‘Kudos & Wet Willies’: Numerous reward to be awarded after Giants’ solely dwelling victory of 2024

As you would possibly anticipate, there have been plenty of heroes within the New York Giants’ 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Let’s get to the ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ and determine the lengthy record of gamers who deserve reward, and the handful who don’t.

Kudos to …

Malik Nabers — Wow!! That’s all I can say about Nabers’ sport on Sunday. The rookie extensive receiver caught seven passes for a career-high 171 yards. He had two touchdowns, one in every of a career-high 59 yards and the opposite a 31-yarder. On each, he created plenty of the yardage on his personal.

Nabers now has 104 receptions on the season, one behind the rookie file of 105 set final 12 months by Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams. Brock Bowers, rookie tight finish for the Las Vegas Raiders, has already surpassed Nacua’s file. He has 108 receptions.

The Giants’ franchise file for receptions in a season is 107, set in 2009 by Steve Smith.

Nabers additionally surpassed 1,000 receiving yards, the primary Giants receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018 to achieve that milestone. With 1,140 receiving yards, Nabers wants 165 yards to tie Beckham’s franchise rookie file of 1,305 yards.

Tyrone Tracy — The rookie working again did his half on Sunday by becoming a member of Nabers with greater than 1,000 whole yards from scrimmage. Nabers and Tracy joined Abner Haynes and Johnny Robinson (Dallas Texans/1960) and Marques Colston and Reggie Bush (New Orleans Saints/2006) as the one rookie duos to surpass 1,000 whole yards.

Tracy now has 1,057 whole yards (780 speeding, 277 receiving) on the season regardless of having solely gained 70 yards within the Giants’ first 4 video games.

Drew Lock

Picture by Luke Hales/Getty Pictures

Drew Lock — Boy, what a distinction high quality quarterback play makes. Lock accomplished 17 of 23 passes for 309 yards, the fourth 300-yard passing sport of his six-year profession, and an outstanding 155.3 passer ranking. He additionally accounted for a career-high 5 touchdowns (4 passing, one speeding).

“I think if you get good quarterback play, you have an opportunity in every game,” stated head coach Brian Daboll.

The 45 factors scored by the Giants was their highest level whole since a 41-35 victory over the Washington Redskins in Week 16 of the 2019 season, greater than 5 years in the past.

The Giants, as we all know, will probably be in search of a brand new franchise quarterback this offseason. Lock’s efficiency on Sunday, getting the ball out rapidly and precisely and making performs together with his ft when obligatory, supplied a glimpse of what the Giants might like look with a quarterback who can do these sorts of issues commonly.

Lock performed poorly in final week’s 34-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, and took satisfaction from Sunday’s sport.

“It means a lot. I knew it was in me. I knew we could go out and do it,” Lock stated. “It takes everybody. That’s the quarterback position. It takes everybody and those guys played their butt off for me today. Last week being the way it was, not playing up to my standard. Not playing up to the standard that Dabs holds me to or quarterbacks Shea (Tierney) holds me to. It was disappointing, yeah. But we regrouped, fought throughout the week, rehabbed, studied, practiced, came out here, and it just played out the way it should have.”

Once more, it’s superb the distinction getting good quarterback play could make.

Rakeem Nunez-Roches — Perhaps it’s a small factor, however Nunez-Roches first quarter sack of Flacco was his second of the season, tying a profession excessive. Nacho additionally had a quarterback hit and a deal with for loss.

Jason Pinnock — The protection gave the impression to be buzzing across the line of scrimmage your entire afternoon, making 10 tackles.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette — Smith-Marsette opened the second half by taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a landing. That was the Giants’ first kickoff return landing since Dwayne Harris in Week 7 of the 2015 season towards the Dallas Cowboys. Smith-Marsette has had a pleasant season for the Giants since changing the injured Gunner Olszewski as the first return man.

