Arizona Cardinals vs New York Giants
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
- Kyler Murray: 14/21, 104 yards, 2 sacks | 10 carries, 28 yards
Saying that Kyler Murray wasn’t asked to do much today would be a bit of an understatement. The Arizona offense was cruising early, and then they had a stark realization: they could run on every single play and New York was helpless to stop them. As a result, Murray rarely threw the ball and his longest pass of the day went 12 yards. Murray looked good overall, though he is still growing as a passer. Still, there is plenty here to like and I doubt we get many weeks like this. Before today, Murray was averaging over 275 passing yards per game. The capable Saints defense awaits next week, but I’m fine rolling with Murray. Let’s not forget that Christian Kirk and David Johnson sat out, so the offense wasn’t at all full strength.
Running Backs
- David Johnson: 1 carry, 2 yards (then a whole lotta “nada”)
- Chase Edmonds: 27 carries, 126 yards, 3 TD | 4 targets, 2 receptions, 24 yards
If you were careful to check on David Johnson’s availability, like me, then you were likely happy to see him playing the first snap of the game. He ran straight ahead, picked up a couple yards, and he was out. We never saw Johnson again. I haven’t heard any injury news and I’m guessing anything important would come out during the week. Still, this stung. Especially in what proved to be a juicy matchup. Keep an ear out for updates as the week goes in and roll with Johnson if he’s healthy. His receiving ability always makes him a worthwhile start…he just has to play.
Chase Edmonds played in DJ’s absence and he did much more than keeping the ship afloat. Edmonds looked fast, and he repeatedly ripped the Giants defense to shreds. He broke three runs of 20+ yards for touchdowns, and on at least one of them, he went untouched. To be fair, Edmonds regularly had a lot of room to run and it was rare for him to face tough contact. This Giants defense looked pathetic at stopping the run. If Edmonds was dropped onto the Buccaneers right now, he’d be an RB1/ RB2 and on par with early-season Austin Ekeler for excitement level. I think once David Johnson gets healthy, Edmonds will drop back into his role as a change of pace back. Consider Edmonds a flex play until we know more (what happens once both are healthy).
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Pharoh Cooper: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 29 yards
- Larry Fitzgerald: 3 targets, 1 reception, 12 yards
- Andy Isabella: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
- KeeSean Johnson: 2 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Remember how bad I said the Giants were against the run? Well, at least they held the Cardinals to 104 passing yards. With no long targets all game long, it was hard to see anything special from any receiver. Larry Fitzgerald saw three targets and his lone catch moved the chains. Pharoh Cooper led the team in volume, though he will likely fade away once Christian Kirk and David Johnson are back in the passing game. Andy Isabella and KeeSean Johnson both saw a couple of targets, but neither receiver had much room to work with. Let’s hope the Cardinals get back on track next week. Remember: Murray averaged over 275 passing yards per game before today.
New York Giants
Quarterback
- Daniel Jones: 22/35, 223 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 8 sacks, 3 fumbles | 4 carries, 35 yards
Daniel Jones was a classic Jekyll-and-Hyde figure in today’s game, and unfortunately, he was a monster more than a hero. Let’s start with the good: Jones looked comfortable as ever scrambling, and this seems like a trait much more prevalent in the league these days. I could say the same about at least a half dozen other QBs. Jones also made some nice throws that were dropped by his receivers. He hit Bennie Fowler with a pinpoint pass while scrambling but Fowler dropped it. He hit Evan Engram deep but again watched an accurate pass fall incomplete. When Jones was aware of the pressure, he played well around it. The problem was that he didn’t sense the pressure well enough. Jones was sacked eight times today. He fumbled the ball three times and the Giants lost two of them. Overall, Jones hurt more than helped today. I’ll admit that I underestimate Jones’ talent coming into the league. However, he has plenty of things to clean up if he wants to take the Giants a step forward.
Running Backs
- Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 8 yards
We finally got to see the return of Saquon Barkley. This is probably the most important question in my whole writeup…how did he look? Barkley looked like Barkley. He was fast. He made defenders miss. It was fun to watch Saquon back and doing his thing. His day would have been even bigger if not for a big run that was called back. Towards the end of the first half, Saquon broke a run to the right side and flew down the field for a 32-yard gain. It was called back for holding, but it was exactly what we expect from the Giants’ star RB. There was a brief injury scare when he sat out a couple of plays, but he soon came back and it appears to be nothing. Still, keep an eye out this week for news just in case. Otherwise, Barkley is back to being a must-start option.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Golden Tate: 11 targets, 6 receptions, 80 yards
- Bennie Fowler: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 35 yards
- Rhett Ellison: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards, 1 TD
- Cody Latimer: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards
- Evan Engram: 5 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Oh, what could have been for the Giants. I don’t know exactly how many there were, but I remember a lot of dropped balls from the NY receivers today. Golden Tate, Evan Engram, and Bennie Fowler were all guilty at different points, and I can only imagine the frustration for Daniel Jones as he tries to prove himself.
Evan Engram saw plenty of targets, but he missed on a big catch and was overall a big disappointment. Tight ends have been killing the Cardinals, and Engram owners were hoping for a lot more. He was hurt late and it didn’t look good (head/ neck area). Keep an eye on this, but continue to play Engram at TE if he’s healthy…who else are you going to start?
Golden Tate was Jones’ favorite weapon on the day, and he played well. He filled in nicely for Sterling Shepard, and he did a good job getting himself open often. Still, I want to see what happens when Shepard returns. I’d sell Tate soon if you can.
Rhett Ellison was the big winner of the day with the only touchdown. He could be serviceable and looked like he vultured some of Engram’s productivity. Still, he’s not startable unless Engram is out.
— Mike Miklius