For the second straight year, the New York Giants are off to an 0-2 start to the season.
After another embarrassing loss on Sunday — this one at the hands of the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium — there are a lot of question marks surrounding this team.
Not many of them are good, because when you’re 0-2 and have been beaten by both teams by two scores, there’s not a lot of good coming from your team.
With that said, whose stock is up and down following the Giants loss to the Bills.
Stock up: Saquon Barkley
For the second week in a row, Barkley was by far the best offensive player on the field for the Giants, and arguably, the best player on the team, period.
Barkley had another 100-plus yard performance on the ground and continues to cement himself as one of, if not the best running back in the NFL.
Barkley will only continue to get better with experience, which is a scary notion in itself considering how good he is at the moment.
Stock down: Janoris Jenkins
We could put any member of the secondary on this list, but Jenkins shoots up to the top of the list.
Why? Was it due to his performance? Not exactly, although there were several instances where he looked like he had mentally checked out.
Instead, it’s for his post-game tirade and how he looked the part of a sore loser and a bad teammate throwing his teammates under the bus with his, “I can’t cover anyone for 10 seconds” speech.
Both Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman can’t be happy with Jenkins saying those things publicly and it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Jenkins tenure on the team didn’t last much longer this season.
Stock up: Markus Golden
Before injuries, Golden was one of the Arizona Cardinals’ top pass rushers under James Bettcher.
While Golden wasn’t able to get to Dak Prescott last week, he was able to get to Josh Allen several times this week with several quarterback hurries and was credited with one sack (should have been 1.5).
The Giants are desperate for players on defense to step up and emerge as legit threats to rush the quarterback. Golden needed to be more consistent, but he had a step in the right direction on Sunday in showing that he can in fact, get to the quarterback.
Stock down: Deandre Baker
For the second week in a row, Baker didn’t look like a professional football player or cornerback.
Granted, he’s a rookie who is still adjusting to the pro level, but with that said, Baker has looked about as bad as bad can get when it comes to playing the part of an NFL defensive back.
He looks lost, and it may be time for him to take a spot on the bench until he can figure it out.
Stock up: TJ Jones
Jones was brought back on short notice due to Sterling Shepard missing the game and he did as well as anyone could expect playing with very little time to prepare.
As a receiver, Jones had three catches for 38 yards, one of which was a 28-yard reception.
Jones was also crucial in the return game, as he had a punt return of 60 yards.
If he can be that effective consistently on special teams, along with being a receiver that Eli Manning/Daniel Jones can go to, then Jones will certainly stay on this team.
Stock down: James Bettcher
When Bettcher was initially hired as the defensive coordinator, he was considered a young, up and coming assistant that could be a potential and future head coach in waiting for another team.
But given how poorly last season went, and the horrendous start the Giants have gotten off in 2019, Bettcher isn’t looking like that same top assistant coach he once was when he was under Bruce Arians.
Instead, Bettcher looks like someone who is coaching a confused and unprepared unit on the field; traits that end up getting people fired in this league.
63 points allowed in the first two games is not a good look. Neither is an 0-2 start, and if things don’t improve dramatically on defense, the Giants could be looking at an 0-3 start in 2019.
