The Giants have been to London three times and all three have had a win and it’s probably safe to say that their most recent win was also their most unlikely.
On paper, it looked like the Giants wouldn’t have much of a chance to beat the Packers on Sunday, but the Giants clearly don’t read the paper. In front of a raucous crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Giants stole a 27-22 win in a game no one thought they could win. Not only did they go into Week 5 with a cranked up starting quarterback (Daniel Jones), but they also missed several key receivers.
And to be honest, it was actually worse than that. Here’s what the Giants had to do with this week:
With his options limited on offense, Giants coach Brian Daboll decided to throw the sink at the Packers: He devised a game plan with offensive coordinator Mike Kafka that kept the Giants offense one step ahead of the Packers defense for almost the entire game.
The Giants saved their most unique moves for the red zone. Their first touchdown of the game for New York came on a 2-yard run by Daniel Bellinger that was much more exciting than your standard 2-yard run.
That score came in the second quarter and reduced the Packers’ lead to 17-10.
In the second half, the Giants were even better on offense, scoring on each of their first three possessions. A major reason they were able to do that was Saquon Barkley’s game. After a brief interruption of the game in the third quarter due to a shoulder injury, Barkley stormed back onto the field to deliver two of the biggest plays of the game for New York.
The first came on a short crosser from Jones that Barkley converted into a 41-yard gain.
Four plays after that, Barkley lined up in a Wildcat formation for a play that eventually saw him cross the end zone for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.
Barkley carried the ball 13 times for 70 yards in a day cutting the Packers’ defense at 5.38 yards per rush.
While Barkley was great, you could argue that the Giants offensive was MVP Jones, who stood up for his team despite playing on a limp ankle. Jones was almost perfect, going 21 of 27 for 217 yards. He also rushed for 37 yards, which probably surprised the Packers, who didn’t look like they really expected him to run because of his injured ankle. A big game from Jones came in the third quarter on a third-and-3 when he kept a drive alive by running 4 yards on a QB tie.
The Giants are now 4-1 on the season for the first time since 2009, and there’s no reason to think they can’t keep winning. Not only did they prove they can play with the big boys on Sunday, they proved they are one of the big boys by taking out the Packers.
The Giants may also want to volunteer to play in London more often. They are now perfect in England and they have made the play-offs in every year they have played abroad.
Okay, let’s get to the numbers for each week 5 game. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the Colts’ 12-9 win over Denver played on Thursday, click here.
NY Giants 27-22 over Green Bay (in London)
Giants-Packers Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
LA Chargers 30-28 Over Cleveland
Chargers-Browns Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Minnesota 29-22 over Chicago
Bears-Vikings Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
New Orleans 39-32 over Seattle
Seahawks-Saints Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tampa Bay 21-15 over Atlanta
Falcons-Buccaneers Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Tennessee 21-17 over Washington
Titans-Commanders Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Houston 13-6 over Jacksonville
Texans-Jaguars Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Buffalo 38-3 over Pittsburgh
Steelers-Bills Numbers by Bryan DeArdo (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
NY Jets 40-17 over Miami
Dolphins-Jets Numbers by Jordan Dajani (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
New England 29-0 over Detroit
Lions-Patriots Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
San Francisco 37-15 over Carolina
49ers-Panthers Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Dallas 22-10 over LA Rams
Cowboys-Rams Numbers by Jordan Dajani (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Philadelphia 20-17 over Arizona
Eagles-Cardinals Numbers by Jeff Kerr (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)
Baltimore 19-17 over Cincinnati
Bengals-Ravens Numbers by John Breech (Love the numbers? Hate the numbers? Let him know on Twitter.)