Studs and duds from New York Giants’ Week 5 win over Seattle Seahawks

The New York Giants went on the road, to arguably the most hostile environment in the NFL, and put a checkmark in the win column with a 23-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

An unexpected turn of events, most thought the Giants wouldn’t beat the Seahawks even with Malik Nabers on the field. So when he was ruled out, it seemed the Giants were doomed. But Big Blue had other ideas and players stepped up all over the field tonight. Not only did they look like a completely different team, but it looked natural.

There were still mistakes — a couple of players who totally tanked — but overall the Giants looked like a unit. They moved the ball well, held the number one offense in the league to just 250 yards before garbage time, got a takeaway, and proved that their season isn’t over yet.

Here’s a quick look at the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Sunday’s victory:

Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images

Let’s face it, Daniel Jones rarely gets the credit he deserves because the Giants have been pretty awful of late. But today against the Seahawks, Jones took charge, displayed poise and confidence, and made smart decisions with the football. He completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 257 yards and two touchdowns, adding 38 yards in the ground. He did not throw an interception.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

With Devin Singletary inactive on Sunday, the Giants expected Eric Gray to shoulder the ground game and he failed. Not only did was his fumble returned over 100 yards for a Seattle touchdown, but he was unable to make any headway on the ground with only four rushes for four yards. He did have 50 receiving yards, but his impact was less than the Giants expected today.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. took over where Eric Gray failed. Tracy showed off his speed, agility, and ability to hold on to the ball with 18 carries for 129 yards. He did not put any points on the board, but he handled the ground game without an issue and solidified his place as RB2 going forward.

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Darius Slayton started out the game a little bit rough, but he redeemed himself as the game went on. He ended the game with eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown, but he was all over the field tonight. By the end of the game, you could see how heavy his body was when he tried to get up from being tackled. He put his all into this game and deserves a ton of credit for stepping up when Malik Nabers couldn’t be on the field.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Dexter Lawrence is fast making a case for Defensive Player of the Year. Nothing will make your day like watching a 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive tackle do a summersault after making a stop, and Lawrence did that today. He had four total tackles (two solo), 3.0 sacks, two tackles for a loss and four QB hits. This dude is an animal — he’s on the field for almost every single snap and he’s wreaking havoc everywhere he goes. The Seahawks had no answer for Sexy Dexy, and the result was a serious display of athletic prowess.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Giants have been waiting on Deonte Banks to figure out how to make an impact in this league and on Sunday, he finally made some positive choices. It was sometimes one step forward and two steps back, but he rebounded with a vengeance against the Seahawks and DK Metcalf. He ended the outing with six tackles (two solo) and three passes defensed, his best outing of the year.

Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Wan’Dale Robinson caught six of nine passes thrown his direction today. Two of those misses were drops in critical moments of the game — drops he should have caught — which is why he’s a studly dud. He had 36 receiving yards in total, a touchdown, and he ran the ball once for four yards.