The Giants put together the franchise's largest comeback in the Super Bowl Era in Week 2 as they emerged from Glendale with a 31-28 victory.
After falling behind 20-0 at halftime, the Giants came out firing in the second half, led by quarterback Daniel Jones. More on that later.
The Giants (1-1) will now stay in Arizona until Wednesday before traveling to San Francisco for their Week 3 matchup against the 49ers (2-0) on Thursday Night Football.
Here are five things we learned in the thrilling Week 2 victory.
1. Giants mount historic comeback
The Giants went into the locker room at the end of the second quarter down 20-0. Through the first three halves of the 2023 season, they had been outscored 60-0 by the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. But the drought ended there.
After exchanging touchdowns to start the third quarter, the Giants found themselves down 28-7 with 9:34 remaining in the third quarter. Daniel Jones led the offense to four consecutive scoring drives (three touchdowns and the game-winning field goal) while the defense held strong as the Giants scored 24 unanswered points to defeat the Cardinals, 31-28. The 21-point comeback win matched the largest in franchise history (12/2/1945 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 10/30/1949 vs. Chicago Cardinals) and the biggest in the Super Bowl Era.
"Every game is different," Daboll said after the win. "Every game you fight through some adversity. Tonight was a good example of being resilient and playing the next play and focusing on the next series. They did their job in the second half. I thought we did a good job on third down. Had some explosive, chunk plays. Made some timely stops at the end of the game. Made the game-winning field goal.
"So, we played much better, and coached much better in the second half. You hope they don't all start out 20 to nothing. We didn't do a good enough job in the first half, but fortunately came out and executed well situationally. I think four-of-four in the red zone. Offensively, almost 65 percent on third down. That usually gets you some points. And (we) made some big plays."
View photos from the Giants' 31-28 comeback victory over the Cardinals in Glendale.
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
K Graham Gano (9)
DT DJ Davidson (98), DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
K Graham Gano (9)
RB Saquon Barkley (26), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
TE Daniel Bellinger (82), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26), TE Daniel Bellinger (82)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Gary Brightwell (23), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
P Jamie Gillan (6)
OL Marcus McKethan (60), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
OL Marcus McKethan (60), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
TE Darren Waller (12)
DL A'Shawn Robinson (91)
ILB Micah McFadden (41), ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
TE Darren Waller (12)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
RB Saquon Barkley (26), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
ILB Carter Coughlin (52)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
DL A'Shawn Robinson (91), NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
P Jamie Gillan (6)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
OLB Boogie Basham (45)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93), DT DJ Davidson (98)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), QB Daniel Jones (8), WR Darius Slayton (86), G Ben Bredeson (68)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), QB Daniel Jones (8), WR Darius Slayton (86), G Ben Bredeson (68)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), QB Daniel Jones (8), WR Darius Slayton (86), G Ben Bredeson (68)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18), TE Darren Waller (12)
.QB Daniel Jones (8), TE Darren Waller (12)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18), TE Darren Waller (12)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18), TE Darren Waller (12)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26), TE Darren Waller (12)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
CB Deonte Banks (25), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), ILB Micah McFadden (41)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
ILB Micah McFadden (41), RB Eric Gray (20), S Dane Belton (24)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58), OLB Jihad Ward (55)
TE Darren Waller (12)
TE Darren Waller (12)
TE Darren Waller (12)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
TE Darren Waller (12)
S Jason Pinnock (27)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), G Ben Bredeson (68)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
S Jason Pinnock (27), ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
OLB Oshane Ximines (53)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
LS Casey Kreiter (59)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
LS Casey Kreiter (59), OLB Oshane Ximines (53)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
TE Darren Waller (12)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
TE Darren Waller (12)
RB Taiwan Jones (36)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
TE Darren Waller (12)
OLB Jihad Ward (55), CB Adoree' Jackson (22), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93), DL A'Shawn Robinson (91)
ILB Cam Brown (47)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
P Jamie Gillan (6), OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
TE Darren Waller (12)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12)
TE Darren Waller (12)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12), QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12), QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
P Jamie Gillan (6)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), G Ben Bredeson (68), QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), G Ben Bredeson (68), QB Daniel Jones (8)
P Jamie Gillan (6)
DL A'Shawn Robinson (91)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75), K Graham Gano (9)
TE Darren Waller (12), WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
TE Darren Waller (12), WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
DL A'Shawn Robinson (91), DT DJ Davidson (98)
Brian Daboll Head Coach, QB Daniel Jones (8)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
Brian Daboll Head Coach, QB Daniel Jones (8)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
Brian Daboll Head Coach, QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
