot.
As previously mentioned, Lauletta took over in the second half and continued his impressive play this summer. The second year signal caller completed 22-of-40 passes on the night for 247 yards and two touchdowns.
On the final play of the game with his team down four points, Lauletta delivered a clutch strike to Alonzo Russell in the end zone to win the game for the Giants. As Carl Banks noted on the broadcast, Lauletta has all but earned the third QB spot on the roster.
Alonzo Russell is here to stay
Despite residing on the practice squad for the majority of the 2018 season, Alonzo Russell has arguably stood out the most on the receiver bubble.
Alonzo stole the show on Thursday night with five catches for 92-yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown would ultimately be the most critical catch of the game as it was the game-winner from quarterback Kyle Lauletta with four seconds left on the clock.
It can be assumed that Russell is here to stay after last night’s performance. The receiver most likely solidified his spot on the Giants 53-man roster and could potentially find his way into the regular rotation if he continues to prove he can make big catches like we saw last night.
Meanwhile, Reggie White Jr. had a semi-quiet finale on Thursday. White has been another pleasant surprise this preseason out of the list of receivers, who are on the bubble. Despite only making two catches for 15 yards, White’s chances to crack the team grew after two key injuries to this group.
T.J. Jones was carted off the field late in the game with a lower leg injury. This is a big blow for the Giants, who added him for depth and plugged him into punt returning duties, as well. Coming off a huge game last week, Brittan Golden also left with a calf injury, after only recording one catch for three-yards.
Sixth round draft choice and former Auburn receiver Darius Slayton missed his third game after re-aggravating the same hamstring that kept him out of the first two preseason games. The expectation is that he will be placed on injured reserve/designated to return after eight weeks.
With Golden Tate suspended the first four-games, it can be expected that the Giants receiver group will look something like this: Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard, Alonzo Russell, Reggie White Jr.
This projection is with the assumption that Darius Slayton gets placed on IR and the injuries to T.J. Jones and Brittan Golden land them on the same list, as well. The Giants many have actually caught a break and can possibly prevent another team from snatching up one of these players from a talented group.
Look for tight end Evan Engram to be split out often playing alongside this receiver group, which lacks experience.
Third running back spot
With Saquon Barkley sitting out the entire preseason, he will without a doubt come into 2019 with fresh legs ready to take on an extraneous workload.
As for his backups on the depth chart, it is still unknown what things are going to look like behind him. There are four other capable running backs to provide support to Barkley, including last year’s backup Wayne Gallman, former Cowboy Rod Smith, forgotten man Paul Perkins, and undrafted rookie Jon Hilliman.
All four of these backs have had their moments at times this preseason, so when it comes to who gets a spot, the Giants will have a tough decision on their hands. On Thursday, Perkins got the call first as he carried the ball 11 times for an impressive 54 yards.
Perkins has showcased tremendous speed and the ability to explode through the hole, which right now might make him the favorite to be Barkley’s main backup. Behind him, Rod Smith has had a solid offseason but suffered a calf injury last week that kept him out last night and could very well hurt him in a tight completion.
Gallman got the nod for the majority of the game following Perkins snaps. The third-year ball carrier from Clemson ran for 29 yards on seven carries and one touchdown.
Gallman was Barkley’s main backup in 2018, but only rushed the ball 51 times for 176 yards and one touchdown in limited action. It is clear that he is no longer the favorite in the eyes of the Giants coaching staff.
Last but not least, Jon Hilliman who has had a solid first preseason as a pro himself, did not receive much playing time last night.
Hilliman carried the ball three times for 10 yards, despite scoring touchdowns in his previous two exhibition contests. It seems as though Giants brass were really trying to make a decision on Gallman or Perkins last night.
If this is the case, it can be expected that the depth chart may look something like this: Barkley, Perkins, Gallman, Elijah Penny at fullback, with Hilliman to the practice squad, and Rod Smith to the injured list.
Gallman has proven to be an above average yards after contact back in this league and it would be a shocker if the Giants were to cut him loose. That being said, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the Giants keep four running backs.
We will know come Saturday as final cuts will be dished out accordingly. Stay tuned!
