The New York Giants opened their 2022 preseason schedule with a nationally televised 23-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Thursday night.
Here are three top takeaways from the victory.
No depth at RB? Says who?
The Giants ran 80 offensive plays — 47 passes and 33 rushes. They gained a total of 418 yards on offense, 177 on the ground. They averaged 5.4 yards per attempt.
The workload was divided up between all of the active running backs led by free agent Antonio Williams, who racked up 61 yards on nine carries and scored a touchdown.
The running backs were targeted 11 times in the passing game as well. Rookie Jashaun Corbin led the way with five receptions for 23 yards.
Work to do
The Giants showed that they are still very early into their new regime and rebuild when their lack of depth was exposed after losing several offensive linemen to injury.
Their defensive backs looked confused at times, specifically Aaron Robinson, who they hope will become their No. 2 cornerback.
Defensive back is a soft spot entering the summer and thus far fears have not been allayed when it comes to whether this group is ready for the big time.
Standouts
Rookie linebacker Darrian Beavers comports himself like a veteran and showed excellent field presence in his first NFL action. That’s something that defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will take back with him and build on.
6-foot-6 wide receiver Collin Johnson caught seven of eight passes for 82 yards. On Thursday night, he was doing what the Giants are paying Kenny Golladay $72 million to do. His one demerit comes when he fumbled after the catch near midfield.
Running back Gary Brightwell is proving to be one of the Giants’ best players. He not only stood out on special teams (as he usually does) but he showed that he can be a contributor on offense as well.
