New York Giants: 3 Big takeaways vs. Texans in Week 3
The New York Giants saved their season with a 27-22 victory over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium Sunday. Here are three big takeaways from that contest.
The New York Giants salvaged their season Sunday with a gritty 27-22 triumph over the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston. The G-Men are now 1-2 while the hapless Texans dipped to 0-3.
While this could just be a matchup between two lackluster teams in 2018, the win is huge for the Giants to potentially turning the tide on their season. Especially as they showed plenty of positive things en route to the victory.
Here are three big takeaways from Big Blue’s crucial win.
1. All Eli needs is time to throw
Although he was sacked four times (three by J.J. Watt), Eli Manning was not under duress as much in this game as he was in the previous two (both losses). Ereck Flowers was finally benched at right tackle in favor of Chad Wheeler. John Greco took over at center for the injured Jon Halapio.
The changes worked, because the veteran signal-caller had much more time in the pocket to find his receivers. Manning completed 25-of-29 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns, one to Rhett Ellison from 16 yards out and the other to Sterling Shepard (six catches for 80 yards, one touchdown), who enjoyed his finest game of the young season. Odell Beckham Jr. (9-109) kept the chains moving with some clutch receptions as well.
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If you listen to sports talk radio in New York, Manning is the brunt of a great deal of ire. However, Sunday’s effort showed that the old man (he’s 37) can still be effective if given enough time to throw. Manning was especially clutch in New York’s clinching touchdown drive in the fourth quarter when he went 6-for-6 down the stretch.
If the offensive line can continue to show signs of improvement, this bodes well for Manning and the G-Men moving forward with a tough schedule ahead.
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2. That was quite a Wynn
Defensive end Kerry Wynn was the best defensive player on the field for the Giants. He led the team in solo tackles (5) and was a disruptive force throughout the game. He was stout at the point of attack, set the edge against the run and was one of the main reasons the Texans gained just 59 yards on the ground.
The University of Richmond product made one of the biggest plays of the game when he stripped Lamar Miller of the ball at the Giants 33-yard line late in the third quarter. Donte Deayon recovered the pigskin and that snuffed out a Houston drive as the Texans were gaining some momentum down 20-9.
Wynn pressured quarterback Deshaun Watson several times as well. He seemed to be all over the field in what was his finest performance of the 2018 campaign.
3. Saquon Barkley is a special talent
The more you watch the rookie halfback from Penn State, the more impressive he is. Barkley compiled a game-high 117 yards from scrimmage and put Big Blue up to stay at 7-3 with a 15-yard touchdown burst to complete a 10-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter.
The way he can stop on a dime, change direction and zip through a hole with speed, power and balance is a thing of beauty. Barkley is also very hard to bring down at first contact. He reminds me of a young Barry Sanders.
Whether Barkley winds up in the Hall off Fame someday like Sanders remains to be seen, but his rookie season is off to a great start. You can’t take your eyes off him as a runner or receiver out of the backfield. Every time he touches the ball, Barkley has the ability to take it to the house. He is averaging 4.7 yards per carry so far this season with two touchdowns, and he’s added 21 receptions for another 137 yards.
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The Bronx, NY native still needs some work in picking up the blitz but that will come with experience. You can certainly see why the Giants bypassed Sam Darnold and selected Barkley with the second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He’s an electrifying performer.