The Brian Daboll era got underway on Thursday night as the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 23-21.
Of course from a coach’s standpoint, the preseason is not about wins and losses. It’s about playing smart fundamental football, executing the game plan, and preparing your team for the rigors of the regular season.
Although most of the Patriots starters did not play, there several noteworthy takeaways for Big Blue in their preseason opener as they were finally able to hit someone wearing a different uniform.
Here are those takeaways.
Daniel Jones was efficient
Daniel Jones played the first two drives and completed six out of 10 passes for 69 yards. He probably would have a touchdown if Kenny Golladay didn’t drop a pass at the one-yard line on the opening drive.
After an up and down training camp, some were expecting Jones to have a mishap against New England. But it didn’t happen, which should silence his critics until the next time he has a subpar outing.
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Receivers making the most of their opportunity
With Kadarius Toney unable to play due to a lower leg injury, Darius Slayton started in his place and caught one pass for 17 yards. But the two receivers that shined the most were Collin Johnson and Richie James.
Johnson played with the starting offense on the first two drives of the game and finished the night with seven catches for 82 yards. He did have a fumble on New York’s third possession, which would be his only miscue on the night.
James played with the second team offense and had three receptions for 44 yards including a seven-yard touchdown reception from Tyrod Taylor in the second quarter that put New York up 10-7.
The performances of Johnson and James certainly enhanced their chances of making the roster.
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Tyrod Taylor had command of the offense
Perhaps the player that had the best night was Tyrod Taylor. He completed 13 out of 21 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. He also showed great pocket awareness by avoiding sacks.
The 33-year-old quarterback showed once again that he will be ready to step in if anything were to happen to Jones during the season. As always, quarterbacks are just one play away from stepping in, when needed. Taylor looks ready for anything so far.
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Aaron Robinson struggled mightily
The corner that will start opposite of Adoree’ Jackson was the biggest question mark on the defense and after Robinson’s performance on Thursday night, the question has now turned into a major concern.
Patriots receivers were running past Robinson throughout the first quarter. He gave up a 33-yard completion to Kristian Wilkerson and allowed the first touchdown of the game on a two-yard connection to Tyquan Thornton from Bryan Hoyer.
Sometimes things can get overblown in the first preseason game, however, after what we witnessed unfold on Thursday, there’s a good chance other corners may get reps with the first team defense when New York takes the practice field on Sunday.
Kayvon Thibodeaux had an uneventful night
The fifth overall pick had an uneventful debut as he registered just one tackle. Kayvon Thibodeaux did make his presence known as he did cause a false start. Expect the star pass rusher to get another opportunity to make an impact in the Giants’ next preseason game against the Bengals next Sunday.
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Starting guard suffers injury
Unfortunately for the Giants, they did not come away from this game unscathed. Guard Shane Lemieux suffered a toe injury in New York’s first possession and was seen in a walking boot later in the game.
Lemieux wasn’t the only big man that went down as Jamil Douglas was forced out of the game with an ankle injury, and rookie cornerback Cordale Flott left the game with a groin injury.