There are victories and then there is the triumph the Giants managed to secure on Sunday, which in many ways defied the imagination.
Try this on for size: Saquon Barkley, wildcat quarterback.
The star running back made an emergency position switch in the fourth quarter when Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor were both forced out with injuries. The Giants were clinging to a 17-12 lead but there was plenty of time left and they had to figure out a way to close things out. They did, pounding away on the ground, Barkley taking direct snaps — and Jones lining up wide as a receiver — and came away with a wild and wacky 20-12 victory at MetLife Stadium
The Giants were down to no quarterbacks after Jones went out with an ankle injury and Taylor was forced out by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Kyler Gordon.
Saquon Barkley rushes during the Giants’ win over the Bears. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTBarkley got the battlefield promotion. Barkley out of the wildcat formation handed the ball to running back Matt Breida, who picked up 13 yards. Barkley ran for four yards and Breida for five but Gary Brightwell was stopped for no gain — Jones took the snap and handed it to Brightwell. Graham Gano’s 43-yard field gave the Giants an eight-point lead. Khalil Herbert was stopped for no gain on third down by Tae Crowder and the Giants got the ball back with 3:04 remaining, backed up on their 3-yard line. Jones went behind center but could not run and was limited to handing the ball off to Barkley three times, forcing the Bears to burn their three time outs. Jamie Gillen punted from out of his own end zone, a booming 59-yarder that was muffed by rookie Velus Jones Jr. and recovered by Gary Brightwell with 2:01 remaining. Incredibly, Gano’s 37-yard attempt with 17 seconds left hit off the left upright, giving the Bears a few plays and a crazy bunch of last-play laterals before it ended.
This is the best start for the Giants in quite some time. They were 5-0 in 2009 (and finished 8-8) and were 3-1 back in 2005 (and finished 11-5).
This was a throwback showing on a day when the Giants were wearing their throwback uniforms. They ran 44 times for 262 yards, led by Barkley, who carried it 31 times for 146 yards. Their quarterbacks also used their legs. Jones ran it six times for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor ran it three times for 30 yards.
Jones ran for 68 yards and befuddled the Bears with two touchdown runs on bootlegs in the first half. The Giants went to it again late in the third quarter and Jones was sacked for an 11-yard loss when hit by safety Jaquan Brisker. Jones came up limping but stayed in the game — but did not throw another pass — as Gano hit a 44-yard field goal to put the Giants ahead 17-12.
Daniel Jones celebrates after his first rushing touchdown. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Brian Daboll reacts during the Giants’ win over the Bears. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTJones went to the sideline to have his left ankle taped and was replaced by Taylor, the veteran backup signed for this exact situation. Taylor ran for 13 yards for a first down on his first series but then threw deep to Darius Slayton and was intercepted by safety Eddie Jackson at the Giants’ 4-yard line. The Bears took over but could not get a first down.
The Giants tried to win an NFL game by handing the ball to their running back, having their quarterback keep the ball on bootlegs, sometimes throwing it to the tight ends and by ignoring their wide receivers. They nearly went the entire first half without a catch by a wide receiver until David Sills hauled in one for five yards on their final offensive snap before halftime. The Giants led 14-9 at the break, with Saquon Barkley rushing 12 times for 90 yards and Daniel Jones rushing for two touchdowns.
There was a two-play sequence in the second quarter that packed in more action for the Giants’ offense than has been seen in years. A third-and-9 middle screen to Barkley was headed for a loss, but Barkley stopped, pivoted, reversed his direction and sped to his left for 15 yards, making something out of nothing. Two plays later, Jones on yet another naked bootleg — didn’t the Bears scout him this week? — faked a handoff to Barkley, spun to his left, saw open space and raced 21 yards for his second rushing touchdown to make it 14-6. The last time Jones ran for two touchdowns? Week 3 in 2019 in Tampa, his first NFL start.
Tyrod Taylor (2) is injured in the second half.Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTDexter Lawrence sacked Fields to give the ball back to the Giants and they had all the momentum, until Richie James fumbled the punt return to put the Bears on the Giants’ 35-yard line. The damage was limited to Michael Badgley’s third field goal of the game to trim the Giants’ lead to 14-9.
The Giants went three-and-out on their first offensive series and Jones was pressured on his first drop back — after facing a career-high 24 pressures in the Week 3 loss to the Cowboys. On the next series, Jones was on the move, rolling out of the pocket to find some space to operate. Barkley ripped off an 18-yard gain and Jones used a solid play-fake to confuse the Bears, allowing rookie tight end Daniel Bellinger to haul in a 12-yard pass. Next, Jones on another play-fake kept the ball on a bootleg around the left side. He escaped the line of scrimmage thanks to a good block by Bellinger on safety Jaquan Brisker and kept motoring thanks to a seal block by the other tight end, Tanner Hudson, on cornerback Kyler Gordon. That allowed Jones to complete a 21-yard touchdown run to put the Giants ahead 7-3.
For all the talk leading into the game – with considerable statistical data to back up the talk – detailing the Bears’ limitations in the passing game, Field was able to do some damage. He hit Darnell Moody on the first series for 18 yards to help set up a field goal for a 3-0 Nears lead. Fields on the next series hit Mooney for 56 yards, Mooney making a sensational catch against Adoree’ Jackson, to set up a second Bears field goal.
The Giants lost two starters on defense – safety Julian Love (concussion) and cornerback Aaron Robinson (knee) in the first half.
