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The New York Giants face the New York Jets in Week 8. Here are the five biggest storylines to follow for this contest.
The New York Giants (2-5) play host to the New York Jets (3-3) this Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Here are five storylines we are following ahead of the Week 8 clash.
The New York Giants’ offensive line has been far from great in recent weeks but they have been better, drawing the praise of Brian Daboll.
The New York Giants snapped their four-game losing streak on Sunday with a gritty, 14-7, win over the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants improved to 2-5 on the year and quite possibly saved their season in the process.
Head coach Brian Daboll has taken a ton of criticism this season but he has not taken his eye off the light at the end of the tunnel.
“I’ve said this before, it’s an up-and-down league. It’s a humbling league, but if you can stay consistent with your approach,” Daboll told reporters after the game. “You make slight adjustments and your belief in the players. It’s not for everybody, you gotta be able to do that. It’s not gonna be perfect all the time and there’s definitely gonna be some struggles and again, one week has nothing to do with the next week.
“So, whether we lost a close game to the Bills, we won this close game tonight, it really has no bearing on what we do next week to keep a consistent attitude, to work with great intention. That’s what’s important to get ready for a game that’s gonna be difficult every week regardless of who you play and focus on your job and putting the team first. Again, it’s not always easy, but that’s what the job requires.”
One of the biggest challenges has been along the offensive line, where seven of the nine players that made the final roster out of training camp are either on IR, off the roster, or on the sidelines nursing an injury.
The makeshift offensive line has been holding up despite the loss of both starting tackles (Andrew Thomas, Evan Neal) and stud rookie center (John Michael Schmitz).
On Sunday, the Giants went with Justin ‘straight off the couch’ Pugh at left tackle and Tyre Phillips — signed off the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad last week — at right tackle.
Ben Bredeson filled in again at center with Mark Glowinski and Marcus McKethan at guard.
“They’re pros, the guys that were out there tonight, and they worked extremely hard during the week and a couple of days at practice, we were moving guys around and we settled on it say Thursday of how it was gonna go and if (tackle) Evan (Neal) could go, and if he could go, then we had another kind of line up change, if you would. But (offensive linemen coach) Bobby (Johnson) has met with those guys early and late, and he have a kind of revolving door there. Tough competitors,” he said.
Daboll was asked how he settled on the configuration of the line.
“It’s something we talked about as a coaching staff. I think the communication was better. Just having Pugh, a veteran, Bredeson and Glow(inski) kind of opposite because they worked together as well,” he said. “With Tyre back and he was only back for a week, some code words and things like that, even though he picked up, I’d say almost all of it on the way back, it’s still helpful to have someone right next to him that’s been out there and done it, veteran wise.”
Thomas is likely to return this week at left tackle, which will send the line into yet another iteration — the eighth in as many games. We’ll find out later in the week if Neal and Schmitz will play as well.
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New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (neck) missed practice again on Thursday as the team’s injury report somehow grew in size.
The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Thursday but did so without starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who remains sidelined due to a neck injury.
Although head coach Brian Daboll refused to rule Jones out for a Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills, things appear to be trending in that direction.
In addition to Jones and the remaining injury report, which was already large in scale, punter Jamie Gillan was added as a non-participant. He missed Thursday’s practice with what the Giants called an “illness.”
The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: QB Daniel Jones (neck), LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring), OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), OL Matt Peart (shoulder), LB Azeez Ojulari (ankle), P Jamie Gillan (illness), RB Gary Brightwell (ankle)
Limited participant: DB Deonte Banks (ankle), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), DB Cor’Dale Flott (ankle), OL Shane Lemieux (groin), OL Marcus McKethan (knee), DL D.J. Davidson (knee), LB Micah McFadden (ankle), OL Evan Neal (ankle), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), TE Darren Waller (groin)
Full participant: N/A
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New York Giants QB Daniel Jones tried to downplay his neck injury but ultimately admitted it felt similar to the injury he suffered in 2021.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lay on the grass in obvious pain after absorbing his 28th sack of the season and his 16th over the past two games.
It’s a scene that has become all too familiar to Giants fans but this time, Jones was slow to get back up. Instead, he was immediately tended to by trainers before being whisked away to the blue medical tent and then the locker room.
The Giants almost immediately ruled him out for the game.
Such a swift designation is rarely a positive sign and that fear was realized when the team announced that Jones had suffered a neck injury.
That injury is significant because Jones suffered a terrifying neck/spinal injury in 2021 that cost him the final six games of the season and required surgery, although he insisted at the time it was unrelated.
After the 31-16 loss to Miami, Jones attempted to downplay his injury but ultimately admitted that the pain was similar to the 2021 injury.
“I think I’m certainly in some pain, physical game. So I’ll meet with the doctors and trainers and then go from there,” Jones told reporters. “I’ve certainly dealt with a similar issue. Like I said, I’ll meet with the doctors and trainers and go from there.”
Jones will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury but given his history, it’s likely he’ll miss some time.
However, like Jones himself, head coach Brian Daboll attempted to downplay the injury a bit until more information was available.
“I just saw him when I came in. He was sitting at his locker. I asked how he was doing, and he said, ‘I’ll be OK.’ That’s what he said,” Daboll told reporters. “Got hit pretty good. He’s been getting hit quite a bit.”
