The New York Giants kicked off their 2019 preseason with victory over their cross-town rivals, the New York Jets, who they will meet again in Week 10 of the regular season.
As expected, there was a level of sloppiness in the first game of the new season, but compared to years past, there was quite a bit of optimism to be found as well.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Thursday’s winners, losers and those who fell somewhere in between.
Winners
Daniel Jones: Jones got off to the hottest start a player possibly could in his debut game. The rookie went 5-of-5 for 67 yards and a touchdown, and he looked nearly flawless doing it. Unfortunately, a severe weather delay ended Jones’ day before he had the chance to have an encore. Boo.
Bennie Fowler: Fowler may or may not be be in a battle for a spot on the 53-man roster, but if he is, he made his presence felt on Thursday night. He hauled in two of Daniel Jones’ five completions, including a nice play to make a semi-contested touchdown reception.
Ryan Connelly: The rookie linebacker was as advertised on Thursday night, displaying a non-stop motor and high-energy play against both the run and in coverage. Connelly was all over the field and while not flawless, found his way to the ball repeatedly and was in on seemingly every defensive stop.
Russell Shepard: Sterling Shepard may be No. 1 in New York, but the veteran Shepard is certainly beginning to flash. Such was the case again on Thursday as he just made things happen. He hauled in each of his two targets for 58 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown.
Jake Carlock: Don’t look now, but the multi-tool that is Jake Carlock continues to put pressure on Giants’ coaches and decision-makers. Even before his third quarter pick-6 (from the DE position), he was impressing. He continued that later on with a sack. 53, here he comes.
Others: R.J. McIntosh, Alonzo Russell, Jon Halapio, Reggie White Jr., T.J. Jones and Alex Tanney.
Losers
Julian Love: It was a rough start for Love, who suffered a few communication issues early on, allowing two big gains on the Jets’ opening series, including the first touchdown of the game. Later on in this second quarter, Love’s lack of recovery speed was on display as he found himself roasted by a few Jets reserves.
Eli Manning: Manning was given only one series on Thursday night, and it was not pretty. The Giants not only went three-and-out, but Manning checked down and threw a ball underneath despite a wide open Rhett Ellison down the field.
Nick Gates: After an impressive summer, things took a sharp downward turn for Gates on Thursday night. After coming into the game in the second quarter, Gates was promptly hit with two penalties, including a costly false start. However, it’s only fair to note that he was playing out of position (left tackle) due to injuries elsewhere across the line.
Riley Dixon: The Giants are working to make Dixon a Jeff Feagles-like player, but that seemed to lead to some struggles against the Jets. Dixon’s punts were consistently short as he appeared to be aiming for more hang-time, with each of his two punts failing to reach 40 yards on the fly.
Others: Deandre Baker and Evan Brown.
Mixed reviews
Jabrill Peppers: The newest Giant could have made an immediate impact on Thursday night, undercutting a Sam Darnold pass and nearly coming away with the interception. Instead, the ball went through Peppers’ hands and then miscommunication with rookie Julian Love led to a huge game on a drive that culminated with a touchdown.
Paul Perkins: At times, Perkins displayed an impressive veteran presence, making a few nice blitz pick-ups and creating small lanes following an offensive line collapse. On the opposite side of that spectrum, Perkins also missed at least one assignment, ran up the backs of his blocker and had a costly fumble ahead of halftime. He also had a drop.
Corey Ballentine: For every fumble on a kickoff, Ballentine also had a solid return. For every pass interference, he also had an interception. It was that sort of night for the rookie, but his positive plays far outweighed his negative plays. It’s clear Ballentine has a legit future in the NFL.
Others: Tae Davis and Will Hernandez.