Brian Burns — The Giants greatest defensive participant left standing confirmed up a number of instances when it mattered on Sunday. He ended up with six tackles, three for loss, and a quarterback hit on a third-down move that helped power an incompletion.

Go blocking — How about this for an incredible coincidence? For those who move block nicely the quarterback has a possibility to play higher. Lock was by no means sacked and was hit just one time. Giants’ move blockers had been charged with permitting solely 5 hurries in unofficial Professional Soccer Focus grading.

Ty Summers — A profession particular teamer pressured into motion as an inside linebacker by the accidents to Bobby Okereke, Summers’ 11 tackles had been essentially the most in his six-year NFL profession.

Wan’Dale Robinson — The diminutive slot receiver performed massive on Sunday. He had 5 catches in six targets for 71 yards and a 5-yard landing catch. The one ball Robinson didn’t catch ought to have been a simple completion, as he dropped a move on the Giants’ 45-yard line with New York clinging to a 35-33 lead late within the fourth quarter.

Robinson responded with a diving 18-yard reception on the following play. Then, three performs later he had a 35-yard catch-and-run throughout which he did his greatest Mark Bavaro impression, utilizing all of his 5-foot-8, 185-pound body to run by means of and over would-be tacklers.

That arrange a landing that put the Giants again up by two scores with three minutes to play.

Dane Belton and Dru Phillips — Every defensive again had interceptions, the Giants’ first multi-interception sport of the season. Belton additionally had eight tackles and a pair of passes defensed, whereas Phillips added six tackles and a move defensed.

Wan’Dale Robinson celebrates a landing.

Picture by Luke Hales/Getty Pictures

Moist Willies to …

The Tank — Nicely … I’ve been making an attempt to inform followers and BBV commenters that the Giants weren’t deliberately dropping video games to get a greater choose within the 2025 NFL Draft. They simply haven’t been, and nonetheless are usually not, an excellent workforce.

Sunday, although, they’d a barrage of explosive performs. There was the 100-yard kickoff return by Smith-Marsette. There have been 59 and 31-yard touchdowns by Nabers, a 32-yard landing by Darius Slayton, a 40-yard run by Tracy. Together with the kickoff return, there have been six performs of no less than 20 yards, and two extra of 19 yards.

They intercepted Flacco twice and recovered a fumble, whereas by no means turning the ball over themselves.

The result’s that they now not management the No. 1 choose within the draft. They’re No. 3 as of this writing, with the potential of dropping additional if the Cleveland Browns lose to the Miami Dolphins.

Fourth-down determination — Had the Giants been trailing within the sport I’d have been all for Brian Daboll’s determination to go for it on fourth-and-1 on the Giants’ personal 42-yard line late within the third quarter. The Giants had been forward, although, 28-20. In addition they weren’t working the ball nicely, with Tracy’s 40-yard run just about the one profitable designed run they’d all day.

Predictably, Tracy was stuffed for no achieve and Indianapolis took over. The protection pressured a punt, so the choice wasn’t expensive. I’d, although, have most well-liked a punt for the reason that Giants had been successful on the time.

Deonte Banks — Banks dedicated defensive move interference penalties of 44 and 19 yards that led to 10 Indianapolis factors. He was additionally victimized for a 49-yard deep completion from to Alec Pierce.

Run blocking — Tracy had that 40-yard run within the first quarter. In any other case, he had 19 carries for 19 yards. It was a really Saquon Barkley-esque line, due principally to their not being anyplace to run. The early Professional Soccer Focus grades present each offensive lineman aside from Jake Kubas with beneath common run blocking scores.

Kwillies to …

Kayvon Thibodeaux — The third-year edge rusher padded his stats with a strip sack of Colts quarterback Joe Flacco inside the ultimate two minutes. He had just one different deal with and a quarterback hit within the sport. If it looks like I’m holding Thibodeaux to a excessive commonplace, I’m. The No. 5 general choose within the draft must be extra constantly impactful, for my part.

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