No gripes from Kadarius Toney after quiet day for receivers in Giants' win
Kadarius Toney said, "We won," of the 23-16 win over the Raiders. "We come out victorius and with one target? What are you going to do?" Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Giants have always said Kadarius Toney is a different type of receiver. His reaction to last Sunday’s game in which he was targeted on just one pass is another example of that.
Instead of griping about his touches or opportunities as many at his position might, Toney seemed thrilled.
"We won," he said of the 23-16 win over the Raiders. "We come out victorious and with one target? OK. Hoorah! What are you going to do?"
Not complain, apparently.
Whether he speaks for the rest of the wide receivers on the team is not clear. As a group they were targeted just four times. Only two of them caught passes: one by Toney and two by Kenny Golladay. All three of those completions went for first downs, though.
It was the lowest production by the team’s wideouts since Oct. 15, 2017, when Roger Lewis Jr. and Tavarres King each made one catch in a win over Denver. That was a week after the team’s top four receivers at the time — Odell Beckham, Jr., Dwayne Harris, Sterling Shepard and Brandon Marshall — suffered injuries and were unable to play.
This time the Giants did have some of their projected starters in the lineup, though clearly not at full strength. Golladay was in his first game back from a knee injury, and Toney was dealing with ankle and thumb injuries. The bye week will give them time to heal. And they are still hoping some of their other injured players can make it back after the bye, including Shepard and Saquon Barkley and offensive lineman Andrew Thomas.
"We’re at full power with everybody," Toney said. "We’ve got a lot of talented players out here. That’s what everybody’s here to do."
Notes & quotes: Toney dismissed criticism about his tweet last week in support of his friend, Raiders WR Henry Ruggs, who is facing felony DUI and other charges from a fatal high-speed crash earlier this month in Las Vegas. Toney noted that he wrote "just pray for the families involved" in the original post and said he had no regrets about the post . . . Safety Xavier McKinney was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, in last Sunday’s win over the Raiders. Each of the Giants’ three wins this season has come with a player winning the award: Daniel Jones after the Saints victory and Graham Gano after the Carolina win.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
