Panthers @ Giants
Final Score: Giants 21, Panthers 19
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
The Panthers headed to New York for week two of the preseason, and the big story was Bryce Young playing in his second preseason game; this was my first look at how Young was faring thus far, granted it’s still preseason. On top of this, I was interested to see how the new-look backfield (goodbye CMC) and receiving corps (so long DJ Moore) were shaping up. The situation in New York is much clearer: Daniel Jones is the starter, Saquon Barkley has the backfield, and Darren Waller should be the top receiving threat as long as he’s healthy. The game was all New York early with Daniel Jones peppering Darren Waller on the first drive en route to a touchdown. That was the first team’s only series. For Carolina, it was a struggle. Their first drive was a three-and-out and the second was a long, 10-minute field goal drive. There was some good, but it was mostly sloppy for both sides. I was most impressed by New York’s play calling; once again, Brian Daboll impressed me and looks to outperform expectations of the talent on hand. For Carolina, Bryce Young showed flashes, but he could be in for a long season if his line and his weapons can’t help out more. Here’s everything I saw.
Two Up
- Daniel Jones and the entirety of the Giants offense was rolling. Believe in Brian Daboll.
- Darren Waller was getting peppered and looks like a great option as long as he’s healthy
Two Down
- Bryce Young didn’t get a chance to flash today for the Panthers. The weapons and offensive line both look suspect.
- Jonathan Mingo lacked effort on his first target
Carolina Panthers
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Bryce Young: 3/6, 35 yards, sack | 1 carry, 1 yard
My favorite part of preseason each year, besides watching my Bears, is the rookie quarterbacks. I can’t wait to start digesting the game film and making predictions about their futures. Young only played two series, but this one was a bit rough. On the first drive, Young rolled out on first down but saw nothing open–opting to keep for a one-yard gain. On third down, he hit Jonathan Mingo who looked like he had already given up on the play. The next drive was fifteen plays, but I can’t say I ever noticed Young in a rhythm. He made some nice throws: one to Adam Thielen and another to Tommy Tremble. The throw to Tremble was my favorite; Young held strong in the pocket and made a great pass. It was called back for an offensive penalty, but it still shows what Young can do. However, there was also some bad. Young fell down on a play untouched. He recovered, but we still don’t want to see this kind of mistake. Young underthrew a pass to Mingo as a defender rushed into his face. There was also a sack that I swore Young saw coming, but he was blindsided. I don’t think Young is primarily to blame here; he has no weapons and it looks like his offensive line is overmatched. Let’s hope Carolina can figure something out so they don’t ruin their rookie QB.
Notes
- Pocket presence was lacking today
Missed Opportunities
- A great throw to Tommy Tremble called back
Matt Corral: 9/13, 71 yards, sack | 1 carry, 13 yards
Jake Luton: 2/7, 41 yards, TD
Running Back
Chuba Hubbard: 8 carries, 30 yards
Chuba Hubbard looked fine today, but there wasn’t much that stood out to me. The biggest takeaway is that he dominated the first drive and looks like the clear backup to Miles Sanders should anything happen to him; he doesn’t appear to be a threat though for the workload based on what I saw.
Spencer Brown: 10 carries, 26 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards
Raheem Blackshear: 8 carries, 31 yards, TD
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jonathan Mingo: 2 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards
Rookie Jonathan Mingo saw the first two targets from Bryce Young, and it was a mixed bag. Mingo looked disinterested on the first one, hardly making an effort. On the next drive, Young came back to Mingo who was wide open. Mingo was hit quickly but did a good job staying on his feet. There is a ridiculous amount of room here for someone to step up if Mingo can develop chemistry with his rookie quarterback. I need to see more though before I trust him.
Adam Thielen: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards
Adam Thielen only saw one target, but it was a good one. He made a short grab and fought hard to get the first down. I imagine Young will grow to trust Thielen for this type of play.
Shi Smith: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 59 yards
Shi Smith saw a lot of work late and looked good doing it. He was hit with a quick pass from Matt Corral on his first target and ran well with the ball. Keep an eye on him as we head to week three; if Smith can build on this performance, he could easily move up the depth chart and see a meaningful role.
DJ Chark Jr: 2 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards
Laviska Shenault Jr: 2 targets
New York Giants
| Preseason Week 1 |
Quarterback
Daniel Jones: 8/9, 69 yards, TD | 1 carry, 6 yards
Don’t make me say it. Don’t make me say it. Fine: Daniel Jones looked good today. Let me re-phrase that: the Giants’ offense looked good today. Brian Daboll dialed up a series of quick-hitting plays that didn’t give the Panthers’ pass rush time to think. It felt like the ball was out of Jones’ hands within a second of each play. The result was a silky-smooth TD drive ending with a pass to Daniel Bellinger; that was it for the first string. I’m not going to call this a high-flying offense, and we should recall that Jones has trouble getting to 20 touchdowns each year. Still, Jones is capable of succeeding within this structure. If this drive was any measure of the coming season, the Giants should be in the playoff hunt once again.
Tyrod Taylor: 9/13, 90 yards, TD, 2 sacks | 3 carries, 21 yards
Tommy DeVito: 9/11, 88 yards | 5 carries, 2 yards
Both Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito played well today and look like capable backups should anything happen to Jones. Have I mentioned how much I like Brian Daboll and his offensive game plan?
Running Back
Eric Gray: 5 carries, 16 yards, TD | 1 target
James Robinson: 4 carries, 10 yards
Jashaun Corbin: 7 carries, 5 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards
Between the first and second drives, we saw one designed RB carry. Saquon Barkley and backup Matt Breida both sat this one, so there wasn’t much takeaway. If injury armageddon does strike, it’s worth noting Eric Gray saw the first snaps. No one impressed me, though.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darren Waller: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 30 yards
Darren Waller dominated the workload early and looks like the clear number-one target to me if he stays healthy. Waller was running well and I have faith in Brian Daboll getting him good looks. There is some talent behind Waller, but nothing I saw that should truly compete for top billing. Waller came out with Jones after the first series; he took a good hit on his third target and dropped the pass; Waller came out for a snap but appeared fine. Keep an eye on his health.
Jalin Hyatt: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 35 yards, TD
Jalin Hyatt experienced the ups and downs of being a rookie, but it looks like the team wants to give him as many chances as they can. Hyatt took a quick pop-pass from Jones on the first drive that was eaten up quickly. On the third drive, Hyatt was open and saw a great throw from Tyrod Taylor but dropped the pass. There was no excuse for this one: it was just a rookie mistake on a well-thrown ball. Fortunately, Hyatt was the target on the next play and he came up big. He immediately ran free against what looked like broken coverage. A Panthers safety saw Hyatt on the loose and essentially shrugged his shoulders as the easy touchdown was made. Hyatt is clearly part of the Giants’ plan, but he needs to clean up the mistakes. Easy scores against the future gym teachers of America won’t cut it during the regular season.
Parris Campbell: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards
Paris Campbell made two grabs on the Giants’ first drive, one of which was a bobbled catch. Campbell’s involvement with the first team is notable as everything was scripted. I want players that the coach actively plans for.
Isaiah Hodgins: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 45 yards
Isaiah Hodgins had a great catch-and-run on the team’s fifth drive. Hodgins made a short catch and then shook off a tackle to turn it into a 25-yard gain. Keep an eye on Hodgins next week.
Bryce Ford-Wheaton: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards
Bryce Ford-Wheaton made a nifty grab late in the night. On a pass that looked picked, Ford-Wheaton somehow plucked it for the catch.
Kalil Pimpleton: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards