Giants Show Guts and Honor in Trilling Season Opening Win

 GIANTS 21 – TITANS 20

Maybe the New York Giants aren’t all the way back. They still got a long way to go. But the facts are on Sunday, the Giants showed their fans and the entire NFL what a rebuild is supposed to look like. They found themselves down 13-0, never gave up, hung tough and found a way, multiple ways to come away with a thrilling 21-20 victory.

It was the first time the Giants won on Opening Day since 2016, the last year they made the playoffs.

In recent years the Giants would have gladly folded the tents. But not this team. Not under new Head Coach Brian Daboll, who was part of a restored winning culture in Buffalo.

And it also helped that the Giants appear to have the Saquon Barkley from 2018 back. Barkley owned the moment rushing for 164 yards, a touchdown and the game-winning two point conversion.

In fact it was Barkley’s 68-yard run with 12:45 to go in the third quarter that really turned the game around. Two plays after that gallop, Barkley hit paydirt on a four-yard scamper to cut the Titans lead to 13-6.

After the Giants defense forced Tennessee into a three-and-out, Daniel Jones joined the party with a 65-yard touchdown strike to Sterling Shepherd, where he found the speedy receiver break single coverage at the 50, before hitting him at the Tennessee 40. Shpeherd did the rest, cutting up field and dashing into the endzone with the tying score.

 

However it soon appeared that the Giants momentum had dissipated. The Titans responded quickly with a 75-yard scoring drive, and the Giants offense went into a bit of shell. On top of that when Jones had the Giants moving again into Titans territory, he was picked off in the end zone.

In the past the likes of Joe Judge or Pat Schurmur would either say nothing or look at the iPad with Jones. Not Daboll who channeled his inner Bill Parcells to ream out his quarterback.

Jones got one more shot, and he orchestrated the game winning touchdown drive. He even fooled the Titans defense on fourth and one at the Tennessee 17 by scrambling for two yards to give the G-Men a new set of downs.
Finally on second and goal at the one, with the Titans expecting to see Barkley get the ball, Jones rolled out and hit Chris Myarick for the touchdown.

 Daboll then rolled the dice, showed confidence in his team and went for two. Barkley got the call and plunged into the endzone for the score.

Giants 21-Titans 20.

Still there was more drama to come. The Titans got to within in field goal range with four seconds to go, but Randy Bullock’s field goal was wide left.

Check out more from my article on Fox Sports New Jersey.