The Daniel Jones era is off and rolling for the New York Giants, and it got off with a huge bang and had a flare for the dramatic.
Just like his predecessor, Eli Manning, had made a career out of them, Jones lead his very first game winning drive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and got the Giants their first victory of the 2019 season in an epic 32-31 thriller.
The Giants were on the verge of an 0-3 start to the season, but instead, crack the win column and have a lot to feel good about returning to East Rutherford for their next game, which will be against the Washington Redskins.
Following the victory against the Buccaneers, whose stock was up and down for the Giants?
Stock up: Daniel Jones
Let’s start with the obvious because without Jones, the Giants likely don’t come away with the victory.
Jones took a Giants offense, without their best player on the field and with several receivers injured/missing, and put the ball in the end zone for the go-ahead score.
If anything, Jones did his best Eli Manning impression on Sunday, put the team on his back and made a bold statement, which is that the Giants are now his team.
Not too many players had a more epic debut to their career than Jones.
Stock down: Janoris Jenkins
It’s really hard to tell if Jenkins is playing this poorly because he has regressed talent wise, or if he has mentally checked out.
Mike Evans absolutely torched a player, who a few years ago, was considered a “lock-down defender.” On Sunday, Jenkins looked like an aging defender who could barely hang with an NFL wide receiver.
If this trend continues, Jenkins may find himself off the field a bit more.
Stock up: Markus Golden
At the start of the season, the Giants desperately needed someone on their defense to step up and be their go-to pass rusher. Markus Golden may finally be that guy for the Giants.
On Sunday against the Buccaneers, Golden recorded two sacks and had four quarterback hits, plus several quarterback hurries on Jameis Winston, one of which caused him to throw an interception.
Golden now has three on the season, and he looks like the guy who had 12.5 sacks back in 2016 playing for James Bettcher.
Stock down: Nate Solder
Sunday’s game for the veteran left tackle was one he’ll likely want to forget.
Daniel Jones was sacked five times, and Solder was beaten for four of them. Solder is one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the league and he is responsible for covering Jones’ blindside.
Maybe we’ll chalk it up to a bad game by a veteran player on the road. But if Jones wants to have a successful rookie campaign, he needs Solder to have better games and keep defenders off him.
Stock up: Evan Engram
Engram continues to show that he can be a legitimate weapon in the Giants’ offense and a go-to threat, especially now for Daniel Jones.
And for the second time in three weeks, Engram had another 100-plus yard game, hauling in six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Engram was also the recipient of Jones’ first NFL passing touchdown — a 75-yard strike — most of which Engram made with his speed once he made the catch.
Even with Sterling Shepard returning to the offense after missing a week, Engram has been the star of the receiving group, and he only continues to get better with each week.
Stock down: Saquon Barkley
It’s such a rarity to see perhaps the best running back in the NFL on this side of the list considering he’s always on the other side. But before he left the game, Barkley wasn’t exactly having his typical performance that everyone is so used to seeing.
On the ground, Barkley only had eight carries for 10 yards and four catches for 27 yards, thus, only giving him 37 total yards.
The Buccaneers seemed ready to shut Barkley down as far as the run goes. Then Barkley got hurt and was out for the remainder of the game with an ankle injury.
It remains to be seen how much of a loss Barkley’s absence will be for the Giants offense and if they can find ways to get yardage and points on the board without him.
