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Fact or Fiction: Top plays & performances from first half

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The Giants.com crew is presented with four statements and must decide whether they are Fact or Fiction.

Cornerback Deonte Banks' 98-yard pick-six is the best play of the Giants' season so far.

John Schmeelk: Fiction - The Banks interception clinched the win for the Giants, but it wasn't the best play of the season. Strictly in terms of degree of difficulty, there were other plays that were more impressive. This may be recency bias, but I am going to land on the J.J. McCarthy throw to Malik Nabers at the end of the first half against the Texans. The Giants failed to score on the drive so the impact was not high, but the degree of difficulty on the throw was off the charts. McCarthy put the ball exactly where he needed to for the completion. It was an absolute laser put in the perfect place to set up an end-of-half field goal. My runner up is Jevón Holland's interception against the Rams, ranging all the way from his centerfield position for the pick on a Matthew Stafford pass intended for Davante Adams.

Dan Salomone: Fact – Deonte Banks has been a major story in a Giants season full of storylines. That play defined the resilient nature of the Giants and Banks himself. His 98-yard interception return was the league's second-longest touchdown with no time left on the clock since the 1970 merger, according to Stats Perform. Safety Brock Marion had a 100-yard interception return to end a game on Jan. 6, 2002, but his Dolphins were already leading the Bills by 20 points.

Matt Citak: Fact – The Giants have made some big plays on both sides of the ball this season, but none bigger than Banks' game-sealing pick-six. It came on the fourth play of a goal line stand, with Banks making a strong play to break up the pass on third down, as well. While he could have slid after intercepting the pass with the game already over, the fourth-year corner running it all the way back for a touchdown gave the fans at MetLife Stadium a a moment to remember. Not only did it help win the game for the Giants, but that play also seems to have sparked some really strong play out of Banks, who is in the midst of his best NFL season.

Wide receiver Malik Nabers has been the Giants' most impressive offensive player.

John Schmeelk: Fact - Malik Nabers has four straight weeks of at least 100 yards receiving.  During those four weeks, he is averaging over 14 yards per reception and has 8 catches of 25 yards or more. He is consistently winning against one-on-one coverage, either by creating separation or making contested catches. Each week that goes by, he is getting more dangerous running after the catch. He is the player every team circles when they gameplan leading up to gameday, and I don't see that changing.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – John Harbaugh didn't just sense that Isaiah Likely always wanted more in Baltimore. "Sense it? He told me every day," Harbaugh said earlier this month with a laugh. "Every day he told me." Likely proved himself right and could break, if not shatter, every franchise record for a tight end in a season. On top of that, you can't overstate what he and other former Ravens players (and coaches) have brought to the Giants in terms of instilling the culture.

Matt Citak: Fiction – Through seven weeks, Nabers has proven that despite last year's injury, he is still one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. But we already knew that. Instead, I'm going with Jermaine Eluemunor as the Giants' most impressive offensive player thus far. Eluemunor has been one of the league's top offensive tackles in pass protection this season, and he has done it while playing on an island at one of the highest rates. His performance this past weekend was the icing on the cake, as he came back from a calf injury to shut down Will Anderson Jr., who leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.

Relive the best moments from the first half of the Giants' 2026 season.

Safety Jevón Holland has been the Giants' most impressive defensive player.

John Schmeelk: Fact - In only six games this season, Holland has three interceptions, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. He has been around the football consistently and has taken it away in critical situations to help the Giants win games. There is a reason he was the Defensive Player of the Month in September. It's hard to argue anyone else has been more impressive, but I'll give an honorable mention to linebacker Arvell Reese and pass rusher Abdul Carter as runner-ups.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – There are too many worthy candidates, but if you had to single out one, how about the rookie linebacker from Ohio State? Players like Arvell Reese don't come along often, and he's only seven games into his career.

"I mean, that play he made the other day where he should have had the sack on (Houston Texans quarterback) C.J. (Stroud) and then turns around and hauls tail all the way down the field and puts the guy flat on his back while punching for the ball," general manager Joe Schoen said. "I mean, you don't see many people with his size that can move like that. And then just, that's internal. That's just want-to. To go towards the quarterback and then turn and run, you can't coach that. You either got that or you don't. And his effort and the way he plays and flies around, I mean, you see him on film, he's moving at a different speed than everybody else. And he's just so big and fast and violent. So, we're ecstatic to have him. We're excited to see what the future holds. He still has upside, still has stuff that he needs to work on and will continue to, but I've been really pleased with Arvell and the entire draft class in general."

Matt Citak: Fiction – Despite his low sack numbers, Abdul Carter has been an absolute force in the pass rush. Through seven games, he is one of PFF's highest-ranked edge rushers. Arvell Reese has been outstanding to start his NFL career and seems to continue to get better each and every week. Meanwhile, Deonte Banks is having quite the comeback season and is fresh off a performance where he shut down Nico Collins. But I have to go with DJ Reader here. He has played some of the best football of his career through seven weeks. Speaking of PFF, the analytics site has Reader as their highest-ranked interior defensive lineman this season.

The player you're most interested to see develop in the second half of the season is wide receiver Malachi Fields.

John Schmeelk: Fact - I want to see the continued development of Fields, especially coming off the best game of his career against the Texans when he caught four passes for 83 yards. J.J. McCarthy seems to like throwing him the football, with 13 targets over the last two weeks. He can develop into the perfect type of X-receiver to play alongside Nabers.

Dan Salomone: Fiction – It's the quarterback. No, not the one who won the opener. No, not the one after him who posted a 2-1-1 record after the first one was injured. Yes, the third one who won his first start less than a month after being traded from Minnesota. The Giants will begin their playoff push in Philadelphia on Nov. 8 with J.J. McCarthy at quarterback.

Matt Citak: Fact – Through the first six games of his NFL career, Fields has been very consistent. The rookie wideout caught two passes in each outing from Weeks 1-6, with his best performance coming in Week 4 when he gained 52 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown. But we saw Fields do a little more this past weekend against the Texans, as he set new career highs with four receptions for 83 yards. With Nabers playing at the level that he is, Fields should get plenty of one-on-one opportunities on the other side of the field over the final 10 games of the season. The 23-year-old is just scratching the surface of his potential and could be in store for a big second half.

View the best photos of the New York Giants' 2026 rookie class.

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