The New York Giants improved to 3-1 with a 20-12 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
It’s the first time the Giants have opened a season 3-1 since 2011.
Here are some things we learned from the Week 4 victory.
Saquon Barkley wasn't kidding
Before the season, Giants running back Saquon Barkley said he would let his play do the talking. So far, he’s said very little and produced a lot — a real lot.
Against the Bears, he rushed for 146 yards on 31 attempts and caught two passes for 16 yards. He then assumed the ‘wildcat’ role, taking some direct snaps after both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor were both knocked from the game.
Saquon leads the NFL in both rushing (463 yards) and yards from scrimmage (570), and the latter is the most by a Giants player in the first four games of season ever.
Winning ugly, but winning
Can’t believe the Giants are 3-1? If so, you’re not alone.
Many national pundits were calling them the worst 2-0 team in NFL history. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but they might be the worst 3-1 team ever. Don’t tell them that, though.
The Giants have played four games and have competed well in all of them, winning three, despite another ridiculously high number of key injuries.
That’s a credit to head coach Brian Daboll, who refuses to let setbacks put a dent in his optimism. He is the Ted Lasso of the NFL (except that actually knows what he’s doing).
Run, DJ, Run
Before Daniel Jones got his ankle rolled, he ran six times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Hey, the room to run was there and he took it.
Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka had Jones running naked bootlegs all day long. The Bears weren’t ready for most of those and the Giants didn’t have to throw the football hardly at all.
In fact, the Giants passed just 14 times in 61 offensive plays. That’s insane in 2022.
Sack happy for once
The Giants had just three sacks entering this week’s game. That all changed on Sunday as the Giants sacked Justin Fields five times.
Dexter Lawrence had two and Azeez Ojulari, Tae Crowder and Jihad Ward each had one.
Rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux made three tackles and had a QB hit, but he’s got a ways to go it appears to be the dominant player many have projected him to be.
The penalties continue
Entering the game, the Giants were tied for second in the NFL in accepted penalties against, averaging 8.0 per game.
The had seven more in this game for a total of 55 yards. The discipline is not there right now in certain areas, most notably personal fouls.
The offensive penalties haven’t been much of an issue i.e. false starts, etc. It’s more on defensive side of the ball where the discipline has lapsed.
