The Giants are looking for these Saturday performances to carry over to Sundays.
Once again playing their healthy starters, the Giants defeated the Jets 31-12 on Saturday night to improve to 2-0 in the preseason. While winning always beats the alternative, even before the regular season begins, the headlines have centered on the quarterback play.
Russell Wilson, who made his 10th Pro Bowl last season, has taken the reins of the offense, which has now produced more than 30 points in back-to-back weeks. Jaxson Dart, meanwhile, has played with the moxie of a tenured quarterback and, more importantly, produced like one.
"You know what's been great? Just the team camaraderie," Wilson said. "I think the locker room, the sideline, just how connected we are. The defense, the offense, the special teams – we're all having a blast. Obviously, we were playing two tough AFC teams, the Buffalo Bills and then obviously the Jets and then obviously the Patriots coming up Thursday, so it just really gets us ready."
"I want us to continue to expect these kinds of things as a team and build on these moments and just have fun winning and playing the game," Dart said. "The most important thing was to come out here and win."
THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN…
The Giants, who took the lead less than six minutes into the game and never relinquished it, put things fully out of reach on Jameis Winston's one-yard touchdown with 5:46 left in the game. The nine-play, 65-yard drive responded to the Jets' late touchdown and put the Giants ahead by 19.
YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS…
On his first attempt of the game, Wilson threw his patented moonball 54 yards down the field to wide receiver Beaux Collins, who took it another 26 yards for an 80-yard gain in total. The undrafted rookie was tackled just short of the goal line, but two plays later, running back Devin Singletary punched it in for an early 7-0 lead. The Giants scored just 19 points on their first offensive possession all of last season; they have 10 so far in two preseason games.
"What a great ball by Russ, right?" Daboll said. "Eighty-yard bomb, dropped it in the bucket. Great protection by the offensive line off an action pass. Really just great vision by Russ to lay it up there and we were an inch short, whatever it was."