TE Darren Waller (12), QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
QB Daniel Jones (8), TE Darren Waller (12)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
Brian Daboll Head Coach
K Graham Gano (9), Brian Daboll Head Coach
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
OLB Oshane Ximines (53), TE Darren Waller (12)
CB Deonte Banks (25)
OLB Oshane Ximines (53)
OLB Jihad Ward (55)
OLB Boogie Basham (45)
OLB Oshane Ximines (53)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
RB Gary Brightwell (23)
RB Matt Breida (31)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), ILB Micah McFadden (41)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), ILB Micah McFadden (41)
RB Taiwan Jones (36)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
S Xavier McKinney (29), RB Taiwan Jones (36), S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
S Xavier McKinney (29), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), RB Saquon Barkley (26), ILB Cam Brown (47)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
CB Deonte Banks (25)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
S Xavier McKinney (29), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
G Ben Bredeson (68), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61), G Ben Bredeson (68)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
S Xavier McKinney (29), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
TE Darren Waller (12)
S Xavier McKinney (29), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5), RB Saquon Barkley (26)
S Xavier McKinney (29), ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
Brian Daboll Head Coach
WR Darius Slayton (86)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
S Jason Pinnock (27)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
WR Darius Slayton (86)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
RB Eric Gray (20)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
S Dane Belton (24)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
S Dane Belton (24)
S Dane Belton (24)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8), TE Darren Waller (12)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8), TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8), WR Parris Campbell (0)
TE Darren Waller (12)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
OL Evan Neal (73)
CB Adoree' Jackson (22)
CB Adoree' Jackson (22)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
CB Cor'Dale Flott (28)
RB Taiwan Jones (36)
S Jason Pinnock (27)
S Bobby McCain (21)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
OL Matt Peart (74)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
CB Tre Hawkins III (37)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
K Graham Gano (9)
OLB Boogie Basham (45)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
OLB Boogie Basham (45)
S Xavier McKinney (29)
OLB Oshane Ximines (53)
CB Deonte Banks (25)
ILB Micah McFadden (41)
CB Deonte Banks (25)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
TE Lawrence Cager (83)
RB Eric Gray (20)
TE Darren Waller (12)
TE Darren Waller (12)
ILB Cam Brown (47)
RB Gary Brightwell (23)
WR Dennis Houston (88)
CB Nick McCloud (44)
CB Nick McCloud (44)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
ILB Carter Coughlin (52)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
OL Joshua Ezeudu (75)
OLB Jihad Ward (55)
CB Darnay Holmes (30)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
CB Adoree' Jackson (22)
S Dane Belton (24)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
TE Lawrence Cager (83)
RB Saquon Barkley (26)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
RB Eric Gray (20)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
TE Darren Waller (12)
S Bobby McCain (21)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
S Jason Pinnock (27)
WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
ILB Carter Coughlin (52)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
WR Parris Campbell (0)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
OLB Jihad Ward (55)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
CB Tre Hawkins III (37)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
RB Matt Breida (31)
DT DJ Davidson (98)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
K Graham Gano (9)
S Gervarrius Owens (39)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
TE Daniel Bellinger (82)
S Dane Belton (24)
P Jamie Gillan (6)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19)
S/ILB Isaiah Simmons (19), OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (5)
ILB Cam Brown (47)
TE Lawrence Cager (83)
RB Gary Brightwell (23)
CB Nick McCloud (44)
K Graham Gano (9)
G Ben Bredeson (68), C John Michael Schmitz Jr. (61)
TE Darren Waller (12), WR Jalin Hyatt (13)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sr (93)
S Bobby McCain (21), RB Matt Breida (31)
OLB Boogie Basham (45)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
ILB Bobby Okereke (58)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
DL Leonard Williams (99)
CB Deonte Banks (25)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
OL Matt Peart (74)
QB Daniel Jones (8)
QB Tyrod Taylor (2)
Ben Burress, QB Daniel Jones (8)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
WR Isaiah Hodgins (18)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
NT Dexter Lawrence II (97)
WR Sterling Shepard (3)
LS Casey Kreiter (59), P Jamie Gillan (6)
2. Daniel Jones' massive second half
After a rough first half for the entire offense, Daniel Jones helped spark a fire coming out of the locker room. The fifth-year quarterback led the offense to points on all five of their second-half drives, including four touchdowns and the game-winning field goal.
Jones finished the game with 321 yards and two touchdowns on 26 of 37 passing (70 percent), good for a 103.5 passer rating. The team captain also contributed significantly on the ground, finishing the game with nine carries for 59 yards (6.6 yards per rush) and an additional touchdown. Jones was an incredible 17 of 21 passing in the second half, good for a completion percentage of 81 percent.
"I think it's about execution, and you can't really afford to think about any of that or get emotional or think about anything outside of what your job is and that's to execute and focus on one play at a time and being right there in that play and making sure you're taking advantage of it and making good decisions, giving guys chances to make plays," Jones said after the game. "That was my focus and I thought we did that well as a team."
