{"id":228199,"date":"2025-09-15T07:45:37","date_gmt":"2025-09-15T07:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228199\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T07:45:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T07:45:37","slug":"the-new-york-giants-are-0-2-again-but-are-they-finally-watchable-nfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/228199\/","title":{"rendered":"The New York Giants are 0-2 again. But are they finally … watchable? | NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Fox analyst Greg Olsen noted that this week\u2019s version of Russell Wilson was \u201cunrecognizable from Week 1,\u201d he could have referred to the entire New York Giants<\/a> team.<\/p>\n

Limping into Dallas after their dismal opening loss to the Commanders, the Giants picked up where they left off \u2013 with a lot of stupid mistakes. Offensive tackle James Hudson III stole the limelight as he somehow amassed four consecutive penalties on New York\u2019s first possession. Hudson was duly benched but the Giants\u2019 penalties kept coming \u2013 they gave away 160 yards\u2019 worth on Sunday.<\/p>\n

And yet \u2026 despite the penalties, the Giants we saw on Sunday in Dallas were nothing like the hapless team we saw last week \u2013 and for large parts of the last decade. This squad showed fight, moxie, and an offense at its best. Wilson was sensational, proving his critics wrong by, simply put, producing one of the best games of his career. His 450 passing yards and three touchdowns were the result of his command of the offense, smart decision making, improved offensive line play, and a special connection with Malik Nabers.<\/p>\n

Nabers, once again, reminded us that he\u2019s superhuman. Wilson connected with Nabers time and again, including on a jaw-dropping 48-yard moonball touchdown to take a 37-34 lead \u2013 one of five lead changes in the fourth-quarter \u2013 with 25 seconds remaining. Nabers clasped his hands together in a night-night pose, Wilson reached his arms out to thank the heavens. But the celebrations were premature.<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s lax defense on the ensuing drive allowed Dallas to line up for a 64-yard game-tying field goal. For many kickers, this distance would be out of reach. Cowboys phenom Brandon Aubrey made it look like a chip shot. This thrilling back-and-forth continued into overtime. Wilson threw an interception \u2013 his one serious mistake on the day \u2013 that led to Aubrey\u2019s 46-yard game winner. Not too shabby from Aubrey, a professional soccer player turned software engineer turned USFL kicker turned Cowboys star.<\/p>\n

It was a thrilling win for Dallas and a heartbreaking loss for the G-Men who fall to 0-2. But something changed in this game. The Giants were entertaining. Stars emerged. It felt like progress, like we are witnessing a watchable squad.<\/p>\n

In addition to Wilson and Nabers, rookie offensive left tackle Marcus Mbow fortified the line and looks like starting material moving forward. Fellow rookie Cam Skattebo, preformed like a competent running back. Wan\u2019Dale Robinson proved to be a vertical threat, hauling in 142 receiving yards (Nabers had 167). The defensive line dominated for much of the day. Even backup quarterback Jaxson Dart saw action on a few trick plays.<\/p>\n

This is a game that the Giants unquestionably win without the dumb penalties. Until they prove otherwise, the Giants should be expected to make sloppy mistakes. It\u2019s their hallmark in recent years with Brian Daboll at the helm. At 0-2, the Giants\u2019 playoff hopes are slim. It\u2019s their seventh 0-2 start since 2015, and with the Chiefs, Chargers, and Eagles looming in three of their next four games, the road only gets rougher. From a win-loss standpoint, another painful year may be ahead.<\/p>\n

But despite the painful loss to Dallas, something feels different. With Wilson under center and so much promising young talent, the Giants, are dare I say, watchable. If there are more thrilling games like this, overflowing with highlights, the Giants may even deliver their fanbase that most precious of things \u2013 hope.<\/p>\n

MVP of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts.<\/strong> Is that Peyton Manning? Andrew Luck? Um, no that would be Danny Dimes, who has led the Indianapolis Colts to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2009, when Manning took them to the Super Bowl. Before the Colts were 2-0, for a split-second, they looked like they would be 1-1. They were down 26-28 to the Broncos, when Spencer Shrader missed a 60-yard field goal as time expired. Denver celebrated but the Broncos were penalized 15 yards on a controversial leverage penalty<\/a> that will be widely discussed this week. Shrader then nailed the 45-yarder to give the Colts the 29-28 win. Jones was sensational for the second time in two weeks, he went 23 of 34 for 316 yards and two touchdowns, one with his feet. To lead the Colts to three field-goal scoring drives in the final minutes against one of the NFL\u2019s best defenses is quite the statement. Given the murmurs and disgust when the Colts named Jones starter, not to mention his tumultuous time in New York, his success is quickly becoming one of the great narratives of this season.<\/p>\n

Daniel Jones was superb late in the game for the Colts. Photograph: Michael Conroy\/APVideo of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s Puka Nacua\u2019s 45-yard rushing touchdown. What can\u2019t the wide receiver do? The Rams dialled up a sneaky call on fourth and one in the first quarter, shifting Nacua in front of rusher Kyren Williams. Nacua took a clean handoff from Matthew Stafford to the house, forcing multiple missed tackles on the way, looking like a natural running back. Nacua\u2019s score set the tone for Los Angeles\u2019s 33-19 win over Tennessee, which takes them to 2-0 on the season. Add in new toy Davante Adams, who was good for 106 receiving yards, and OC Mike LaFleur, and Rams head coach Sean McVay should have plenty of fun with the offensive playbook. Nacua was also productive Sunday as a receiver, finishing with eight receptions and 91 yards.<\/p>\n

