The New York Giants opened the John Harbaugh era with a 13-10 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Here are five things we learned.
The expectations are muddying the reality
There's a lot of optimism around the building these days with Harbaugh in tow, and a slew of new faces that fans are hoping will turn this franchise around. Perhaps there's too much optimism. The Giants played a flat game on Saturday that had few high points.
There's a reason for that. Fans are expecting more this year, and the Giants played mostly players who will not be on the 53-man roster come August 31. On offense, they were without top wide receiver Malik Nabers, their two top centers, and left tackle Andrew Thomas. Plus, third-string quarterback Brandon Allen played a good
portion of the game and struggled, tossing two picks.
On defense, top sacker Brian Burns, inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and two-thirds of their starting defensive line (Shelby Harris, D.J. Reader) watched from the sidelines. Add in the fact that four-fifths of their starting secondary -- Paulson Adebo, Greg Newsome II, Dru Phillips, and Jevon Holland -- also didn't play, and you can see why the defense looked sluggish at times.
Calm down. It's mad early.
Malachi Fields looks like, well, a starter
The Giants were in the market for a wideout to line up across from Nabers. They brought in a group of free agents and drafted Fields with the hope someone would emerge. That hope has been realized. Fields caught all three of his targets, one for a touchdown and the other two for first downs.
The 6-foot-4 rookie is not just a mismatch player, either. He can run sharp routes and get separation line up both inside and on the perimeter. Fingers crossed here that what we saw on Saturday was just the tip of the iceberg.
The secondary has a different look
We already told you the secondary was without four starters in this game, so it was left to the backups to make things work. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson is emphasizing a more physical style with heavy press coverage.
The group got nailed for several penalties, a few of which were very questionable, and got crossed up in coverage in some short-yardage situations. Granted, Justin Jefferson did not play, but overall, I was pleased with the look of this group. Keep in mind, many of them won't be here in two weeks.
I would rather see the corners challenge receivers than allow them to run unfettered downfield. I'm most encouraged by Deonte Banks, who is completely engaged and has bought into his renewed opportunity.
When the starters get out there and things still look dicey, I'll start to worry a bit.
Who is this Jack Kelly guy?
Somebody wearing a No. 51 Giants jersey was doing a Luke Kuechly impersonation on Saturday. It was rookie Jack Kelly, a sixth-round pick out of BYU, who we heard was a possible steal.
Now we know. This kid was all over the field, making plays and doing so with authority. How he lasted until the sixth round is a mystery. That's not the Giants' problem. He's here, and his presence can't be missed.
Kelly led the Giants in tackles in this game, and if things break right, it won't be the last time that happens.
Kicking situation still unclear
Ben Sauls got all the work on Saturday, hitting a 46-yard field goal and an extra point. His kickoffs were spot on, too. The Vikings started drives on their 29 and 25 after Sauls' two kickoffs.
Rookie Dominic Zvada watched from the sidelines. There was a chance late in the game where Harbaugh could have tried a 62-yarder to tie the game, but chose to punt instead.
We're assuming Zvada will get his opportunity next week in Miami.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What we learned from New York Giants' 13-10 loss to Minnesota Vikings
