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 The New York Giants are a quarter of the way through the 2018 regular season already. While the 1-3 record is a bit of a disappointment White Michael Strahan Jerseys , there’s been some optimism around the rookie class. With that in mind, we can take a look at how each of the Giants’ rookies have performed through the first four weeks of the season.Saquon BarkleySo far the second overall pick has been as advertised. Barkley has been able to break a big play, but the Giants also have the fourth-highest rate of runs that have gained negative yards. He’s fifth in the league in touches and seventh in yards from scrimmage.Barkley is second in Football Outsiders’ rushing DYAR and sixth in DVOA, while the Giants’ offensive line ranks 31st in adjusted line yards and averages just 2.0 rushing yards before contact. His standard success rate, which uses the percentage of yards needed that were gained, is 43 percent per Football Outsiders, which ranks 23rd among 38 running backs with at least 32 carries. Barkley’s success rate by EPA — the percentage of runs that have positive expected points added — is just 35.6 percent.Through four weeks, the repeated sentiment from the offseason has held true — Barkley has been excellent, but it doesn’t matter without other pieces of a functional offense. He has at least 100 yards from scrimmage in all four games this season, but those yards haven’t been able to spark the offense single-handedly. