The New York Giants were backhanded repeatedly by the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. They lost quarterback Daniel Jones, right tackle Evan Neal and the game itself, 30-6.
It was a new low point for this Giants franchise, which continues to find new and inventive ways to underperform. Just when you think it can’t get worse, it does.
Whose stock is up and whose is down after the Week 9 loss? Let’s take a look.
Stock up: RB Saquon Barkley
Running back Saquon Barkley is the only offense the Giants have right now and he’ll be forced to do it himself for the remainder of the season.
After losing quarterback Daniel Jones (knee) on Sunday, the Raiders turned their entire focus to Barkley and still couldn’t stop him. He gained 113 yards from scrimmage and averaged an impressive 5.3 yards per carry.
Stock down: QB Daniel Jones
Fair or unfair, Daniel Jones’ stock has never been lower.
After missing three games with a serious neck injury, DJ returned on Sunday but couldn’t even make it an entire quarter. He suffered a non-contact knee injury, likely an ACL tear, and will almost certainly miss the remainder of the season.
The Giants are locked into Jones because of his contract but it seems evident that finding a new QB will be on the docket for general manager Joe Schoen during the offseason.
Stock up: WR Gunner Olszewski
Gunner Olszewski has brought some stability to the Giants on special teams. The bar may have been set very low but the mere fact that Olszewski is able to cleanly field punts is a major improvement.
On Sunday, he caught all three punts and returned them for 33 yards (11.0 per return). Those numbers would have been better but he had a teammate collide with him at one point, bringing the return to an end.
Stock down: Brian Daboll
The shine has completely worn off and head coach Brian Daboll is no longer the golden boy of East Rutherford. The competence he was once praised for seems to be gone and the only thing left in the wake is futility.
Daboll has gone 6-14-1 after starting 6-1 last year and Sunday’s loss marks a new low for this Giants franchise, which has been full of those for the past decade-plus.
Everything Daboll touches seems to fall apart and his personnel decisions are beyond defense.
Stock up: LB Micah McFadden
Linebacker Micah McFadden continues to make strides on a weekly basis and he was one of the few true bright spots in Week 9.
Was he perfect? Absolutely not, but he once again had more positive plays than negative plays. McFadden recorded six total tackles, three solo, and two for a loss, which led the defense. He also recorded the team’s only QB hit of the game.
Stock down: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
After several impressive — if not dominant — weeks, linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux came crashing back down to earth on Sunday.
Thibs was an invisible man against the Raiders, recording just a single tackle and no other statistics to speak of. He was not a factor in the game and will be difficult to find on film.
Although it will provide fuel to his obsessed and illogical critics, we’d be willing to bet he bounces back strong.
