AT A GLANCE

The New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs entered Sunday night each looking for their first win of the season. The latter pulled away in the second half for a 22-9 victory at MetLife Stadium.

UP NEXT

After they opened the season with back-to-back road games in the NFC East, the Giants (0-3) will finish the second leg of consecutive interconference matchups with a visit from the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. The Chargers, who beat the Chiefs in Week 1, are 3-0 after defeating the Broncos on Sunday.

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE OFFENSE

Andrew Thomas, the Giants' standout left tackle, suited up – and started – for the first time since he suffered a season-ending foot injury on Oct. 13, 2024. Thomas continued to do more in practice each week but was ultimately ruled out for the first two games of the season. This week, Thomas practiced three days in a row for the first time in his rehab and was listed as questionable on the final injury report.

"If I'm speaking as a competitor, I wanted to be out there for Week 1," Thomas said Friday. "But the best thing for the team and for myself is for me to be 100 percent out there. I think I can help the team out when I'm at my best, so I'm trying to get back to that."

With Thomas back in the lineup, the rest of the unit remained the same with left guard Jon Runyan, center John Michael Schmitz, right guard Greg Van Roten and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor.

The game began with a curveball. Shortly before the opening kickoff, the Giants announced that kicker Graham Gano (groin) was questionable to play. The veteran kicker had not been on the injury report previous to then.

"Graham got hurt during the defensive introductions before the game," coach Brian Daboll said in his postgame press conference. "He was out there kicking and got a groin so he couldn't go first half. Then he said he can kick from a certain distance in the second half."

The Giants received the opening kickoff and started with a heavy dose of Tyrone Tracy Jr. The second-year running back touched the ball on the first five plays from scrimmage (four carries and one reception) before Cam Skattebo broke an 11-yard run. However, the drive stalled when the Giants, with punter Jamie Gillan warming up on the kicking net instead of Gano, kept the offense on the field for fourth-and-three at the Chiefs 28. Russell Wilson dropped back to pass, but it was batted down near the line of scrimmage by linebacker Nick Bolton for a turnover on downs.

Tracy suffered a shoulder with 1:34 left in the first quarter and was originally listed as questionable to return. He was later downgraded to out for the remainder of the game.

Wilson entered Week 3 with a league-high eight completions of 25+ yards. He was looking for another when he launched a pass to wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, who had a career day in Dallas in Week 2, but it was intercepted by cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace and returned 23 yards back the other way. The ensuing possession ended in a missed 40-yard field goal attempt (wide right) by Harrison Butker. The Giants got the ball back and Skattebo found the end zone for the second consecutive week on a 13-yard run with 1:44 left in the second quarter.

Skattebo led the Giants in both rushing attempts (10 for 60 yards) and catches (six for 61 yards).

For the game, Wilson completed 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards and two interceptions.

Marcus Mbow, a rookie fifth-round pick who played extensively in Week 2 after replacing James Hudson III at left tackle, entered the game for Thomas late in the second quarter. Wilson threw an interception with 49 seconds left in the first half while looking to find wide receiver Malik Nabers in the end zone from 22 yards out.

"We were going to give [Thomas] 25 plays and so that's what we gave him," Daboll said. "He came out from what I understand just fine. So that was the next step for the ramp-up for him. Hopefully we'll be able to get more this upcoming week."

Nabers, who had nine catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns a week ago, did not have a reception until catching a four-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. On the next play, Wilson looked for Nabers again 50 yards downfield, but the Pro Bowl receiver collided with two Chiefs defensive backs, Bryan Cook and Nohl Williams, in the end zone and was slow to get up after the pass fell incomplete.

Nabers finished the game with two catches for 13 yards on seven targets.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart made his second NFL appearance, entering for Wilson midway through the third quarter with the Giants trailing 16-6. With the ball on the Giants 46, the 25^th overall pick dropped back to pass but scrambled for three yards. Wilson reentered the game on the next play.

