Giants' balanced receiving corps could be key in wild-card matchup vs. Vikings
Giants wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins catches a pass ahead of Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson during the first half of an NFL game Dec. 24 in Minneapolis. Credit: AP/Abbie Parr
In August, Darius Slayton was no lock to make the team.
In August, Richie James was seen as a special-teams player.
In August, Isaiah Hodgins was a Buffalo Bill.
Meet — not for the first time, of course — the core of the Giants’ receiving corps.
The guys, including Saquon Barkley and tight end Daniel Bellinger, whom quarterback Daniel Jones has targeted most this season.
They aren’t incidental to how this Giants season has gone, nor will they be incidental when Sunday’s wild-card playoff game kicks off in Minnesota.
None of the five caught more than 57 passes this season. None of the five caught fewer than 30.
“A couple months ago, I was on the active roster and I got cut [by the Bills], and that day I was just sitting there wondering where my future was going to be,” Hodgins said.
Hodgins has been a revelation as a Giant, and it will be a surprise if they don’t sign him to a long-term contract.
First, there is a postseason game to play.
“I took advantage of the opportunities, and now I’m playing in a playoff game,” Hodgins said. “I feel blessed and just humbled to be here, and just excited to showcase what I’ve got.”
Three weeks ago against the Vikings, the Giants weren’t afraid to “showcase” what they had.
They were not afraid to throw the ball in the first meeting, with James and Hodgins totaling 16 receptions for 179 yards.
On a crucial throw with 11:50 to play, Jones targeted Hodgins only to have Vikings all-everything cornerback Patrick Peterson undercut the route and make the interception.
That play represents one of the experiences that could help the Giants in Sunday’s game.
That play also illustrates that the Giants took a bold approach against Peterson. That chess match will be interesting on Sunday and could decide the game.
The Giants were pass-happy in the first game between these teams, throwing the ball 42 times. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka offered little about strategy on Thursday.
“Those guys put a lot of time in studying and prepping themselves, getting on the same page with the quarterback room,” he said. “I think [wide receivers coach Mike] Groh has done a great job of getting those guys together as well, coaching the fundamentals and the techniques that we stress.”
If the receivers do feel slighted, Kafka seems to understand.
“When you’re playing football, you want to play with emotion and you want to play with a certain attitude,” he said. “I think those guys bring it, they bring it to practice every day and they’ve been bringing it all season long.”
It may be no exaggeration to say that the receivers may hold the key to the Giants’ fate on Sunday. Can they win a 50-50 ball versus Peterson? Can they make a high-leverage catch? Can they pull a David Tyree with an assist from their helmets?
There is, of course, a bit of a mystery to all of this talk about the Giants’ receivers.
Where is Kenny Golladay?
He caught a pass against the Eagles last week, a give-my-receiver-a-chance ball against Eagles cornerback Darius Slay that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown in what was a meaningless game for the Giants.
Asked about Golladay this week, coach Brian Daboll was noncommittal at best. It would be shocking if he has a role come Sunday. So much for that $28 million guaranteed.
Someday there will be valid questions asked about that situation. What happened? Or what didn’t happen?
That time is not now.
These Giants have a postseason game to play Sunday. With the receivers who got them there and, perhaps, will help deliver a win.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
