Giants vs. Falcons tale of the tape

The Giants and Falcons will both be looking for their first win of the season this weekend when the two teams square off at MetLife Stadium at 1pm Sunday.

The Giants are coming off a heartbreaking 30-29 loss against the Washington Football Team last Thursday, as Dustin Hopkins hit the game-winning field goal with no time left on the clock to give Washington the win. On the other sideline, Atlanta suffered a 48-25 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Tom Brady tossed five touchdown passes with zero interceptions.

The last time the two clubs met was in 2018, when Eli Manning threw for 399 yards, Sterling Shepard caught five passes for a whopping 167 yards, but Atlanta emerged with the 23-20 win.

Here are notes for players on both teams ahead of the Week 3 matchup at MetLife Stadium Sunday.

For both Joe Judge and Arthur Smith, this will be the first time either one faces off against the other team as head coach.

*QB Daniel Jones passed for 249 yards & a TD vs. 0 INTs for a 102.2 rating last week. He had a career-high 95 rush yards & his 5th career rush TD in Week 2. Jones can become the 4th QB since 1970 (Terry Bradshaw, Charlie Frye & Kyler Murray) with a rush TD in each of the first 3 weeks of a season. He has a 90+ rating in 3 of his past 4 starts at home.

*QB Matt Ryan passed for 300 yards in Week 2. He has 56,231 pass yards & surpassed Drew Brees (56,033) for the most pass yards in first 14 seasons. He has 70 career games with 300+ pass yards, the fifth-most in NFL history. Ryan has 1,596 pass yards (319.2 per game) & 8 TDs with one INT for a 102.5 rating in 5 career starts vs. NYG. Passed for 379 yards & a TD with 0 INTs for a 115.7 rating in the last meeting. He aims for his fourth game in a row vs. NYG with 300+ pass yards.

*RB Saquon Barkley had 69 scrimmage yards (57 rush, 12 rec.) last week. He had 9 receptions and 94 scrimmage yards (51 rec., 43 rush) & a rushing TD in the last meeting. Barkley has 1,842 scrimmage yards (115.1 per game) & 12 TDs (11 rush, 1 rec.) in 16 career home games.

*RB Mike Davis had 7 receptions & 63 scrimmage yards (38 rush, 25 rec.) last week. RB Cordarrelle Patterson had 5 catches, 69 scrimmage yards (58 rec., 11 rush) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in Week 2, his 2nd-career game with 2 scrimmage TDs. 

*WR Sterling Shepard led the team in catches (9) & rec. yards (94) last week. He aims for his fifth game in a row with 7+ receptions. He had 5 catches for a career-high 167 yards in the last meeting. Shepard aims for his third game in a row at home with 100+ rec. yards & a TD catch. WR Kenny Golladay had 6 receptions for 114 yards in his last game vs. Atl. (10/25/20 w/ Det.). WR Darius Slayton had 54 rec. yards & his 12th-career TD catch in Week 2. 

*WR Calvin Ridley had 7 catches for 63 yards & a TD catch in Week 2. He aims for his 10th game in a row with 5+ receptions & 50+ rec. yards. He had 5 receptions in the last meeting. Ridley aims for his third game in a row on road vs. NFC East with a TD catch. Rookie TE Kyle Pitts had 5 catches for a team-high 73 rec. yards in Week 2.

*LB Blake Martinez led the team with 12 tackles last week. He has 10+ tackles in 4 of his past 5 games. Martinez has 12 tackles in his last game vs. Atl. (12/9/18 w/ GB). Rookie LB Azeez Ojulari can become the fifth rookie since 2000 with a sack in each of his first 3 career games. CB James Bradberry had 7 tackles & 12th-career INT last week. He aims for his fourth game in a row with a PD. Bradberry has 5+ tackles in 6 of his past 7 vs. Atl. DB Logan Ryan had 8 tackles in his last game vs. Atl. (9/29/19 w/ Ten.).

*LB Deion Jones had a sack last week. He had 7+ tackles in 5 of his 6 career games vs. NFC East. LB Foyesade Oluokun had a team-high 9 tackles & seventh-career FF last week. He aims for his eighth game in a row with 6+ tackles. LB Dante Fowler had his first sack of the season & eighth-career FF in Week 2. DT Grady Jarrett had 2 sacks in the last meeting. CB A.J. Terrell had a career-high 2 PD last week. He aims for his fifth game in a row on the road with a PD.

Daniel Jones excited to see Eli Manning's jersey retirement, Ring of Honor induction

Two years ago, yesterday, the Giants' changing of the quarterback became official when Daniel Jones made his first career start and was responsible for four touchdowns in an epic comeback victory against the Buccaneers in Tampa.

Jones will make his 29th start on Sunday, when the Giants bestow a high honor on his predecessor, retiring Eli Manning's No. 10 jersey and inducting him into the franchise's Ring of Honor in a halftime ceremony.

"I'm excited," Jones said today. "It'll be cool to see. It'll be a cool moment. Obviously, a legend of this game, a legend of this franchise and what he represented, how he played for so long. Being able to be with him my first year was awesome for me. It was a huge opportunity and it'll be cool to see him recognized."

Jones was a rookie, the sixth overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, when he began sharing time in the quarterbacks room and on the field with Manning, then in his Giants-record 16th season. Manning started the first two games that year before the reins were handed to Jones. In his debut, Jones completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a passer rating of 112.7. He also ran for two touchdowns – including the deciding seven-yarder with 1:16 remaining – and led the Giants with 28 rushing yards. The Giants overcame a 28-10 halftime deficit to defeat the Buccaneers, 32-31.

Jones entered that game with a solid support system, including the teammates who blocked for him and caught his passes, a veteran coaching staff and Manning, who offered advice before one of the biggest days of Jones' professional life.

"I think there was a lot," Jones said. "I think certainly the routine, going about the week and preparing. I think I was able to see his preparation, so just talking through kind of how he prepared day by day, the things he looked for and how he went about his week."

📸 Practice Photos: Giants get ready for Falcons

Check out the gallery below to view photos from Wednesday's practice as the Giants prepare for their Week 3 matchup against the Falcons.