In the fourth quarter, with the Giants still trailing by 10 points, Dart came back in for a second-and-three at the Chiefs 21 with 12 minutes. He handed the ball off to Skattebo, who rushed for nine yards and a first down. He stayed in again and handed off to Skattebo again for three yards, then Wilson came back in.

The Giants converted just one third down on 10 attempts and totaled 281 yards one week after a 506-yard, 37-point outburst in Dallas.

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE DEFENSE

Already down Micah McFadden, a starter who suffered a foot injury in Week 1 and was placed on inured reserve, the Giants played without two more inside linebackers on Sunday night in Darius Muasau (concussion/eye) and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf).

Rookie Abdul Carter stepped in to play off-ball linebacker, something he did extensively in college before moving to the edge. The third overall pick had four tackles (three solo), including one for loss, and a quarterback hit.

Outside linebacker Brian Burns continued his torrid start to the season, racking up his fourth sack in three games. Burns, voted a team captain for the first time with the Giants, finished with six tackles (five solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, two passes defensed and two quarterback hits.

The Chiefs regained the lead on a short field as time expired in the first half. The final sequence of the drive included a near-interception by cornerback Paulson Adebo on a deep attempt by Patrick Mahomes, known for his ability to create loose plays. Cornerback Dru Phillips was penalized on the next two plays – illegal contact and then a 53-yard pass interference – to set up a 28-yard attempt by Butker.

Rookie defensive lineman Darius Alexander, a third-round pick out of Toledo, saw his most extensive action yet and recorded two tackles. After not playing in the season opener, Alexander played 15 defensive snaps last week.

Kansas City converted eight of its 14 third downs, including a pivotal third-and-six play midway through the fourth quarter. After the Giants had cut the deficit to seven points and with the Chiefs at their own 27, Mahomes found wide receiver Tyquan Thornton for a 21-yard gain. The duo hooked up again later in the drive on third-and-10, this time Mahomes hitting him for 33 yards down to the goal line. Kareem Hunt then punched it into the end zone for a 22-9 lead with 6:03 left in the game.

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT SPECIAL TEAMS

The Giants were in a similar kicking situation in Week 2 of last season at Washington, where Gano suffered an injury to his right hamstring while chasing Austin Ekeler on the opening kickoff and did not return. After Gillan missed the first extra point attempt, the Giants did not attempt another PAT or a field goal in that game.

On Sunday night, the left-footed Gillan had his first extra point attempt blocked by defensive end Ashton Gillotte after Skattebo's touchdown run. Special teams ace Gunner Olszewski assumed holding duties for Gillan, the usual holder for Gano.

The Giants did not attempt another field goal or PAT until 10:12 left in the fourth quarter, when Gano made his first appearance of the game and made a 25-yard field goal to cut the deficit to seven points at the time.

Running back Devin Singletary became the fourth different Giant to return a kickoff this season. He had five attempts for 134 yards (26.8-yard average). Under the new rules, the kickoff return rate in Weeks 1 and 2 more than doubled the rate from the same timeframe a year ago.

IN-GAME INJURY REPORT

KC: S Bryan Cook (neck)

NYG: K Graham Gano (groin), RB Tyrone Tracy Jr. (shoulder)

INACTIVES

KC: WR Xavier Worthy (shoulder), CB Kristian Fulton (ankle), TE Jared Wiley, RB Elijah Mitchell, DE Michael Danna (quad), C Hunter Nourzad

NYG: LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf), LB Darius Muasau (concussion/eye), DL Chauncey Golston (ankle), OL Evan Neal, TE Thomas Fidone II, DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr. (foot), QB Jameis Winston (3rd QB)

WEEKEND ROSTER MOVES

KC: CB Kevin Knowles (activated from practice squad)

NYG: OLB Tomon Fox (signed to active roster from NYG practice squad), DL Elijah Garcia (activated from practice squad), LB Neville Hewitt (activated from practice squad), WR Xavier Gipson (waived)