New York Giants headlines for Tuesday

Good morning, New York Giants fans!

Giants-Panthers ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ review: Team effort gets Giants to 2-0 | Big Blue View

Getting the recognition from BBV’s Ed Valentine were K Graham Gano, WR Richie James, LB Oshane Ximines and DC Wink Martindale among others. But there are still concerns about the offensive line.

Leonard Williams injury: Giants appear to avoid worst-case scenario | Big Blue View

Head Coach Brian Daboll said Monday afternoon that Williams’ knee is “better than it could be.” As he does with virtually every injury, Daboll described Williams as “day to day.”

“He said [Monday] he feels a lot better than he did yesterday,” Daboll said. “He’s walking around. Hopefully, he’s a fast healer.”

As Daniel Jones, Giants offense find footing, they can be thankful for Graham Gano | The Athletic

“Those 50-plus yarders are special,” Gano said. “Everything has to go right on them. It’s a lot different than hitting a 30-yarder. Even though that 30-yarder earlier in the game, my heart was pounding, because we got the fumble recovery. I ran down and realized we were in field goal range, so I had to calm my heart rate. Those 50-yarders are fun, but everything has to go right. So I guess you could say it’s a lot more fun when you make those.”

BBV’s Nick Falato notes how the Giants safeties were on the field, often replacing a middle linebacker

Andrew Thomas, Leonard Williams were highest-graded Giants in Week 2 | USA Today

With the exception of left tackle Andrew Thomas, that is. He led the team with a 87.5 grade from Pro Football Focus. Just behind Thomas were wide receiver Richie James (72.6), and tight ends Tanner Hudson (69.1) and Chris Myarick (66.7).

On the other side of the ball, Leonard Williams led the way with an 83.4. He was followed by cornerbacks Darnay Holmes (77.2), Fabian Moreau (69.5) and Adoree’ Jackson (67.2).

Giants vs. Panthers: 5 plays that mattered as Giants moved to 2-0 | Big Blue View

The Giants’ offense struggled to move the football consistently, and the rushing lanes were hard to find. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka attempted to be creative, but it did not always work early in the game. However, creativity paid dividends as the game progressed.

Despite losing Leonard Williams in the second half, the Giants defense played phenomenally on third down. Carolina converted only two third-down attempts in the game.

Julian Love: Inside story of game-changing sack in NY Giants’ win | The Record

Love lined up opposite Panthers rookie left tackle Ickey Ekwonu, and as Mayfield was barking out the calls, making their checks and “being pretty vocal about it.”

“I picked up that they were blocking down, and the tackle would try to get to me,” Love said. “So I dipped the shoulder a little bit and went inside, he couldn’t get his hands on me and got through. I knew the guard was going to take Tony Jefferson, so the tackle or nobody would have me. I got a good get-off, and obviously I’m quicker than those big guys.”

Giants' defense shines in another win, and new DC is a huge reason why | FOX Sports

The Giants are now 2-0, and it really is because of their defense. They've done it by not backing down from anyone or anything — because Martindale won't let them.

"His personality, whether you're golfing with him, whether you're playing pickup hoops or whether you're out there on the football field, this guy's personality is he wants to win," linebackers coach Drew Wilkins said last week. "And he wants to win by attacking you and by imposing on you."

"Wink always said from day one," defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson added, "he's building a bully here."

The Giants aren't afraid of failure: Daboll's coaching mentality has NY undefeated | ESPN

Two weeks, two statements from the Giants about what kind of team they are -- an unapologetic yet imperfect group that is finally producing better results. It may not have been pretty, but they are the only 2-0 team in the NFC East entering Monday.

“I think it’s important to show players that you have faith in them,” said Daboll, who also called for a 2-point conversion to go for the win late last week in Tennessee. “They work their asses off during the week. They’ve worked their asses off during camp. They’re the ones out there playing on Sunday, and you have to put it in their hands when it counts the most. And that’s what [offensive coordinator Mike] Kafka did with Daniel, and Daniel made the right decision.”

The GMFB crew giving praise to rookie head coach Brian Daboll

Saquon Barkley’s big half rewards Giants sticking with run game | New York Post

Barkley, who has had three career games with at least eight rushes and 10 yards or fewer, was expecting an improved opponent. He got it when the Panthers held the Giants to six first-half points despite turnover-created great starting field position.

“The week before they were getting gashed like crazy,” Barkley said. “We knew there were opportunities to be there, but [the Panthers] had a great game plan. All [our coaches] guys came in and adjusted it. We didn’t panic, we didn’t waver. We settled down and got the game going.”

