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New York Giants tight end Darren Waller was dealing with a hamstring injury leading to their 2023 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. While hamstring injuries are tricky, he was never in danger of sitting out the Week 1 encounter.
He was listed as questionable during their Friday practice sessions before the game. That status, at least, indicated that he is ready to go despite not feeling 100 percent physically.
But while Waller played against Dallas, his New York debut ended in disappointment as the Cowboys dominated in all three phases of the game. As a consolation, he didn’t seem to aggravate his existing injury.
For Now, Darren Waller is Healthy for Week 2
Waller led the Giants with 36 receiving yards on three catches. That’s one of the scarce bright spots for New York’s NFC team after their division rivals humiliated them.
The Cowboys tallied seven sacks on Daniel Jones, courtesy of Dorance Armstrong, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Micah Parsons. DaRon Bland also returned an interception for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense scored 18 points thanks to a touchdown run by KaVontae Turpin and two rushing scores from Tony Pollard.
Finally, Dallas’ special teams came up big with a touchdown by Noah Igbinoghene off a blocked field goal and two field goal conversions from Brandon Aubrey.
As for the Giants, there isn’t much to talk about except that they were demolished at home. Aside from Bland’s touchdown, Daniel Jones threw one more interception to Stephon Gilmore. He finished with 104 passing yards, while Saquon Barkley had 51 rushing yards.
But as a minor piece of good news for the Giants, they have 16 games left, giving them more opportunities to bounce back. However, they can’t expect to win in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals with the same effort.
Waller could have a better outing against the Cardinals because the Jonathan Gannon-coached squad surrendered the second-most fantasy points (185.22) to tight ends last season. Therefore, put him on your starting roster if he’s healthy. After all, he did score a touchdown against the Cardinals while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.
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