Stock up, down after New York Giants' preseason win over New York Jets

Yahoo

10 hours ago

The New York Giants defeated the New York Jets, 31-12, at MetLife Stadium on Saturday night in Week 2 of the preseason.
It was an impressive offensive performance for the Giants, who showcased an aerial attack not seen since the days of Eli Manning. Three of the four quarterbacks threw for over 100 yards and 398 yards in total. They also connected on seven passes of 20-plus yards, including an 80-yard moon ball to rookie wide receiver Beaux Collins.
The Giants will give their players off on Sunday before returning for meetings on Monday and practice on Tuesday ahead of their preseason finale against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Here's a look at whose stock is up and whose is down after the second week of the preseason.
Stock up: QB Jaxson Dart
What really needs to be said? Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart flashed again, completing 14 of his 16 pass attempts for 137 yards and one touchdown, adding a second touchdown on a goal-line plunge. He was poised, accurate, comfortable, and silenced some of his biggest critics. The Giants plan to stick with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback, but Dart is making that more and more difficult.
Stock down: Run defense
The Giants struggled against the run last year when nose tackle Dexter Lawrence was off the field, and it was a focus of general manager Joe Schoen this offseason. Unfortunately for the Giants, that same issue persisted on Saturday night. Granted, the Jets have a solid rushing offense, but allowing 4.3 yards per carry is rarely a recipe for success. That resulted in several long, sustained drives and a loss in the time of possession battle. The Giants must improve in this area.
Stock up: OL Marcus Mbow
The focus continues to be on rookies Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart, but offensive lineman Marcus Mbow deserves his flowers. He's allowed just one pressure on 64 pass protection snaps this preseason, and he's bullying people. Nearly any time you key in on him, Mbow is bulldozing someone into the ground. How he slipped to Round 5 in the 2025 NFL draft remains curious.
Stock down: OL James Hudson
Veteran James Hudson is a bully. He has an edge that every team needs, but that doesn't make him a high-end player. Hudson has dealt with pre-snap issues throughout the summer, and while he avoided those missteps against the Jets, there were some poor plays that ended up on film. Facing a third-and-7 late in the second quarter, Hudson was spun around by defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, who flushed Jaxson Dart from the pocket and was ultimately credited with the sack.
Stock up: S Dane Belton
It will be interesting to see how things grade out, but safety Dane Belton appeared to make the most of his 43 defensive snaps, which were necessary due to so many injuries at the position. On the Jets' open offensive series, Belton was in on four tackles and closed out the victory with a game-leading seven, including three solo.
Stock down: LB Abdul Carter
Rookie linebacker Abdul Carter didn't have many chances to make an impact as a pass rusher on Saturday night, but he did have his "welcome to the NFL" moment when decleated by a chipping tight end and then buried into the turf by an offensive tackle. It wasn't flattering and isn't really reflective of Carter as a whole, but it was the highlight of his second NFL game -- and it's not the kind of highlight you want. He's still going to be a dominant game-wrecker, but for one brief moment, Carter was human.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Stock up, down after Giants' preseason win over Jets