Giants’ Kevin Zeitler, Riley Dixon make PFF’s NFL Week 10 Team of the Week

Two members of the New York Giants were named to the Pro Football Focus NFL Week 10 Team of the Week.

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The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday in embarrassing fashion and precious few players could put a feather into their cap for a solid performance.

One of those players was right guard Kevin Zeitler, who played well despite some struggles around him, earning a spot on Pro Football Focus’ NFL Week 10 Team of the Week.

RG KEVIN ZEITLER, NEW YORK GIANTS

Zeitler earned his highest single-game grade of the season (75.6) against the Jets in Week 10. He allowed just two total pressures and earned a 72.3 run-blocking grade.

Considering how poorly the offensive line played as a hole and how little Saquon Barkley was able produce, it may seem somewhat shocking to see Zeitler’s name here, but PFF has their opinion.

In addition to Zeitler, punter Riley Dixon also earned a spot on the PFF Team of the Week, although they offered no additional context when it came to his inclusion.

Dixon averaged 53.5 yards on six punts with a long of 59 and one downed inside the 20. He also had a touchback and a failed two-point conversion attempt off a bad snap from Zak DeOssie.

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Giants’ Janoris Jenkins, Rhett Ellison and Nate Solder all in concussion protocol

The injuries continue to mount for the New York Giants as they placed three players in the concussion protocol after their loss to the New York Jets on Sunday. The #Giants announce Rhett Ellison joins Nate Solder and Janoris Jenkins in the …

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The injuries continue to mount for the New York Giants as they placed three players in the concussion protocol after their loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

Solder exited the game in the second quarter and was replaced by Eric Smith. Ellison was removed from the game in the third quarter and was spelled by rookie Kaden Smith. Jenkins left the game in the fourth quarter and Sam Beal took over for him.

These three are all in addition to wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who has been in the protocol for several weeks.

Head coach Pat Shurmur said running back Saquon Barkley was “fine” after going for x-rays after the game.

“I don’t know how you’re going to write it, but I saw him today and he said he was feeling a lot better,” said Shurmur.

When asked if the Giants were considering shutting Barkley down for the season Shurmur was firm.

“Absolutely not,” he said.

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Report: Giants will work out TE Scott Simonson on Tuesday

The New York Giants will work out tight end Scott Simonson on Tuesday.

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With tight end Evan Engram still in a boot and nursing a foot injury and Rhett Ellison placed in concussion protocol after a Week 10 loss to the New York Jets, the New York Giants will host Scott Simonson for a workout in East Rutherford on Tuesday.

Simonson, a Middletown, New Jersey native, signed with the Giants in June of 2018 and appeared in all 16 games last season, starting four. He hauled in nine passes for 86 yards and one touchdown.

The 27-year-old appeared to be a lock to make the team’s 53-man roster again in 2019, but suffered a high ankle sprain in the final preseason game against the New England Patriots and was promptly placed on injured reserve.

Shortly thereafter, Simonson was released from IR with an injury settlement and has remained a free agent ever since. He is now eligible to re-sign with the Giants should he desire to do so.

Prior to his time in New York, Simonson spent three seasons with the Carolina Panthers and two seasons with the Oakland Raiders.

In addition to Simonson, the Giants also worked out wide receiver Alex Bachman on Monday for the second time in two weeks.

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Demaryius Thomas among 6 unsung heroes from Jets’ win over Giants

Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams deserve all the credit for the win, but these veterans and rookies stepped up in a huge way in the Jets’ win.

The Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants was a team effort. Almost everyone chipped in to help the Jets earn their second victory of the season, especially with an injury-riddled roster.

Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams deserve most of the credit for the win, but there were plenty of other players that helped at various positions on the field. Players stepped up for injured teammates or bad play and immediately contributed on both sides of the ball. A couple rookies even stood out.

Here are six unsung heroes from the Jets’ Week 10 win.

Giants waive Evan Brown, Corn Elder signed by Panthers

The New York Giants have waived OL Evan Brown and had CB Corn Elder signed off of their practice squad by the Carolina Panthers.

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Less than a week after promoting him to their active roster, the New York Giants waived offensive lineman Evan Brown on Monday evening.

The 23-year-old Brown had been added to the team’s 53-man roster with center Jon Halapio (hamstring) and right tackle Mike Remmers (back) ailing. He logged just a single offensive snap (on a busted PAT) and two special teams snaps in a Week 10 loss to the New York Jets.

It’s likely the Giants sign Brown back to their practice squad if he clears waivers. And somewhat ironically, they now have an open space for him.

In addition to waiving Brown, the Giants announced on Monday that the Carolina Panthers had signed cornerback Corn Eldger to their 53-man roster from Big Blue’s practice squad.

The Giants had added Elder to their practice squad shortly after he was released by the Panthers as a part of final cuts in late August/early September.

The 25-year-old Elder was a fifth-round pick of the Panthers in the 2017 NFL Draft.

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NFL Draft 2020: Here are the top 10 candidates for the No. 1 pick after Week 10

The Bengals appear to hold all the cards after Week 10 of the NFL season when it comes to the 2020 draft.

The Miami Dolphins are playing themselves out of the running for the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Forget tanking, Miami has won two in a row and could find itself vying for a top-five spot if this continues. The top 10 in reverse order as the NFL finishes Week 10.

10. Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray Arizona Cardinals
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals have three victories over awful teams. The rest of the schedule is difficult, and the only game they appear to have a shot at winning is against Cleveland in the desert Dec. 15. Don’t be surprised if they wind up with a higher pick.

NFL Week 10: 26 elite performances

Lamar Jackson was a human highlight reel to top the elite in Week 10 of the NFL season.

Lamar Jackson continues to stun, Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley failed to deliver and the Seahawks edged the Niners to complete Week 10.

Arizona Cardinals

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Christian Kirk had a huge game in the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was going to take time for Kyler Murray and the young Cardinals’ receiving corps — exempting Larry Fitzgerald — to gel. Murray and Kirk were on the same page Sunday as they connected six times for 138 yards and three TDs. Kirk outdid his fellow Texas A&M WR, Mike Evans, on the other side as the Bucs’ star WR had four grabs for 82 yards in the win.

What we learned from Giants’ 34-27 loss to Jets

The New York Giants lost to the New York Jets, 34-27, in Week 10 and here’s some of what we learned from that loss.

The New York Giants faced the New York Jets on Sunday in a game where the Giants were expected to fare much better than they did. The 34-27 loss was horrific and really hard to watch.

The Giants appear to be imploding at this point in the season, and there are still six games left. That said, here’s what we learned from the Giants loss on Sunday:

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Saquon Barkley should be shut down for the season

Barkley missed three games this season with an ankle sprain and since his return, he hasn’t been himself. Against the Jets on Sunday, he had just one rushing yard on 13 attempts and five receptions for 30 yards, and that’s not even touching his pass protection. He scored zero touchdowns in what was by far his worst game of his career. Now he has a shoulder injury to boot.

The Giants have no shot at making the playoffs this year, and Barkley’s sophomore season isn’t going as planned, so it’s better to just sit him now. Let him heal and be ready for next season instead of risking a serious injury.

Report: Giants have no plans to fire Pat Shurmur

The New York Giants reportedly have no plans to fire head coach Pat Shurmur or force a coaching staff shakeup.

Following a 34-27 loss to the New York Jets in Week 10, New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said he did not envision making any coaching staff changes during the bye week, which is something he doubled-down on during a Monday afternoon conference call.

“Having slept on it, no, I am not going to make any coaching changes,” Shurmur told reporters. “It’s important that we coach and play better, period. In terms of coaching changes during the season, I think you have to look at each one independently. Some situations they help, others they don’t.”

Although Shurmur made sure his staff knows they are safe, there’s still a belief that he could soon meet the firing squad. However, if he’s been given that indication (or anything to the contrary), he’s not spilling the beans.

“Obviously, we are less than 24 hours out from the game, this is the second time you’ve asked me this question in less than 24 hours,” Shurmur said when asked about meeting with owners. “If I would’ve had that conversation, it’s not obviously something that I would share publicly.”

While no one at the Giants will publicly address Shurmur’s job status, they are apparently talking about it in private. And unsurprisingly, Shurmur is in no danger of being fired in-season, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.

A team source confirmed, though, that there were no immediate plans for ownership to either fire Shurmur or to force any staff shakeup in the wake of the Giants’ 2-9 record – at least until the end of the season.

. . .

It’s much more likely, the source said, that the Giants will revisit Bettcher’s status after the season, especially if the rookies and young players don’t show signs of improvement in the final five games.

As for Shurmur, he seems safe for now too, and very likely into next season as well. Giants GM Dave Gettleman seems to believe the franchise is headed in the right direction and he has always been one of Shurmur’s biggest supporters. And though the final call will belong to co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, Gettleman is obviously a powerful ally for a head coach to have.

For those who have followed the Giants for decades, this shouldn’t even cause a batted eye. Firing Ben McAdoo in-season was the exception to the rule and not the rule itself — Mara has never been shy about his desire to avoid repeated shakeups.

If the Giants lose out, that could obviously sway the opinion of ownership, but even at 2-8 entering the bye week, Dave Gettleman, Pat Shurmur, James Bettcher and Mike Shula are all safe and staying put.

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Stock up, down after Giants’ 34-27 loss to Jets

Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ loss to the New York Jets in Week 10?

The emotions are still settling in after the New York Giants lost to their equally inept co-tenants, the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Several players flashed while others crashed. Here’s quick rundown from Sunday’s game.

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Stock Up: Wide receiver Darius Slayton

Slayton, coming off a down week against Dallas (one reception for six yards), exploded all over the Jets’ secondary grabbing 10 of 14 targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Slayton, a fifth round pick out of Auburn in this year’s NFL Draft has forged a sold rapport with quarterback Daniel Jones and now has five receiving touchdowns on the season, tied for the NFL lead among rookies.

Stock Down: Running back Saquon Barkley

No question Barkley’s performance is concerning. He’s been back from his high ankle sprain for three games now and does not appear to have fully recovered from the injury.

Barkley carried the football 13 times against the Jets, gaining just one yard and his pass blocking, an aspect of his game he prides himself in, has taken a step back. He was blown up twice by Jets safety Jamal Adams, with both plays resulting in fumbles by Daniel Jones. One was recovered by Barkley. The other was taken on for a touchdown by Adams.