Jones has been getting hit entirely too much but now Daboll has a plan.
“Affecting the quarterback plays an important role in the game. We have to figure out ways to protect him better,” Daboll said.
Unfortunately for Jones, it’s a little late for that.
The New York Giants were smacked around by the Miami Dolphins, 31-16, in Week 5 and lost QB Daniel Jones (neck) in the process.
The New York Giants faced off against the dynamic Miami Dolphins down at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Sunday afternoon in hopes of pulling off an upset that could rejuvenate their sagging season.
The Giants entered the game as 12.5-point underdogs to the Dolphins, who lead the NFL in offensive yards gained and total points through the first four weeks of the 2023 regular season.
The Giants played without Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) for the third straight week and were also missing left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder).
Needless to say, there was no upset and there was no rejuvenation. Instead, the Giants were smacked around and lost quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) in the process.
New York Giants LT Andrew Thomas and rookie OL John Michael Schmitz remain sidelined in practice and appear unlikely to play in Week 5.
The New York Giants took the field for their second of three practices leading up to Saturday’s departure for Florida.
There was hope that both left tackle Andrew Thomas and rookie center John Michael Schmitz would return to the field but that did not happen. Instead, head coach Brian Daboll revealed that nothing would change from the day prior.
That likely means no Thomas, JMS or reserve Shane Lemieux for the Giants on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
It also wasn’t entirely accurate as linebacker Micah McFadden was added with an ankle injury.
Running back Saquon Barkley was once again limited but he, too, remains uncertain for the Week 5 game.
The Giants’ Thursday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring), OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), OL Shane Lemieux (groin)
Limited participant: LB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), TE Daniel Bellinger (knee), OL Evan Neal (hand/ankle), OL Marcus McKethan (knee), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) and RB Gary Brightwell (ankle), LB Micah McFadden (ankle)
Full participant: N/A
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The New York Giants were without three offensive linemen in practice on Wednesday, including Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz.
The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday, just two days removed from a humiliating loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
They now have just four days to prepare for a Week 5 game against the high-powered Miami Dolphins, who are looking to bounce back following a Sunday loss to the Buffalo Bills.
As the Giants took the field in East Rutherford, all eyes were on their banged-up offensive line and the news wasn’t good.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas, rookie center John Michael Schmitz, and reserve Shane Lemieux all missed practice due to their respective injuries. However, head coach Brian Daboll did indicate that JMS could play against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Meanwhile, linebacker Azeez Ojulari returned to limited participation following his recent return and was joined by tight end Daniel Bellinger and several others.
The Giants’ Wednesday injury report can be found below:
Did not participate: LT Andrew Thomas (hamstring), OL John Michael Schmitz (shoulder), OL Shane Lemieux (groin)
Limited participant: LB Azeez Ojulari (hamstring), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), TE Daniel Bellinger (knee), OL Evan Neal (hand/ankle), OL Marcus McKethan (knee), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) and RB Gary Brightwell (ankle)
Full participant: N/A
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The New York Giants have activated DL A’Shawn Robinson and OL Marcus McKethan from the PUP list, plus other injury news.
The New York Giants will activate defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson and offensive lineman Marcus McKethan from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of Monday’s practice.
Both players have passed their physicals.
Robinson, who was signed as a free agent on April 24, was placed on PUP at the onset of training camp as he recovered from a torn meniscus that cost him the final seven games last season. His return will provide much-needed depth along the interior of the team’s defensive line, joining the likes of Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams.
McKethan landed on PUP after missing his entire rookie season due to a torn ACL, which was sustained during a preseason practice last August.
Meanwhile, head coach Brian Daboll says that right tackle Evan Neal remains in concussion protocol but is improving. He and the rest of the roster will travel to Detroit on Monday evening, although it remains unclear if he’ll be back in time for Friday night’s preseason opener.
Finally, defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who recently returned from a concussion sustained during a traffic accident, will sit out on Monday due to a groin injury.
The team is monitoring the issue but Nacho, like Neal, will travel with the team to Detroit.
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If the New York Giants want to return to the playoffs in 2023, here are five things they’re going to need to settle this offseason.
The New York Giants made significant strides in 2022 under first-year general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, logging a winning record for the first time in six years and winning their first postseason game since Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.
They face a crucial offseason if they plan to continue their climb in the NFC hierarchy, however. Much still needs to be done for them to sustain success and remain contenders for years to come.
Here are five things that they can do in the next few months that can help them get back to the playoffs in 2023.
New York Giants GM Joe Schoen offers brief commentary on all 11 players from the 2022 NFL draft class, which was his first-ever as GM.
The New York Giants wrapped up the 2022 season on Monday with year-end press conferences from general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.
Multiple topics were discussed throughout the dual presser, including Schoen’s take on the 2022 NFL draft class — an 11-player group that contributed heavily throughout the year.
As a reminder, here’s a look at each of those picks:
Although many of these rookies played significant roles, injuries were the theme. All missed time over the course of the 17-game season with the exception of linebacker Micah McFadden.
Some missed the entire season.
Here’s what Schoen had to say about each member of his first-ever draft class.
