Giants Q&A: Are playoffs really in reach now after win over Packers?
Wan'Dale Robinson of the Giants reacts after a fourth-quarter reception against the Packers at MetLife Stadium on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Playoffs? Sure, why not?
The Giants’ 24-22 victory over the Packers moved them to 5-8 and within one game of a pileup of 6-7 teams for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
Coach Brian Daboll refused to get drawn into a chat about postseason scenarios after the game, saying he is focused only on the game against the Saints on Sunday.
But his players dared to dream. “As long as we continue to believe, anything is possible, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Kayvon Thibodeaux said.
Realistically, even if the Giants keep winning, they have a lot of teams to climb over in the last four games of the season. But at least it’s OK to think such thoughts now.
“Just keep winning and go 1-0 every week and everything will take care of itself,” Wan’Dale Robinson said.
How did Dexter Lawrence do in his return to action?
Just fine, including sharing a key sack and finishing with three tackles and two quarterback hits. The star nose tackle missed the Nov. 26 game against the Patriots with a hamstring injury and was on a pitch count against the Packers.
“I’m solid,” he said after the game. “I pushed through it for my guys. I was on a little play count, but I had to make the plays I was in for count.”
Lawrence said he was “pretty limited” in his snaps.
“I didn’t get my normal play count, but I tried to affect the game when I was in there,” he said.
Did Saquon Barkley bobble on purpose?
“No,” Daboll said.
When Barkley took a direct snap and handed the ball to Robinson for a 32-yard rush that set up the Giants’ first touchdown, it appeared he might have bobbled intentionally to throw off the defense’s timing.
Daboll said that was not the plan at all. “The ballhandling could have probably been a little bit better,” the coach said.
What was Robinson’s impact?
Huge. The speedy receiver set up the Giants’ first touchdown with that 32-yard run, set up the Giants’ third touchdown with a 25-yard reception on a flea-flicker and set up the game-winning field goal with a 32-yard reception.
“I think he played pretty good,” Daboll said. “Had a lot of confidence in him.”
Robinson said he and his teammates wanted to get it done on the winning drive in part as a tribute to Barkley, whose late fumble deep in Packers territory nearly cost the Giants the game.
“I didn’t think Saquon actually fumbled that ball,” Robinson said. “I was mad about that, but then seeing what they did, they got the touchdown, and it was, ‘Let’s go score.’ . . . At the end of the day, we knew he was going to do whatever he could to make up for it, and we had his back, too.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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