Talk about starting a game with a gut punch! Odell Beckham Jr. slipped at the top of his route on the opening drive, and that tipped pass? Yeah, it turned into an interception. You hate to see it, especially from a guy like OBJ.
Kickers Battling It Out, But The Real Story Was That Opening Pick
Still, the game wasn’t all bad. Xavier Gipson had a nice return to open things up. And hey, Tyrone Tracy was out there too as another returner. On the kicking front, it’s a mess out there, huh? Jason Sanders, in his “revenge game” against the Giants, had his PAT go no good. His battle with Cade York, who’s already cut, might actually get won by Ben Sauls or Dominic Zvada by Monday or Tuesday. Brutal.
Jaxson Dart’s Long Break and The Looming Roster Chop
But let’s be real, the on-field stuff wasn’t the biggest headline. Quarterback Jaxson Dart won’t be playing, and a bunch of other main starters are sitting this one out too. Think about this: Dart and the core starters will have gone *29 days* , from August 15 to September 13 , without any live game action before their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Coach John Harbaugh apparently weighed this as a major factor, but here we are. It makes you wonder how sharp they’ll be come kickoff on September 13, right? And trust me, fans are asking the same questions; they overwhelmingly agreed in a poll that Harbaugh should have played them at least for a drive or two.
The real drama? Roster spots. Teams have to trim down to 53 players by Sunday at 6 p.m., and this game is the last shot for some guys. The list of players not in uniform for pregame warmups is a pretty good tell on who might be on the outside looking in: Cam Skattebo, Devin Singletary, Pat Ricard, Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt (who’s injured), Isaiah Likely, Theo Johnson (also injured), Chris Manhertz, Andrew Thomas, and Jermaine Eluemunor. Each one of those names is a player hoping to stick, but not dressing for the finale? Not a great sign.
So, while the Giants played the Jets tonight at MetLife , in a weird twist, they were the visiting team in their own stadium , the biggest takeaways are off the field. Who’s making the cut? And more importantly, how will almost a month without live game reps impact Dart and the main starters when they finally hit the field for real against the Cowboys on September 13? That’s the question that’ll keep us up until kickoff.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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