Stat of the week<\/strong><\/p>\n

2-0.<\/strong> The Bengals have won their opening two games of the season for the first time since 2018. Most NFL teams with lofty expectations expect to be 2-0 after being gifted Cleveland and Jacksonville to open the season. But for the Bengals in the Joe Burrow Era, this is new territory after an odd win over the Jaguars. What started with Burrow, who left with a toe injury in the first half \u2013 he is expected to miss<\/a> several weeks with strained ligaments, although that could rise to three months if he needs surgery<\/a> \u2013 ended with an improbable hero in his backup, Jake Browning. Browning threw three interceptions before going 9-for-10 on the final drive and jumping over a pile of players for a tush-push, game-winning touchdown. Browning summed up his mindset for the game neatly: \u201cBe delusional.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bengals are 2-0 but Joe Burrow left the game early. Photograph: Carolyn Kaster\/AP<\/p>\n

The extent of Burrow\u2019s injury isn\u2019t official, but as he sat on the ground pointing to his foot, a collective \u201cnot again\u201d rippled through Cincinnati. Lacking even a gator cart, the Bengals had him hobble away on a foot scooter. Have the team\u2019s decision-makers learned nothing from their offensive line\u2019s toll on him, most notably the knee injury that ended his rookie year? Since their 2022 Super Bowl appearance, this franchise has drifted back into mediocrity. Despite boasting a franchise quarterback in Burrow and elite receivers like Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they\u2019ve repeatedly dropped close games and failed to retain key defensive talent.<\/p>\n

So, yes, the Bengals are in an odd position with this 2-0 thing, not to mention the fact that enjoy sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Browning is a solid backup but is, of course, no Burrow. The schedule gets nasty in Weeks 5 and 6 with the Lions and Packers on the schedule. If Burrow doesn\u2019t recover quickly, prospects for the Bengals as a season-long powerhouse don\u2019t look good. But the Bengals should still savor being 2-0 \u2013 it\u2019s been a while.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere around the league<\/p>\n

The Super Bowl rematch arrived on Sunday, and it won\u2019t be much comfort to the Chiefs that their 20-17 defeat to the Eagles was less one-sided than February\u2019s game. As was the case last time, the Eagles defense was at its formidable best and, aside from a beauty of a touchdown pas<\/a>s from Mahomes, the Eagles stifled the Chiefs. Kansas City are 0-2 for the first time since 2014, which is also the last time they failed to make the postseason. They should still make it this season, and the Giants should provide relief next week, but next after that is a tricky meeting with the Ravens.<\/p>\n

Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley were understandably chipper after Sunday\u2019s win. Photograph: Ed Zurga\/AP<\/p>\n

There are regular rookie mistakes, then there is the catastrophic kickoff return<\/a> by the Steelers\u2019 Kaleb Johnson. Early in the fourth quarter, after Seattle took a three-point lead, Johnson let the ensuing kickoff bounce through his hands and settle in the end zone. It appeared Johnson did not understand the kickoff rules which state that the ball is live if the returning team does not possess it. Seattle recovered the ball for a touchdown, putting them up 24-14. The Seahawks would eventually win 31-17. \u201cIf I wasn\u2019t sure [of the rule], if I was sure, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d said Johnson after the game. \u201cI still got to do what I got to do, and I still got to go in there and execute the way it needs to be executed.\u201d Welcome to the NFL, poor rookie.<\/p>\n

Ben Johnson\u2019s return to Detroit did not quite go as he planned. An extra motivated Lions squad took it to Johnson\u2019s Bears, winning 52-21. Jared Goff tore up Chicago\u2019s defense with a whopping 82% completion rate, five touchdowns, and 334 yards. The Lions came in motivated \u2013 eager to knock off their former offensive coordinator and desperate for a rebound after their Week 1 loss to Green Bay. They did both. For Johnson, though, two weeks in Chicago have underscored the vast gulf between being a successful coordinator and a being a head coach, even for the so-called wunderkinds.<\/p>\n

An ESPN report surfaced over the weekend<\/a> claiming that the Baltimore Ravens had intended to pick Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round of this year\u2019s draft. But Sanders let it be known that he did not want to be stuck behind a superstar like Lamar Jackson. Well, looks like Cleveland are the perfect situation for Sanders. The 40-year-old Joe Flacco continued to look his age in Cleveland\u2019s 41-17 loss to the Ravens. Not only did Flacco throw an interception and had a fumble returned 60 yards that led to a touchdown, his throws lacked zip and his mobility was nonexistent. Second-stringer Dillon Gabriel made his NFL debut late in the game; Sanders saw no action. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Flacco will remain the starter as the Browns prepare to play Green Bay next week. But the leash has to be getting shorter.<\/p>\n

Pity Panthers fans (if you didn\u2019t already). After trailing Arizona 27-3, Carolina mounted a legitimate comeback on Sunday, but fell short in their 27-22 loss. Bryce Young and the offense need a complete four quarters, which is a challenge given Carolina\u2019s offensive line issues and lack of elite skill players. Aside from Chuba Hubbard and an emerging connection between Young and Hunter Renfrow, the Panthers are desperate for playmakers. Xavier Legette was certainly not that guy on Sunday. The Panthers wideout ended the game with -2 receiving yards on eight targets. Per ESPN\u2019s Ben Solak<\/a>, Legette\u2019s \u201cperformance\u201d is only the second game in NFL history when a receiver has recorded negative yards on eight or more targets. Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles had -6 yards on eight targets in 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Fox analyst Greg Olsen noted that this week\u2019s version of Russell Wilson was \u201cunrecognizable from Week 1,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":228200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-228199","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-newyork","12":"tag-newyorkcity","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115207204006903369","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}