People can no longer say the 2022 New York Giants haven’t beaten a playoff-caliber team anymore.
Despite missing key players due to injury, the Giants got their biggest win of the Brian Daboll era as they defeated the (3-2) Green Bay Packers 27-22. The victory was the most impressive win New York has achieved in a long time.
For one, they overcame their biggest deficit of the season, coming back from being down 17-3 in the second quarter. The defense shut out Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the second half. And more importantly, the passing offense finally showed signs of life as Daniel Jones had a season-high 217 passing yards.
Sunday’s victory was another example of the toughness and perseverance that coach Daboll and his coaching staff have instilled in his team.
Down early, Giants never gave up
New York’s perseverance was tested early in the game as the offense went three and out on the first two possessions and found themselves down 10-0 before they picked up their first 1st down of the game.
The Giants’ offense would finally come to life on their third possession thanks to a Daniel Jones 26-yard completion to Darius Slayton. The drive stalled at the Packers’ 31-yard line before Graham Gano would connect on a 48-yard field goal to make the score 10-3.
Green Bay would answer back on their next drive going 75 yards on 13 plays that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to tight end Marcedes Lewis to increase their lead to 17-3.
Big Blue would respond by scoring their first touchdown of the game on their next drive, thanks to a 40-yard run by Saquon Barkley. Nine plays after Barkley’s run, tight end Daniel Bellinger scored on a two-yard reverse to cut the deficit to 17-10.
The Packers would add more points as time expired in the first half as Mason Crosby connected on a 48-yard field goal to make the score 20-10 heading into halftime.
On the first possession of the second half, New York would score points on their third possession in a row as Gano connected on his second field goal of the day from 37 yards out to make the score 20-13.
After forcing the Packers to punt on their first possession of the second half, Big Blue went on a 15-play 91-yard drive that culminated in a Gary Brightwell two-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 20. Barkley would have to leave the game during this drive as he was being evaluated for a shoulder injury but would return on the next drive.
New York’s defense then forced a Packers three and out as they forced Rodgers into three straight incompletions despite cornerback Adoree’ Jackson having to leave the game with a knee injury.
But the Giants were able to take the lead on their next possession after traveling 60 yards on six plays as Barkley would take a direct snap and score on a two-yard run to make the score 27-20 with 6:08 remaining in the game.
Green Bay’s attempt to tie the score on the next drive fell short as New York’s defense was once again up to the challenge. After driving the ball to the Giants’ six-yard line and facing a third-and-one, the Giants batted down two of Rodgers’s passes in a row. The first was pass was deflected off Kayvon Thibodeaux‘s face mask, and the second batted in the air by Xavier McKinney on fourth down with just 1:05 remaining in the game.
Giants punter Jamie Gillan would take a voluntary safety on fourth down with 11 seconds remaining in the game, giving the ball back to the Packers following the kickoff.
Rodgers tried for another one of his miraculous Hall Marys, but he was sacked by Oshane Ximines and fumbled to end the game and give the Giants an improbable win.
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New York Giants put forth their best offensive performance so far
With three of their receivers out of the game, nobody could fathom that the Giants would score 27 points against the Packers’ defense and score points on five consecutive possessions.
As we mentioned, Daniel Jones had a season-high in passing yards (217) and completed 21-of-27 passes. He was also able to add 37 yards rushing on the ground despite being hampered by his sprained ankle.
After playing sparingly in the first four games of the season, Darius Slayton led the team in receptions (6) and receiving yards (79). In fact, his 79 yards receiving is the most any Giant has had in a game this season.
But as the case has been this season, New York’s best player was once again Saquon Barkley. The superstar back gained 70 yards on the ground on 13 carries and caught three passes for 36 yards.
New York will look to win their third game in a row on Sunday when they face the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium.