Giants Q&A: Davis Webb's TD run had to feel great, right?

Did Davis Webb enjoy trucking an Eagles defender for his first NFL touchdown?

Yup!

Webb has spent most of the season as the Giants’ practice squad quarterback. On Sunday, he stepped into the starring role, earning his first career start in six NFL seasons in a 22-16 loss to the Eagles.

After the game, in which he ran 14 yards for the Giants’ first touchdown with 10:04 to play — running over Eagles safety Reed Blankenship in the process — Webb was grateful. “Very exciting,” he said.

Asked if “trucking the defender” at the goal line to score represented five years of waiting for his opportunity, Webb smiled. “Spot on,” he said.

Webb began his comments to the media by thanking his teammates, beginning with the offensive line.

He also said quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor had been helpful during the week of preparation and throughout the game.

“I thank Tyrod and Daniel, too,” he said. “They supported me all week, helped a lot on the sideline. It was a battle. They’re a really good team. I didn’t play well enough for us to win.”

Coach Brian Daboll declined to explain why he went with Webb over Taylor, who is Jones’ primary backup, for the regular-season finale.  

How did a mid-week conversation lead to Kenny Golladay’s first Giants touchdown?

Golladay said his first touchdown in two years as a Giant was “a long time coming.”

Golladay scored on a dart from Webb with 1:43 left to play.

“It felt good to make a play for Webb,” he said. “I think this is his first start, so it felt good [to help] him to get a touchdown.”

Asked if he kept the ball, Gollday shook his head. “No, I’ve scored enough,” he said. “I don’t keep the balls that much no more.”

Webb promised Golladay in the week leading up to the game that he would give him an assist and get him a touchdown. It turned out to be a slam dunk. Golladay made the play in the end zone on a contested ball.

“Let’s just put it this way: I wasn’t surprised,” Golladay said, referring to his mid-week conversation with Webb. “Like I said, it felt good to get that first touchdown. I’ll just leave it at that. It felt good to get it.”  

Did the Eagles and Giants recognize injured Bills safety Damar Hamlin?

Yup. So did some fans, who held up signs in support of Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest last Monday in Cincinnati.

Among other things, the “3s” marking the 30-yard lines were outlined in blue, a nod to Hamlin’s uniform number and the Bills’ primary color.

Daboll, a former Bills assistant, wore a sweatshirt that read “LOVE FOR DAMAR” surrounding Hamlin’s No. 3. So did his staff.  

How did Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts do in his return?

After missing two games — both Eagles losses — with a strained shoulder, the MVP candidate was back as the Eagles clinched the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and a first-round bye.

But his numbers were pedestrian. He was 20-for-35 passing for 229 yards and an interception and ran nine times for 13 yards.  

What was up with that fake field goal by the Giants?

Not much. With Graham Gano lined up for a 47-yard attempt in the first quarter, holder Jamie Gillan pulled the ball away from Gano and looked for tight end Nick Vannett, but he was covered. Gillan was taken down for an 11-yard loss.

The Giants were not through with special teams risk-taking. They opened the second half with an unsuccessful onside kick. “Tried a few plays to get us going there, the fake field goal and the onside kick, just to try to generate some offense,” Daboll said.  

Are the Giants concerned about the noisy environment at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis?

Not guard/center Nick Gates.

“I was surprised, actually,” he said, referring to the Giants’ 27-24 loss there on Dec. 24. “I thought it would be a lot louder, especially when our offense was out there, that they’d be a lot louder.

“But they’re Midwest people, so they’re too nice. Hey, I can say that. I went to Nebraska. I include myself in that one.”