Where was Kenny Golladay? Giants’ wide receiver situation is getting interesting | Big Blue View

BBV’s Ed Valentine sees a bigger picture as too often, the highest-paid or highest-drafted player plays regardless of performance. That is because the coach or general manager has gone out on a limb, staked some of his reputation on that player. The front office or coaching staff tries to prove it was right about the player, sometimes hanging on too long at the expense of doing what is right for the team.

Head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen are in a position where they don’t have that pressure. They did not sign Golladay. They did not draft Toney, or Daniel Jones. They weren’t part of Ximines’ disappointing first three seasons. They did not sign Blake Martinez as a free agent. They are simply going by what they see, and playing the guys who do the best jobs.

Eli’s new persona, Chad Powers

NFL Week 2 overreactions and reality checks: Giants NFC East contenders | CBSSports.com

The Giants are NFC East contenders is an overreaction, according CBSSports.com’s Jeff Kerr.

Give New York a lot of credit for its first 2-0 start since 2016, but a win over a good team is needed for this to be a reality. Whether the Titans are good or not is to be determined (even though the Giants deserve a ton of credit for the impressive road win) and the panthers are shaping out to be one of the worst teams in the league — again.

This week’s opponent

"Certainly possible" Michael Gallup plays this week | ProFootballTalk

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that Michael Gallup could make his first appearance of the 2022 season when the Cowboys face the Giants on Monday night in Week Three. Gallup tore his ACL last year and has been practicing on a limited basis.

“Certainly Gallup has a chance to work back in. Certainly possible for him to be up against the Giants this week,” Jones said.

A key injury to keep track of this week

Can the Cowboys Defense Keep the Team’s Season Alive? | The 33rd Team

The 33rd Team’s Trey Wingo breaks down the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 2 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, who have struggled to keep quarterback Joe Burrow upright. Wingo explains how the Cowboys’ defense can continue to carry the team to wins and give them a chance to win even without starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Cowboys vs. Bengals stock report: Stock up for Cooper Rush, Brett Maher | Blogging The Boys

The Cowboys are now 2-0 (another exclamation point!) with Cooper Rush under center. What is this life?!

We are so used to the Cowboys regressing and wilting when backup quarterbacks play for them. To be fair here, Rush had some passes that were near interceptions, but he also had some that were right on the money. He did what he had to do, especially near the end, and orchestrated a much-needed win against a really great team.

Around the league

NFL suspends Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans for one game for altercation | ESPN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been suspended without pay for one game for his role in Sunday's altercation with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the NFL announced Monday.

Evans was suspended for violating unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct rules, the league said. Evans will not be eligible to return until after Sunday's home opener against the Green Bay Packers. Evans is allowed to appeal the suspension under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.

Zac Taylor frustrated by Bengals' pass protection | NFL.com

Burrow was sacked six times in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, taking his total to 13 to open the 2022 campaign.

"I think we've given up too many sacks, absolutely," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Sunday bluntly. "It's all frustrating. We've given ourselves an opportunity to win these games against good teams, so once things settle down, I know that we're going to be a really good football team."

A fan struck Kyler Murray in the face after Sunday's overtime win | ProFootballTalk

A Las Vegas police spokesman confirmed to the AP that a battery complaint was made after the game. Murray wasn’t named as the complaining party, but the allegation was that “a spectator at the stadium struck a professional football player.”

Murray was celebrating with fans after cornerback Byron Murphy returned a fumble for the game-winning touchdown. That’s when one of the fans hit Murray.

Kansas City Chiefs starting LB Willie Gay suspended four games | ESPN

Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay has been suspended by the NFL for four games for violation of the league's personal conduct policy. Gay was arrested in January in Overland Park, Kansas, for criminal property damage of less than $1,000, a misdemeanor.

Gay's suspension will begin immediately. He will miss games against the Colts, Buccaneers, Raiders and Bills and is eligible to return after the Week 6 game against Buffalo.

DirecTV will reimburse Sunday Ticket customers who were unable to stream in Week Two | ProFootballTalk

“We will begin to reach out to our customers who were unable to stream some of the games on Sunday to let them know we will automatically reimburse them for Week Two,” a DirecTV spokesperson told PFT via email. “We apologize to our customers for their experience and for the inconvenience.”

It’s unclear how DirecTV will identify those customers who had streaming difficulties. Issues with online and app-based viewing emerged in both Week One and Week Two. The satellite version of the product worked without incident.

In case you missed it

• Giants 19, Panthers 16: Stats and snap counts
• Giants-Cowboys odds: Giants open as 3-point favorites in Week 3

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