EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The John Harbaugh era has officially started.
Well, sort of. It’s only the preseason, but the New York Giants played their first game under their new coach, a 13-10 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. It’s good to remember, of course, that being the preseason, many veteran starters on both sides rested, as the Giants only played their starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, for two (eventful) series.
But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to learn from Saturday’s game. So, here’s a look at some Giants players whose stock rose Saturday, and some whose fell.
Top Plays from Vikings @ Giants
Stock up
RB Cam Skattebo
Skattebo played in his first game since suffering a gruesome ankle injury in Week 8 last season. That alone is a huge step for the second-year running back as he works his way back to health while trying to find his place in a new offense. Skattebo ran hard Saturday, contributing four rushes for 19 yards, as he tallied the first two carries of the new Giants season.
“I was excited about it because I thought I saw the Cam Skattebo you guys all know and saw last year,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know that he’s 100 percent twitchy and explosive yet, but he’s getting there. He’s come a long way in the last two, three weeks.”
WR Malachi Fields
Perhaps no one had a better day than the rookie third-round receiver who nabbed his first NFL touchdown reception and is making a strong push for the No. 2 receiver role behind injured star Malik Nabers. The score came in dramatic fashion, as Fields caught the pass from Dart after the QB had exited the game following a massive hit — more on that later — and was subsequently evaluated and cleared for a concussion. On the play Dart returned, the QB escaped the pocket before finding Fields in the end zone for a leaping touchdown grab. It was Dart at his best, and it showcased Fields’ ability to use his big frame to rise above a defender and high-point the football.
“That’s one of the reasons we drafted him,” Harbaugh said. “Most red zone touchdown passes are extended and/or plus scrambles. You’ve got a quarterback who can move around and find a guy, got a guy who can go make a play. That’s how you score a lot of those touchdowns. That was good to see.”
WR Braxton Berrios
Berrios worked as the Giants’ top kick and punt returner, along with cornerback Deonte Banks. The 30-year-old wide receiver returned two punts for 30 total yards. Berrios was signed on the same day as Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster, late in the spring, as the Giants’ receiver room was depleted by injuries. But there are only so many roster spots, and Berrios has emerged as a likely candidate to secure one given his versatility on special teams. A solid performance as a returner only helps his chances for a roster spot. He also added one reception for 9 yards on two targets, but he did record a false start penalty on the Giants’ lone touchdown drive.
ILB Arvell Reese
Reese, the Giants’ No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, has delivered an impressive training camp. He’s not only looked the part of an NFL-ready linebacker, but he’s looked like an immediate impact player, consistently slipping into the offensive backfield and disrupting plays. He delivered more of the same Saturday against Minnesota. On the Vikings’ third offensive play, Reese easily stopped Minnesota running back Jordan Mason in the hole for no gain.
“It felt good to finally get that out the way,” Reese said of playing his first game. “It felt good.”
TE Isaiah Likely
The Giants’ top free-agent acquisition on offense, Likely is being counted on to play a big role in the new scheme. The tight end is off to a fast start in New York, as he’s quickly emerged as a go-to target for Dart during camp, especially without Nabers on the field. Dart continued to dial Likely’s number Saturday, particularly in key situations. Likely delivered with two third-down conversions, finishing the day with two receptions for 11 yards.
“I think he does a great job of seeing it through that lens of a quarterback in a way,” Dart said. “And you saw that a ton in his tape in Baltimore of him and (Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson), where maybe it wasn’t even drawn out the exact way, but just being able to have conversions and him being able to find empty zones and to get open. That’s (who he) is … he gets open; he finds a way to get open. So, when you have a guy like that you can trust to get open, definitely gives you a lot of confidence.”
ILB Jack Kelly
Working alongside Micah McFadden, the sixth-round rookie has been all over the field to start camp, and the linebacker shined brightly a couple of times Saturday, as well. Kelly delivered a goal-line stuff on a Vikings second-down run in the third quarter. And on Darius Alexander’s sack of J.J. McCarthy, it was Kelly who put the QB in no-man’s land, as he bulldozed Minnesota’s running back into McCarthy’s face before Alexander brought him down.
Another good sign of his progress? Kelly wore the green dot at times, calling in the plays for New York’s defense.
Stock down
RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Skattebo and Tracy had been splitting first-team reps so far this camp, and perhaps that will continue, but Tracy committed a major error Saturday that could’ve resulted in a team catastrophe. Late in the second quarter, as the Giants were driving, Dart was leveled by Vikings safety Jay Ward. Tracy should have picked up Ward, but he missed his assignment, and it got Dart walloped.
Tracy said he heard something “that had my eyes on the wrong side. … it was really just on me.” It’s a bad enough error to nearly get the starting quarterback seriously injured, but Tracy also didn’t add much in the running game with just two carries for five yards.
CB Deonte Banks
The caveat here is that Banks has had a strong camp thanks to a fresh start under a new coaching staff and meaningful reps at starting corner due to injury. But in Saturday’s game, the cornerback’s tendency to commit errors popped up, as he was flagged for two penalties in coverage.
“The first one, I had bad eyes. That was on me,” Banks said. “The second one, I don’t know what you want me to do there. But hey, I’m not a ref so I wouldn’t know.”
Again, Banks has gotten a fresh start with the new staff and has shown progress, but the cornerback depth chart remains a source of worry for the Giants right now.
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham made his first appearance in his second stint with the Giants with under five minutes to go in the second quarter. He was greeted by loud cheers from the home crowd, as they happily welcomed back one of their favorite stars of yesteryear. However, Beckham only finished with two receptions for six yards. For a player fighting for a roster spot, it just wasn’t the production he needs to secure a place on the roster. Still, Beckham was getting open. On at least two occasions, Beckham looked to have worked his way free of coverage, but the ball didn’t go his way.
“I’m impressed by the way he looks right now,” general manager Joe Schoen said on the local TV broadcast. Schoen said Beckham has had a good camp and has shown that he can still get open. We’ll see if that’s enough to earn him a roster spot in a crowded room.
DT Darius Alexander
The second-year defensive tackle has had a strong camp, and he played well at times Saturday, including the sack of McCarthy. However, Alexander started the game and then played late into the third quarter, which raises questions about why he was on the field so long.
Also, interestingly, when talking about the team’s defensive tackles, Schoen said Saturday that Alexander “has stepped up and made a couple plays,” but also added, “That’s going to be a position we’re going to continue to look for and see if we can upgrade moving throughout the final countdown.” To be fair to Alexander, that comment might not be a reflection of him. The depth there was already thin even before the Dexter Lawrence trade or Roy Robertson-Harris injury.
QB Brandon Allen
The caveat is that under Harbaugh, the Giants’ third-team players aren’t getting a ton of reps in practice. Still, the 10-year veteran put on a less-than-ideal showing Saturday after taking over for backup QB Jameis Winston in the third quarter. Allen finished 5-of-8 passing for 45 yards with two interceptions; another pass that was tipped could’ve been intercepted. He was also sacked once. To be fair, like the other QBs, Allen is adjusting to a new scheme; none of the three delivered particularly sharp days.
