The New York Giants defeated the Chicago Bears, 20-12, on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium and are now 3-1 on the season.
It wasn’t exactly a pretty victory for Big Blue, but which of them have been? And more importantly, who cares? The team has been so bad for so long that winning ugly is a welcomed alternative.
Here’s a look at whose stock is up and whose is down after Week 4.
Stock up: Saquon Barkley
What more can even be said about Saquon Barkley at this point? He vowed to return strong in 2022 and light the NFL on fire and by golly, the league is burning.
Barkley currently leads the NFL in rushing and yards from scrimmage, and is playing like a legitimate MVP contender. And just when you think he can’t do more, he steps in at quarterback and holds things down.
Stock down: Kenny Golladay
Another week, another essential no-show for Kenny Golladay.
The Giants pieced together a gameplan that largely avoided their receivers in Week 4, but that came out of necessity. None have played well and that includes Golladay, who was blanked yet again on Sunday. He was targeted once, didn’t make a play on the ball and then left the game injured.
Stock up: Daniel Jones
It’s becoming more and more difficult to criticize Daniel Jones every week. He’s obviously not lighting up any box scores or winning fantasy players games, but he and Saquon Barkley are essentially carry the offense right now.
Every game feels like 3 on 11 (including Andrew Thomas) and somehow they’re doing enough to win.
Jones did it again on Sunday, using a gameplan that was run-heavy due to the lack of production from the team’s wide receivers. This time he did it with his legs (two touchdowns) and by blocking down field. And he returned to the field injured because there was no one left on the depth chart.
Ironically, there were a few moments where Jones was arguably the best wide receiver on the field.
Stock down: Darius Slayton
Darius Slayton drew a key defensive pass interference penalty and that’s worth crediting. Unfortunately, he also dropped a catchable (albeit underthrown) ball on the very same play that could have gone for a touchdown.
On Tyrod Taylor’s interception, he also failed to make a play on the ball. We’re not saying he could have caught it but perhaps he could have caused an incompletion.
Are we being too hard on Slayton? We’d understand if that argument were made but at some point, someone in that wide receiver room has to pick up the slack.
Stock up: Tae Crowder
Tae Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant, played the game of his life on Sunday. He had a team-leading 11 tackles, one sack and a few other noteworthy statistics. But it wasn’t just his box score dominance that showed through.
Crowder blitzed well, played sideline-to-sideline, made impact plays left and right and allowed the defense to play fast. He deserves a ton of credit.
Stock up: Dexter Lawrence
That’s right, we’re going with an extra “stock up” today because Dexter Lawrence is playing like an All-Pro and deserves the additional recognition.
Big Dex is well on his way to making Big Bucks, and it’s clear why he’s a favorite of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
