American Football

Giants news, 1/2: Playoffs, Daniel Jones, Landon Collins, and more headlines

January 2, 2023

New York Giants headlines for Monday

‘Things I think’: Daniel Jones earned the cheers he got on Sunday

These were MetLife Stadium moments that many thought would never come.

First, an “MVP” chant broke out for quarterback New York Giants Daniel Jones after his second rushing touchdown on Sunday put the playoff-bound Giants ahead, 38-10.

With barely more than seven minutes remaining and fans chanting “Daniel Jones,” head coach Brian Daboll sent backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor onto the field to replace the quarterback. Jones, found wanting by many Giants fans over most of his four seasons, left the field to a thunderous ovation.

“I’m really appreciative, grateful,” he said. “Our fans have been tremendous all year. They supported us today, they came out and brought a lot of energy. The whole game, we felt it and fed off it the whole game. Grateful, really appreciative of their support for me personally and for our team.”

Jones, who has heard plenty of jeers from the faithful at MetLife, laughed that the reaction on Sunday “beats the alternative, for sure.”

From Big Blue View

Other Giant observations

Daniel Jones’ big game helps Giants end playoff drought | ESPN.com

Players such as Jones and Barkley have been through most of the tough times. This season marked the first time in their careers that they ever had a winning record. This will be their first foray into the postseason.

The same holds true for players such as Dexter Lawrence, Julian Love, Darius Slayton, Andrew Thomas and even Leonard Williams, who began his career with the Jets.

“It means a lot,” said Love, a captain and the team’s defensive playcaller. “You have [had] to learn and experience a lot of hard lessons the last few years here. I know I have. Just to get in this position, it means a lot. It’s hard not to be emotional about it.”

Former Giant loves the teams reliance on the run

#Giants rushing stats today:

Daniel Jones 91 yards 8.3 average
Matt Breida 59 yards 6.6 average
Saquon Barkley 58 yards 4.8 average@BrandonJacobs27 loved the way Big Blue ran the ball

@wingoz | #TogetherBlue pic.twitter.com/7tcHI36rxg

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) January 1, 2023

NFL Week 17 grades: Giants get an A | CBSSports.com

To clinch a playoff berth, all the Giants (9-6-1) had to do was beat the Colts on Sunday and Daniel Jones made sure that happened. Not only did Jones throw two touchdown passes, but he also rushed for two more while finishing the day as the Giants’ leading rusher with 91 yards. Jones’ four touchdowns were more than enough, but the defense also decided to tack on a score with a Landon Collins pick-six. This was the type of win that will give the Giants some confidence going forward and make them feel like they might be able to do some damage in the playoffs.

Dabs gets the Gatorade bath

Led the @Giants to the playoffs in his first season pic.twitter.com/Xkg2tavmII

— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2023

Giants clinch playoff spot, deserve credit for Brian Daboll hire | Sports Illustrated

Somewhere along the way, though, the idea came not to take a coach and teach him the Giant Way, but to allow a new Giant Way to emerge naturally. In came Daboll and GM Joe Schoen from Buffalo, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka from Kansas City and defensive coordinator Don Martindale from Baltimore. From all of those places, the Giants got a sense of what they were missing out on—how other successful teams operate and how to find success in ways you may not have considered. This wasn’t quite Ford Motor Company going electric, but it wasn’t insignificant, either.

Game Notes: Giants lock up 6th seed in NFC | Giants.com

The Giants won for the second time in three games to improve to 9-6-1 and clinch the sixth playoff seed in the NFC, their first postseason berth since 2016.

The Giants will make their 33rd postseason appearance, which ties them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the third-highest total in NFL history, behind the Green Bay Packers (35 and still in contention for the seventh seed) and Dallas Cowboys (35, including this season).

Back to Minny for the the first round of the playoffs

With the 49ers winning and the Vikings losing, the 49ers jump into the No. 2 seed. The Giants are locked into the sixth seed, so it’s looking like a rematch with the third-seeded Vikings is on deck for the wild card round.

— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) January 2, 2023

Giants punch ticket to postseason: How Daniel Jones powered New York to first playoff berth since 2016 | The Athletic

New year, new Giants? It’s a new year, and the Giants are taking that mentality to heart. New York clinched its first playoff berth since 2016, and the Giants did it emphatically. While coach Brian Daboll tried to downplay the playoff implications all week focusing on the next game mentality, players and coaches knew the stakes. They came out and dominated, scoring their first 30-point game since 2020. The first half was arguably the Giants most complete of the season, and they didn’t let it slip away in the second.

Kayvon Thibodeaux: I didn’t know Nick Foles was hurt when I was celebrating | ProFootballTalk

Colts center Ryan Kelly called Thibodeaux’s behavior “horseshit,” but Thibodeaux said he was unaware that Foles was injured.

“When I did realize that he was hurt, that’s when we started getting up,” Thibodeaux said. “When you’re doing a celebration, you’re not looking to see who’s doing what. But I hope he gets well and I hope he’s all right.”

This week’s opponent

Eagles-Saints final score: Gardner Minshew stinks up the joint in a loss, 20 to 10 | Bleeding Green Nation

This was a really rough outing for Gardner Minshew. The offense opened the game with FOUR straight three-and-outs, failing to pick up a first down until 11 seconds remaining in the first half. Minshew often held on to the ball for too long, taking bad sacks. He also threw way too many inaccurate passes.

The defense is not blameless in this one. They only allowed 13 offensive points, yes. But the reality looked worse than the box score indicates with Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill combining to start the game by completing 14 of their 14 first passing attempts. The Saints were successfully executing the ball control offense that the Washington Commanders pulled off to upset Philly earlier this year. At some point, you would like to see Jonathan Gannon actually challenge the opposing quarterback instead of sitting back and letting him pick the defense apart.

NFL Week 17 grades: Eagles do not fly high, earn C- | CBSSports.com

Gardner Minshew missed plenty of throws, failed to convert a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter, and threw a pick-six to Marshon Lattimore that essentially sealed the win. The Eagles (13-3) can still clinch the NFC East and home field next week — and they will have Jalen Hurts back (he was sorely missed in this game). James Bradberry said it best after the game — they would have preferred to wrap things up this week.

Eagles’ Nick Sirianni all but says it: Jalen Hurts will play against Giants | NJ.com

“[Hurts] was close this week,” Sirianni said after the Eagles’ latest flop. “Obviously, we’ll take it one day at a time. For me to say right now or today, ‘Yeah he’s playing’ or ‘He’s not playing,’ isn’t fair to anybody because so many things can happen in a week. We’re going to have to evaluate, see where he is. His health is the No. 1 priority. If he’s ready to go, he’ll play.”

Road to Victory | PhiladelphiaEagles.com

The coveted No. 1 seed is still up for grabs. As has been the same for the past two weeks, Philadelphia needs to win just one more game to clinch the NFC East, the No. 1 seed, the lone first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Cowboys (12-4) still trail the Eagles (13-3) in the race for the top spot in the NFC East and the NFC overall.

Around the league

NFL Playoff Picture Week 17: Eagles Fail To Clinch While Giants Secure Wild Card Berth | ProFootballNetwork.com

Detroit, Green Bay, and Seattle are all still in play for the seventh seed in the NFC, but the Lions will need the most help. In Week 18, Detroit will have to beat the Packers and hope the Seahawks lose to the Rams in order to clinch a playoff spot.

Buccaneers clinch NFC South title after comeback win over Panthers | NFL.com

The Buccaneers rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Carolina Panthers 30-24 on Sunday to clinch their second straight NFC South title.

NFLPA files grievance against NFL, Panthers for playing surface | CBSSports.com

The NFLPA is filing a grievance against the NFL and the Carolina Panthers for the condition of the playing surface during Carolina’s 37-23 win over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve. The “hardness” of the playing field at Bank of America Stadium specifically was the issue, and the NFLPA reportedly complained before the game about the field conditions. In the cold weather, the field apparently only worsened as the game went on.

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