The New York Giants’ offensive line took a major step in the right direction in the team’s Week 2 outing with the Dallas Cowboys.
Aside from James Hudson’s embarrassing implosion on the first drive of the game, the Giants’ offensive line turned in an encouraging performance.
Giants’ offensive line demonstrated improvement in Week 2
Russell Wilson dropped back to pass 41 times against Dallas. He turned back the clock and had a vintage performance, going 30-of-41 passing for 450 yards with a 3-1 TD-INT ratio.
Wilson looked skiddish in the pocket in Week 1 as he faced constant pressure from the Washington Commanders’ defensive line. But in Week 2, he was cool, calm, and collected, as the Giants’ offensive line kept Wilson mostly clean.
NFL: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
He was sacked just three times on 41 dropbacks for a loss of 28 yards.
The Giants’ offensive line surrendered nine total pressures, seven hurries, and only one hit against the Cowboys, per Pro Football Focus. Wilson was under pressure on only 22% of his dropbacks.
By comparison, Wilson was pressured on 13 total dropbacks in Week 1 — on only 37 attempts — good for a pressure on 35% of his dropbacks. He was also hurried on 10 attempts in Week 1.
Marcus Mbow flashed his potential
The stats are even more impressive when considering that several of the pressures and one of the sacks came courtesy of Hudson on the first drive of the game.
Once Hudson was removed from the game, rookie fifth-round Marcus Mbow took over and served as a major upgrade.
NFL: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys, marcus mbow
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Mbow will likely get the start at left tackle until Andrew Thomas is ready to return to the field. He proved to be an upgrade over Hudson in Week 2 and should keep the job for the time being.
The Giants’ offensive line still has a long way to go toward being a sufficient unit, but their performance in Week 2 was a step in the right direction.