Numbers behind Kadarius Toney's solid rookie season
Kadarius Toney has put together a strong start to his NFL career.
The 22-year-old wide receiver has dealt with some injuries throughout the season, but when on the field, Toney's playmaking abilities have been on full display. He has played in eight games (three starts) and has caught 28 passes for a team-high 352 yards, all while playing just 44 percent of the team's offensive snaps.
Toney is one of five rookies who are currently leading their team in receiving yards, which would tie the 2014 rookie class as the most ever. Joining Toney is Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase, Atlanta's Kyle Pitts, Philadelphia's DeVonta Smith, and Miami's Jaylen Waddle.
Toney's success goes beyond the box score, though. Daniel Jones and Mike Glennon have a combined 109.8 passer rating when targeting Toney, good for the highest mark among all rookie wide receivers.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Giants rookie has the second-highest receiving grade against press coverage among all receivers selected in the first two rounds of this year's draft. Toney's 75.4 trails only Chase's 79.8, and is right above Waddle's 73.2 and Smith's 66.2.
In the Giants' Week 5 contest against the Cowboys, Toney caught 10 passes for 189 yards, which set a new single-game franchise rookie record.
His 74.9 receiving grade on the season is the third-highest in the rookie class.
View the best photos of wide receiver Kadarius Toney's rookie season with the Giants.
Giants excited to get closer to full strength
If the Giants were to choose their best game of the first half of the season, it would almost certainly be their overtime victory in New Orleans on Oct. 3.
It was the only game among their first nine in which they scored three touchdowns and the only game in which they finished with more than 400 total yards (485) and passing yards (402 for Daniel Jones, who was not sacked). And it was the contest in which they executed their two longest plays of the year, touchdown passes of 54 yards to Saquon Barkley and 52 yards to John Ross.
They needed every one of those yards and plays to pull out a 27-21 overtime victory against the Saints.
The offensive outburst wasn't accidental or due to luck. Barkley and Kenny Golladay, the team's top running back and wide receiver, each had his most productive game of the season. Barkley rushed for 52 yards, caught five passes for 74 yards, and scored the game-winning touchdown on a six-yard run with 5:06 elapsed in overtime. Golladay had season-high totals of six receptions for 116 yards, a gaudy 19.3-yard average, including a 23-yard catch immediately preceding the deciding score.
"Certainly, that was a game where we were most healthy, and our guys played really well in a tough environment against a good team," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said today. "So that's something you certainly want to build on, but each game is unique."
"When we had all of us at almost full strength, I would say – I think that was the Saints game – I feel like we played pretty well, but it's any given Sunday," Golladay said. "We've just got to keep going out there each game and producing.
"That's pretty close to what I envision (the offense should look like). Everybody touched the ball. D.J. threw for like 400. Say (Barkley) had a long touchdown reception, then he capped it off with the game-winning rushing touchdown. That's a pretty damn good game. But I mean, I feel like we left some plays out there as well, so I feel like it can get better."
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