The New York Giants managed to escape a sloppy, rainy Week 3 game against the Tennessee Titans with a win.
It’s a win that veterans on the team say they wouldn’t have gotten a year ago, but the 2026 draft class wouldn’t know anything about that. Instead, the draftees only know a scrappy team that managed to overcome adversity (more than a bit of it self-inflicted) and pull out a win in adverse circumstances.
Advertisement
We’ve been keeping track of the Giants’ rookie class this year, and four of them were key figures in the Giants coming away with a 2-1 record.
Arvell Reese (LB)
The Giants’ first pick said after the game that he came out with a chip on his shoulder after his performance against the Rams in Week 2. That much was apparent from the tape, as Reese was simply everywhere for the Giants against the Titans and led the Giants in tackles with 12.
He played off-ball, came downhill as a blitzer, and lined up on the edge over the course of the game, and was a consistent factor. Hopefully this game was Reese’s coming out party, as he played with the kind of twitch and speed to which we became accustomed to seeing from him at Ohio State.
Advertisement
He flew around the field and consistently arrived with bad intentions. On the Titans very first series he knocked an offensive lineman to the ground in run defense and then pancaked running back Tyjae Spears on a blitz. Reese still plays with a slight hesitation when dropping into zone coverage in the middle of the field, though that seems to be improving as well.
He simply flies to the ball when playing downhill and his tackle for a loss on a pass to Tony Pollard was particularly impressive.
Sisi Mauigoa (G)
Mauigoa may have had a rough outing against the Rams’ defense and struggled against Aaron Donald in particular, but he rebounded nicely against the Titans.
Advertisement
Sisi gave up zero pressures, hurries, or sacks against the Titans. The Giants may have struggled to throw the ball consistently, but it wasn’t because of their rookie right guard. Mauigoa is quietly having an excellent start to his career, and “quiet” is exactly what you want to see from an offensive lineman in pass protection.
He wasn’t quiet, however, when it came to run blocking. Sisi’s power was on full display against the Titans as he consistently distorted the line of scrimmage. Mauigoa was effective on iso blocks, as well as when working with his linemates out double-teams or duo blocks.
It’s still early, but Mauigoa has adjusted extremely well to life at guard. Well enough that they might want to start thinking about making it his home for as long as he’s a Giant.
Advertisement
Colton Hood (CB)
The Giants second-round pick got his second start as Deonte Banks continues to work his way back from the calf injury he suffered back in Week 1. Hood had an uneven game, with some highs, more than a few lows, and his own injury concerns.
Hood left the field in the fourth quarter, apparently dealing with a calf issue. He was able to return to the field, but wasn’t quite playing with the same quickness he was earlier in the game.
And he was both quick and sticky to start the game. Hood’s coverage wasn’t perfect in the first half, but he did a good job of staying in phase with receivers in man coverage as well as being assignment sound in zone coverage. In the second half, however, the Titans made a point of targeting Hood in coverage, particularly when he was playing off coverage. They seemed to identify a tendency to give a bit too much cushion in zone coverage and exploited that for easy completions. Hood struggled to redirect and close on the ball in off-coverage, perhaps due to a tightening calf, the poor field conditions, or a combination of both.
Advertisement
Hood hasn’t played poorly per se, and he’s flashed the traits that had some considering him a potential first round pick. However, he’s still clearly a work in progress at cornerback.
Fields saw 47 plays on Sunday, 44 on offense and three on special teams.
The passing offense wasn’t a big part of the gameplan for the Giants, who opted to keep the ball on the ground for the most part — whether that was due to the weather, a lack of faith in Jameis Winston, or both, remains to be seen. That said, Fields was targeted twice and caught both passes for 19 yards. He isn’t a natural separator, but he is developing a good sense of when and how to settle into voids in zone coverage.
Advertisement
Fields’ best work continues to be away from the ball, serving as a blocker on both run and pass plays. His blocks aren’t consistently accurate just yet, but he’s giving good effort and looks for work if he doesn’t initially have anyone to block. Interestingly, the Giants generally kept Fields out wide, using him as either the X or Flanker, as opposed to using him close to the formation and using him as an insert blocker as they did against the Dallas Cowboys.
That could be an adjustment to the Titans’ defense, the absence of Jaxson Dart, or simply an evolution of how Fields is used. How Fields is deployed and how the Giants arrange their formation will be something to keep an eye on as the season unfolds.
Dominic Zvada (PK) and Ben Mann (LS)
The Giants’ UDFA rookie specialists were once again excellent. They have been the brightest of bright spots this year, not just for their highs, but for their consistency. Conditions were miserable on Sunday against the Titans, but you wouldn’t have known it from the kicking operation. Zvada didn’t have to make any long field goals, but he successfully navigated the wind and rain, as well as did his job limiting the Titans’ return game.
Advertisement
The Giants moved the ball well-enough against the Titans’ defense to get into scoring position, but their Red Zone offense was horrific. Fortunately, Zvada was there to make sure the Giants came away with points. Four field goals isn’t much in the way of offensive production, but it was just enough to ensure the Giants were able to escape with a win.
Mann continues to be rock solid as a long-snapper. Not only are his snaps crisp, consistent, and accurate, but he shows fantastic hustle in getting off his blocks and downfield to defend returns.
Read the full article here