The Giants got out of a sloppy, rain-soaked Week 3 game against the Titans with a win, and the rookie class played a major part in making that happen.
That’s the kind of result veterans might say the team wouldn’t have pulled off a year ago. The 2026 draft class, though, only knows a scrappy group that kept fighting through messy conditions and a fair amount of self-inflicted trouble. Four rookies stood out in the Giants’ move to 2-1.
Arvell Reese was the loudest presence on the field. After saying he came into the game with a chip on his shoulder following his Week 2 performance against the Rams, the first-round linebacker backed it up with a busy afternoon against Tennessee. Reese led the Giants with 12 tackles and showed up everywhere - as an off-ball linebacker, as a blitzer, and even on the edge.
He brought the kind of twitch and speed Giants fans got used to seeing from him at Ohio State. On Tennessee’s first series alone, he drove an offensive lineman to the ground in run defense, then pancaked Tyjae Spears on a blitz.
Reese did show a little hesitation when dropping into zone coverage in the middle of the field, but that part of his game looks like it’s improving. His tackle for a loss on a pass to Tony Pollard was one of his best plays of the day.
Sisi Mauigoa turned in the kind of outing offensive line coaches love: quiet in pass protection, noisy in the run game. After a rough showing against the Rams and trouble with Aaron Donald in particular, the rookie right guard bounced back in a big way. He allowed zero pressures, hurries, or sacks against the Titans, and the Giants’ passing issues weren’t on him.
Where Mauigoa really made his mark was in the trenches. His power showed up repeatedly as he helped move the line of scrimmage, whether on iso blocks, double-teams, or duo blocks. It’s early, but he’s adjusted well to life at guard, and well enough that the Giants may already be thinking about making that spot his permanent home.
Colton Hood’s afternoon was more uneven. With Deonte Banks still working back from the calf injury he suffered in Week 1, Hood made his second start and showed both why the Giants like his tools and why he’s still a work in progress. He also dealt with his own calf issue late in the game, leaving in the fourth quarter before returning, though he didn’t seem to have the same burst afterward.
Hood started well enough, staying in phase in man coverage and handling his assignments in zone. But the Titans began going after him in the second half, especially when he was playing off coverage.
They found a cushion they could attack and used it for easy completions. Hood had trouble driving on the ball from off coverage, whether that was because of the calf, the field conditions, or both.
Malachi Fields wasn’t a major part of the Giants’ passing plan, but he still made his presence felt. He was on the field for 47 snaps, including 44 on offense and three on special teams. The Giants leaned on the run, and whether that was because of the weather, a lack of trust in Jameis Winston, or both, Fields still caught both of his targets for 19 yards.
He’s not a natural separator, but he is starting to show a feel for settling into open spaces in zone coverage. His best work continues to come without the ball in his hands.
Fields blocked hard in both the run and passing game, even if the technique isn’t always polished yet. He also lined up mostly outside against Tennessee, working as the X or Flanker rather than serving as the insert blocker role he had against the Dallas Cowboys.
That could have been matchup-based, tied to the absence of Jaxson Dart, or simply part of how the Giants want to use him going forward.
The rookie specialists were just as important. Dominic Zvada and Ben Mann were excellent again, continuing what has been one of the brightest parts of the Giants’ season.
The conditions were miserable, but the operation didn’t look bothered at all. Zvada didn’t have a long field goal to test, but he handled the wind and rain and did his part to limit the Titans’ return game.
The Giants moved the ball well enough to get into scoring range, but their red-zone offense was rough. Zvada made sure that didn’t ruin the day. He drilled four field goals, and while that doesn’t exactly light up a box score, it was enough to help the Giants escape with a win.
In Other News...
Vikings Are Sending A Clear Message On J.J. McCarthy
The Giants are making another quarterback move in the aftermath of Jaxson Dart being ruled out for the rest of the regular season, with New York reportedly sending a 2027 fifth-round pick to Minnesota for J.J. McCarthy. It is a depth-minded trade on the surface, but it also says plenty about how the Giants view the position behind starter Jameis Winston as they try to keep the season afloat.
McCarthy arrives with pedigree as a 2024 first-round pick, even if his first two NFL seasons have been shaped by injury and uneven play. He is also under contract through 2027, with a fifth-year option waiting in 2028, which gives the Giants a longer runway if they decide this is more than a short-term insurance play. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Reached 2-1 But This Win Raised A Bigger Concern
The Giants did enough to leave Tennessee with a 12-7 win and a 2-1 record, but the box score offered a familiar reminder that tidy victories can still carry messy edges. Jevon Hollands critical interception helped steady the defense, Dominic Zvada handled the kicking duties, and there were useful contributions from Najee Harris, Cam Skattebo and Arvell Reese as New York found a way to get out with a road result.
Still, the bigger concern sat in the details. The Giants were flagged 10 times for 88 yards, and those penalties kept interrupting drives and limiting chances to score more comfortably. For a team trying to build momentum early in the season, the win counts, but the discipline issue is the kind of problem that can linger if it is not cleaned up quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Win Sparked An Ugly Reaction Titans Fans Cant Defend
The Giants win over Tennessee did more than add another result to the standings. In the aftermath, the focus shifted away from the field and toward the kind of online behavior that too often follows a rough loss, with Cam Wards sister, Chantel Ward, stepping in to address what the family had been dealing with from angry fans.
Her message drew a line between fair criticism of the game and the personal harassment and threats aimed at family members, making clear that the fallout from a defeat can spill far beyond the locker room. For Giants fans, it was a reminder that every opponents setback can bring an ugly edge into the conversation, and this one left the Ward family trying to absorb more than just a football loss. [Read more 🡒]