Analysis

10/9/22

3 min read

Giants Upset Packers in London Behind Jones, Barkley

By The 33rd Team

Giants Upset Packers

Behind a second-half surge, the New York Giants upset the Green Bay Packers, 27-22, in London on Sunday.

 

The Giants entered the game missing four of their top wide receivers (Sterling Shepherd, Wan'Dale Robinson, Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay) to injury and trailed by 10 points at halftime before outscoring the Packers 17-2 in the second half.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who was questionable to play with an ankle injury, finished the game 21-of-27 for 217 yards with zero turnovers while adding 37 yards on the ground. It was the first game of the season Jones threw for more than 200 yards.

"Daniel Jones played incredibly well and was very accurate with his ball placement," said analyst Mike Tannenbaum of The 33rd Team. "This win is especially impressive considering Saquon Barkley missed time during the game in addition to several of their top wide receivers all being out with injury.

"Credit goes to defensive coordinator Don Martindale for bringing a lot of pressure, especially in the second half. Martindale went 'Cover 0' multiple times and it paid off. Green Bay’s offense didn’t score a point after halftime."

Barkley finished the game with 70 rushing yards and 36 receiving yards, many of which came on the Giants' go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter. New York ended up outgaining the Packers 338 to 298 in total yards.

 

Green Bay got off to a hot start, scoring 17 points in its first four possessions, including a short touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to wide receiver Allen Lazard, putting them ahead 10-0 in the first quarter. Rodgers finished the game 25-of-39 for 222 yards and two touchdowns but struggled to keep the Packers on track in the second half. His top target was wide receiver Randall Cobb, who finished with seven catches for 99 yards.

Trailing 27-20 with just over 6 minutes to play, Rodgers drove the Packers down the field but had two consecutive passes batted down on third and fourth down. The Giants took over inside their own 10 and had three kneel-downs before intentionally taking a safety on fourth down.

The Packers had only four offensive drives in the second half. Two of them ended in punts, one was a turnover on downs, and the last drive ended when Rodgers was strip-sacked trying to throw a desperation Hail Mary on the final play of the game.

"You still have Aaron Rodgers," said former Packers WR Greg Jennings. "I believe they get back on track. This is not the end. I don't think there's a need for us to overreact. Again, they're in the NFC. They're in the NFC North Division as well. They are still in the driver's seat. However, there are some teams that are opening all of our eyes, and the New York Giants are one of them."

Rodgers and the Packers (3-2) will look to get back on track next week against the New York Jets, while the Giants (4-1) will try to continue their improbable strong start against the Baltimore Ravens.

WATCH MORE: Rich Gannon Thinks Saquon Barkley is the Comeback POY

 

Tags: Green Bay Packers, New York Giants

The 33rd Team

The 33rd Team is a Football Think Tank created by Mike Tannenbaum and Joe Banner.

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