Giants Q&A: Did the air quality play a factor during game?

Did the air quality affect the players?

The Giants said no, even though at kickoff the air quality index was at 161, which the EPA considers “unhealthy,” and got worse throughout the contest. It was a level at which the EPA recommends people “reduce prolonged or heavy exertion.” Smoke from the devastating Camp Wildfire in Northern California blanketed the Bay Area since last week. Many players said they could smell the smoke, but very few had any difficulty breathing during the game. A coughing Odell Beckham Jr. was one of the few who publicly showed signs from the thick air.

“Coming here, we knew that was the narrative,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur said of the breathing conditions. “I told the players [Sunday] night, ‘Don’t worry about it…Go play football. Something is going to kill you before that air does. Don’t worry about it. It’s stuff you can’t control.’ They did a good job.”

It seemed as if the Giants made a concerted effort to run the ball?

Yes. Saquon Barkley had a season-high 20 carries for 67 yards. It was one of the parts of the game the Giants dissected during their bye and wanted to emphasize. “We’re going to give him his opportunities and his touches,” Shurmur said.

Who was the Giants' new kickoff returner?

That was former Browns first-round pick Corey Coleman, who had a number of exciting returns – two of them negated by penalties – but one for 51 yards to the 49ers’ 47 that helped set up the Giants’ second touchdown that made the score 20-17 in the third quarter. “He’s got a chance to take it the distance and we’re glad to get him going,” Shurmur said.

Coleman also caught his first pass as a Giant, for 11 yards.

Who were the key contributors to the Giants’ game-winning drive?

Players who were relatively quiet for most of the game before that. Sterling Shepard caught the game-winning touchdown but had one other catch before that. Evan Engram had a 31-yard catch and run down the sideline to spark the drive, one of three receptions on the possession. Before that, he had just one catch. And Barkley brought the Giants to the doorstep of the goal line with a 23-yard catch and run, jumping over a defender and out of bounds “just for fun,” as Beckham put it. Barkley caught just two passes before that last drive.

It was, in other words, exactly what the Giants offense is supposed to look like at all times: Diverse and dynamic.

“We have a lot of different weapons,” Shepard said. “Whenever guys are called upon, they’re going to make good plays.”

Beckham said he always excels around his birthday. He turned 26 last Monday. How did he do in this game?

He caught four passes for 73 yards, two of them for touchdowns. “I’m not disappointed or upset, but I am a little,” Beckham said. “There were some plays I felt like I left out there. But most importantly we come out with a win.”

How open was Beckham on his first touchdown?

“I was kind of standing back there [in the end zone] hoping Eli saw me,” Beckham said. “I felt like the last kid at recess waiting to get picked. And he saw me and threw a strike...But I’m going to go back and watch the film and I feel like there is so much stuff I left out there.”

Such as?

Well, a drop on the first pass of the game. And a slip at the top of his route on what could have been another touchdown. But the one that will undoubtedly sting the most upon review was the third-and-goal play from the 3 in the second quarter when the Giants had to settle for a field goal. Beckham was uncovered by any defender in the slot to the left but the Giants stuck with a running play that was stuffed for a 1-yard gain.

“I wanted it, but it just wasn’t in the books,” Beckham said. “I thought it was a joke at first. I felt like nobody was over me and I was just looking around.”

Beckham did not want to draw Manning’s attention to the situation because that would also alert the defense. Instead he tried to make eye contact with the quarterback, but they did not connect on the same wavelength. “It’s a tough situation,” he said. 

Any injuries?

Nope. And that’s big, especially at this time of the year.

“We had all healthy scratches, so we’re as healthy as can be,” Shurmur said. “We didn’t have any injuries to speak of, which is good.”

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

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.