"I thought he finished strong," Daboll added about the quarterback. "Played a really good second half. We had a couple of things that we could have improved on in the first half, (we) talked about those. But he is a resilient young man who went out there and played well along with, I'd say, a number of people."
3. Pass-catchers step up
The Giants saw several different play-makers step up in a big way in the second half, starting with wide receiver Jalin Hyatt. The rookie wideout got started with a massive 58-yard reception, the first catch of his NFL career, which propelled the team to its first touchdown of the game (and season). Hyatt wasn't done, though, as he added a 31-yard reception to get the ball inside the red zone on the team's game-tying touchdown drive.
"It was a huge spark at that point in the game," tight end Darren Waller said about the rookie's first catch. "Playing in the National Football League you don't know when that spark may come, of course you want it to be earlier, but that was the opportunity for us in this game and we took advantage of it. That allowed us to build some momentum and sustain some drives because we were like 'Okay this is what we are used to, this is what we've been doing since April throughout this whole process.' We know what we can do as an offense and it definitely gets you going."
Waller was brought in during the offseason to be a big target for Jones, and that is exactly what the veteran did Sunday. Waller finished the game tied for the team-lead with six receptions for 76 yards on eight targets, most of which came in the second half.
Wide receivers Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins also made a big impact in the comeback win. Slayton caught just three passes but made them count, taking them for 62 total yards, while Hodgins recorded four receptions for 40 yards and the game-tying touchdown. Parris Campbell added four receptions for 21 yards, while Sterling Shepard had a four-yard catch. Jones wound up completing passes to a total of seven different players.
"We came out of the tunnel (after halftime), and we had the ball first. As an offense you have to start believing right there," Slayton said. "It's important to go out there and score a touchdown. We did score right out of the half, went down and got a touchdown. At that point we have a little momentum, the defense got a stop and from there we were just putting points up."
4. Defense comes up big in second half
After allowing 20 points in the first half, it looked as if the Giants were headed for another tough loss. To mount a comeback from such a deficit, a team needs strong play from both sides of the ball. We already covered the offense, but let's not forget about the toughness shown by the defense in the second half, as well.
Arizona scored a touchdown on its first drive of the second half, but that marked the end of any offensive success for the Cardinals. The Giants' defense came up strong on each of the next four drives, including two that saw Arizona move backwards before being forced to punt. The Cardinals finished with just 48 total yards on their final four drives.
Safety Jason Pinnock had his best game as a Giant on Sunday with a game-high 13 tackles (10 solo), including three for loss. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence registered four tackles (three solo), one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits, while linebacker Bobby Okereke, cornerback Deonte Banks and defensive lineman A'Shawn Robinson each added a tackle for loss.
5. Saquon scores twice before departing late with injury
Running back Saquon Barkley made an impact both on the ground and through the air. The sixth-year back carried the ball 17 times for 63 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Barkley matched Darren Waller with a team-high six receptions, in which he gained 29 yards and scored his second touchdown of the season on a strong play. Barkley dove for the end zone and was just able to touch the pylon before landing out of bounds.
However, on the second-to-last play before Graham Gano's game-winning 34-yard field goal, Barkley came up limping as he was bent over backwards by a Cardinals defender. Brian Daboll did not have an immediate update after the game.
"It's always tough to see anyone go down, especially Saquon," said Jones. "He's a huge piece of what we're doing. He's an important player on the team. So, I know he'll work hard to get back, get through whatever he is going through. Look forward to having him back as soon as possible."
Left guard Ben Bredeson also left the game early with a concussion.
Giants.com highlights some standouts from the team's Week 2 comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals.
QB Daniel Jones led the Giants' 20-point second half comeback. Jones completed 26 of 37 passes (70 percent) for 321 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 103.5 passer rating. The fifth-year QB added nine rushes for 59 yards (6.6 avg.) and an additional touchdown.
RB Saquon Barkley carried the ball 17 times for 63 yards and a touchdown and added six receptions for 29 yards and an additional score.
TE Darren Waller matched Saquon Barkley with a team-high six receptions for 76 yards.
WR Isaiah Hodgins caught four passes for 40 yards and the game-tying touchdown.
WR Jalin Hyatt finished with two receptions for a game-high 89 yards, including a big 58-yard catch to start the second half comeback.
WR Darius Slayton registered three big receptions for 62 yards.
S Jason Pinnock led both teams with 13 tackles (10 solo) and three tackles for loss.
DL Dexter Lawrence II registered four tackles (three solo), one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits.
K Graham Gano connected on the game-winning field goal from 34 yards and also made all four extra point attempts.
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