Giants Q&A: Where was Kenny Golladay against Panthers?

Whose turn was it to sit out on the Giants’ wide receiver carousel  on Sunday?

The highest-paid of them all, Kenny Golladay. The team’s $13 million base-salaried target played only two offensive snaps and already had vacated the locker room before members of the media were allowed in after the 19-16 win over the Panthers. Who needs to stick around and shower after not playing when the longest run of the day was coming through the tunnel during player introductions? But coach Brian Daboll insisted Golladay was “a pro” about his lack of involvement in the game plan.

“I told him during the week that we were going to go with [David] Sills,” Daboll said. “He acted like a pro. I said, ‘Be ready to go.’ Now, does that mean it’s going to be that next week? No, because you see what we did from one week to the next. We’re just evaluating all those guys on a game-by-game basis. I think it takes a lot of mental toughness, too. That’s not an easy thing to hear, and I appreciate them being pros.”

How did last week’s odd man out perform this week?

Kadarius Toney was more involved this week but actually was less productive. He caught two passes for a net of zero yards and also dropped a pass.

"I'm always open to doing what I can to be the best player I can be," he said.

If Golladay and Toney aren’t doing much of anything, who is?

Sterling Shepard was targeted a team-high 10 times on Sunday and caught six of those passes for 34 yards. Most of the other routes were run by Sills and Richie James.

"Man, it’s really great," Toney said of James, Sills and even tight end Tanner Hudson making contributions. "The more of us that can make plays, the better it is, the harder it is for a defense to stop us."

What happened to Leonard Williams?

The defensive lineman left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury but was in very good spirits in the postgame locker room. He’ll certainly undergo tests to determine how severe the injury is — Daboll said he did not know for sure after the game — but initial impressions were that he avoided a long-term injury. Still, Williams’ streak of 114 straight games played without missing one for injury could be in jeopardy when the Giants play the Cowboys a week from Monday.

What’s gotten into Oshane Ximines?

The outside linebacker, who spent most of the second half of last season as a healthy scratch after a bad penalty that turned the game against Kansas City, started for the second week in a row and came up with his first sack since his rookie season in 2019.

“I don’t know where he was last year. I just know where he is this year,” Daboll said. “I think he has talent. I think Wink [Martindale, the defensive coordinator] is getting talent out of him.”

When Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari return from their preseason injuries — perhaps on Monday — Ximines’ playing time figures to take a hit.

“While they’re out, I’m going to do everything I can to help the team win,” Ximines said.

Who signaled for Daniel Bellinger’s first career touchdown?

He did. When the rookie tight end dived for the pylon on his 16-yard reception from Daniel Jones, he got up and expected to see the officials with their hands in the air, but none could be found. So he just raised his arms and signaled it himself. Eventually the stripes caught up and made it a legitimate touchdown catch-and-run.

Bellinger had the football in his locker after the game. He wasn’t sure what his long-term plans for it will be, adding: “But I’ll tell you what, I’m keeping it close to me tonight.” 

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.