The Giants kicked off Thursday night’s game against the Eagles short at the receiver position. Darius Slayton was sidelined with a hamstring injury from Sunday, and Malik Nabors was already out due to a torn ACL.
However, the Giants seemed to manage just fine.
Journeyman receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, recently elevated to the 53-man roster, had a standout performance, catching four passes for 55 yards, including a crucial 34-yard reception on a third-and-12 that set up the Giants’ first touchdown.
In that play, Humphrey managed to outpace Eagles cornerback Kelly Ringo to make the catch—remarkable, especially since he had just been penalized for a false start.
This marked his first reception as a Giant.
“How about that double move along the sideline?” Head coach Brian Daboll remarked about Humphrey’s 34-yarder after the game, where the Giants won 34-17. “I had confidence in him since preseason. Plus, we had Jalin Hiatt drawing a defensive pass interference penalty late in the game, which was significant for us.”
“It’s really about the next guy stepping up. We had players from the practice squad involved. With Nabors and Slayton out, no excuses—just put in the work,” he added.
The Giants also received solid contributions from reliable slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who caught six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Robinson’s 35-yard touchdown gave the Giants a 13-3 advantage after he executed a quick spin move on Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba, who missed a tackle, allowing Robinson to sprint down the sideline for the score.
Later, when rookie quarterback Dart was sacked and had to go into the medical tent for concussion testing, Russell Wilson stepped in and immediately threw an incomplete pass intended for Hyatt, facing boos as he returned to the sidelines.
Daboll was spotted arguing with the team doctor, obviously eager to have Dart back for a potential fourth down opportunity.
“Have you ever been on an NFL sideline? It’s emotional, and I’m certainly an emotional guy,” Daboll stated. “I did apologize to the team doctor. That’s all I wanted. If Dart was okay, we had a play lined up for fourth down. If he’d come out, I would have called a timeout.”
Daboll reassured, “I told the doctor, I trust you. I didn’t mean to step on your toes.”
The Giants faced additional challenges as they lost starting center John Michael Schmitz Jr. to a concussion and a bleeding nose in the third quarter, with Austin Schlotman taking over. Earlier, defensive lineman Darius Alexander was carted off with a knee injury, never to return.
Interestingly, the Giants’ first drive TD placed Dart in elite company, alongside Patrick Mahomes. According to ESPN, they are the only quarterbacks since 1991 to lead their teams to a touchdown on the opening drive of their first three NFL starts.
Aside from one missed extra point by kicker Jude McAtamny after the Giants’ second touchdown, everything seemed to go well.
The Eagles, motivated to improve after being short-handed against the Broncos last Sunday, looked to bounce back without Saquon Barkley, who had a limited six carries.
Barkley, formerly a star for the Giants, had some impressive runs, gaining 31 yards on the first two plays. He would go on to rush 10 more times, adding just 27 yards total in the game.
“We got out of our gaps a few times, but we need to be more disciplined,” said Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
This match marked Barkley’s second encounter with his former team. He had rushed for 176 yards in their previous meeting and missed the last game last season, where Philadelphia had already clinched the division title.
Although Barkley had a fantastic year his first season with the Eagles, he entered this game ranked 25th in rushing yards per game and 39th in yards per carry.
“Not every year is going to mirror the last,” Barkley mentioned, reflecting on the challenges of maintaining performance.
He noted the statistics surrounding running backs achieving 2,000 yards in a season, as no such player has maintained that level in the following year based on historical data.
“Teams might be targeting him,” Lawrence noted prior to the game. “That’s the nature of it, but we need to stay disciplined so we aren’t the team that reignites his performance.”
