Story by
Giants Three Up, Three Down: Malachi Fields Breaks Out Heading Into Bye
- Story by
- Giants Three Up, Three Down: Malachi Fields Breaks Out Heading Into Bye
The New York Giants rolled into their Week 8 bye with an emotional 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The Giants are 4-2-1 and atop the NFC East. The vibes are mostly good, but here are three up, three down for Big Blue going into their bye.
Advertisement
Three Up for the Giants
Deonte Banks, cornerback
Banks is at the height of his powers in a Giants uniform. The 2023 first-round pick had a lockdown performance against two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins, limiting him to two catches for 6 yards.
Banks and counterpart Paulson Adebo helped hold Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud to 153 passing yards, an especially impressive performance since the Giants were without cornerback Greg Newsome II due to a concussion.
Advertisement
Banks is making a case as the Giants' top cornerback. He has the No. 21 pass-coverage grade among 103 qualifying cornerbacks, per PFF.
Francis Mauigoa, right guard
The Giants gave up three sacks Sunday, but Mauigoa had his second straight bounce-back performance. He played all 66 offensive snaps and posted a pass-blocking grade of 87.8, per PFF, while allowing only one pressure.
Malachi Fields, wide receiver
Fields had his best game as a pro while playing with new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He had five catches for 83 yards and is becoming a bona fide threat who can complement both No. 1 wideout Malik Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely.
Advertisement
Fields had the Giants' best offensive game grade (89.3) of any Giants player from PFF, while going against the two-headed DBs monster of Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter.
Three Down for the Giants
Dominic Zvada, kicker
Giants coach John Harbaugh swears he has confidence in the rookie undrafted free agent from Michigan. But Zvada's 4-of-9 field goals slump is more than a little worrying for Giants fans who remember how the kicking game failed them in 2025.
Advertisement
Darnell Mooney, wide receiver
Mooney was supposed to be a dual-threat receiver who could both catch passes and run the ball. But Mooney has been a non-factor, even while the rest of the offense hummed with McCarthy on Sunday.
Mooney has just 145 all-purpose yards this season and is fifth on the team in receptions (9), behind Nabers, Fields, Likely and running back Cam Skattebo. Despite running 185 routes, Mooney has the second-worst PFF grade (51.1) among 80 qualifying wide receivers this season.
Advertisement
Tyler Nubin, safety
The Giants' shorthanded secondary had a phenomenal game in Houston. But Nubin, who was on the injury report all week with a neck injury, played only one defensive snap despite being active. He had two tackles on nine special-teams snaps.
Jason Pinnock and Ar'Darius Washington started and combined to miss just one of the Giants' 61 defensive snaps. It's fair to wonder if that was injury-related or if Nubin is losing a handle on his starting role, since he has the 87th-best PFF grade (46.3) among 94 qualifying safeties this season.
This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
