What We Saw: Week 2

New York Giants vs Buffalo Bills

 

New York Giants

 

Quarterbacks

 

• Eli Manning: 26/45, 250 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs | 1 run, 2 yards

 

Even though the New York Giants’ offensive line showed improvements compared to the first game of the season, it was another rough day for the team in the passing game. Eli Manning, who had solid throws early in Week 1, never got the things going in the first quarter against the Bills. He did manage a couple of good drives for the Giants, but failed to capitalize them. As expected, the veteran quarterback didn’t have the ideal supporting cast from his Sterling Shepard-less receiving corps, which made things even worse for him. Manning’s first interception in the afternoon came after a tipped pass by the defensive line in the final minute of the second quarter already in field-goal position with his team down 21-7. His second giveaway happened in a desperate pass attempt already late in the game. 

 

Running Backs

 

• Saquon Barkley: 20 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD | 7 targets, 3 catches, 28 yards

 

The game couldn’t have started better for the Giants with Saquon Barkley getting 55 rushing yards and a touchdown in the first drive of the action, opening the scoreboard after just 2:24 minutes played. But as soon as the Bills adjusted their defense to make things tougher for Barkley and the Giants had to put the ball in Manning’s hands, the narrative changed completely. Buffalo was up in scoreboard for most of the afternoon, often by more than one possession; that cost Barkley some touches, and the stud running back failed to produce “magic” through the ground for the rest of the game. 

 

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends 

 

• Bennie Fowler: 10 targets, 5 catches, 51 yards
• Evan Engram: 8 targets, 6 catches, 48 yards
• TJ Jones: 4 targets, 3 catches, 38 yards, 1 TD
• Cody Latimer: 5 targets, 3 catches, 30 yards

 

It wasn’t a great day for the Giants’ receiving corps, and the lack of big plays stood with the receivers for another week. In fact, not getting Shepard’s (concussion) help created an even bigger challenge against one of the NFL’s best secondaries. Bennie Fowler had the expected workload being targeted 10 times. Fowler, however, left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion after a solid fourth-down reception. 

Evan Engram didn’t have the exact day the fantasy owners were waiting for, and 33 of his 48 receiving yards came in just one play. The tight end faced great coverage for most of the snaps and failed to get the separation that the Giants’ fans usually see from him.

A piece of surprising news for the Giants was TJ Jones, who was re-signed by the team early in the week and put up solid numbers, including New York’s only receiving touchdown of the game. 

 

Buffalo Bills

 

Quarterbacks

 

• Josh Allen: 19/30, 253 yards, 1 TD | 7 rushes, 21 yards, 1 TD

 

Josh Allen had arguably his best professional first half in Week 2 against the Giants. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 210 yards before the intermission, leading three touchdown drives in the first 30 minutes of the game. Allen wasn’t able to keep his performance throughout four quarters, but it was another exciting showdown for the Bills’ fans. The second-year quarterback had more time to throw the ball, though he was sacked three times and was hit on six other occasions. Besides that, Allen displayed great ability to extend plays and execute in-motion throws for another week as his connection with the young and/or recent-acquired Bills’ receivers continues to heat up. Allen’s threat as a runner is also something to keep in mind and he has posted a rushing and a passing TD for the second time this season. Meanwhile, it was the seventh straight 200+ passing yard-game for Allen.

 

Running Backs

 

• Frank Gore: 19 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD | 2 targets, 2 catches, 15 yards
• Devin Singletary: 6 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
• Patrick DiMarco: 1 carry, 1 yard | 1 target, 1 catch, 3 yards

 

Three of the Bills’ four touchdowns in Week 2 came through the ground. Frank Gore was the main early-down back for the second consecutive game and even though he had just 3.6 yards per carry, the veteran scored his first TD after not scoring a single time in 2018. Rookie Devin Singletary showed great playmaking ability again and found the endzone for the first time in his professional career. Singletary now totals 127 rushing yards on 10 carries this season. 

 

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends 

 

• Cole Beasley: 4 targets, 4 catches,  83 yards
• John Brown: 8 targets, 7 catches, 72 yards
• Isaiah McKenzie: 2 targets, 2 catches, 40 yards
• Dawson Knox: 4 targets, 1 catch, 18 yards
• Zay Jones: 3 targets, 1 catch, 14 yards

 

Both Cole Beasley and John Brown continue to play a factor in Allen’s development entering his second season in the NFL. It was weird not seeing Beasley at all during the first half. However, the former Cowboys showed up in the final two quarters and executed nice plays. 

Brown was easily the most targeted receiver for the second straight week; he has seen 18 targets in the first two games combined in 2019. More than that, Brown has proved to be a reliable piece for Buffalo in all stages of the game, including third-down situations, instead of being a big-play, vertical-threat only wide receiver. 

The biggest surprise from the Bills’ receiving corps came from Isaiah McKenzie. McKenzie, who didn’t see any action in the season opener, displayed versatility and was able to score in a reverse pitch call in the second quarter. 

 

— Caio Miari