WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE OFFENSE
Andrew Thomas, the Giants’ standout left tackle, suited up – and started – for the first time since he suffered a season-ending foot injury on Oct. 13, 2024. Thomas continued to do more in practice each week but was ultimately ruled out for the first two games of the season. This week, Thomas practiced three days in a row for the first time in his rehab and was listed as questionable on the final injury report.
“If I’m speaking as a competitor, I wanted to be out there for Week 1,” Thomas said Friday. “But the best thing for the team and for myself is for me to be 100 percent out there. I think I can help the team out when I’m at my best, so I’m trying to get back to that.”
With Thomas back in the lineup, the rest of the unit remained the same with left guard Jon Runyan, center John Michael Schmitz, right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.
The game began with a curveball. Shortly before the opening kickoff, the Giants announced that kicker Graham Gano (groin) was questionable to play. The veteran kicker had not been on the injury report previous to then.
“Graham got hurt during the defensive introductions before the game,” coach Brian Daboll said in his postgame press conference. “He was out there kicking and got a groin so he couldn’t go first half. Then he said he can kick from a certain distance in the second half.”
The Giants received the opening kickoff and started with a heavy dose of Tyrone Tracy Jr. The second-year running back touched the ball on the first five plays from scrimmage (four carries and one reception) before Cam Skattebo broke an 11-yard run. However, the drive stalled when the Giants, with punter Jamie Gillan warming up on the kicking net instead of Gano, kept the offense on the field for fourth-and-three at the Chiefs 28. Russell Wilson dropped back to pass, but it was batted down near the line of scrimmage by linebacker Nick Bolton for a turnover on downs.
Tracy suffered a shoulder with 1:34 left in the first quarter and was originally listed as questionable to return. He was later downgraded to out for the remainder of the game.
Wilson entered Week 3 with a league-high eight completions of 25+ yards. He was looking for another when he launched a pass to wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who had a career day in Dallas in Week 2, but it was intercepted by cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace and returned 23 yards back the other way. The ensuing possession ended in a missed 40-yard field goal attempt (wide right) by Harrison Butker. The Giants got the ball back and Skattebo found the end zone for the second consecutive week on a 13-yard run with 1:44 left in the second quarter.
Skattebo led the Giants in both rushing attempts (10 for 60 yards) and catches (six for 61 yards).
For the game, Wilson completed 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions.
Marcus Mbow, a rookie fifth-round pick who played extensively in Week 2 after replacing James Hudson III at left tackle, entered the game for Thomas late in the second quarter. Wilson threw an interception with 49 seconds left in the first half while looking to find wide receiver Malik Nabers in the end zone from 22 yards out.
“We were going to give [Thomas] 25 plays and so that’s what we gave him,” Daboll said. “He came out from what I understand just fine. So that was the next step for the ramp-up for him. Hopefully we’ll be able to get more this upcoming week.”
Nabers, who had nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns a week ago, did not have a reception until catching a four-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Wilson looked for Nabers again 50 yards downfield, but the Pro Bowl receiver collided with two Chiefs defensive backs, Bryan Cook and Nohl Williams, in the end zone and was slow to get up after the pass fell incomplete.
Nabers finished the game with two catches for 13 yards on seven targets.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made his second NFL appearance, entering for Wilson midway through the third quarter with the Giants trailing 16-6. With the ball on the Giants 46, the 25th overall pick dropped back to pass but scrambled for three yards. Wilson reentered the game on the next play.
In the fourth quarter, with the Giants still trailing by 10 points, Dart came back in for a second-and-three at the Chiefs 21 with 12 minutes. He handed the ball off to Skattebo, who rushed for nine yards and a first down. He stayed in again and handed off to Skattebo again for three yards, then Wilson came back in.
The Giants converted just one third down on 10 attempts and totaled 281 yards one week after a 506-yard, 37-point outburst in Dallas.
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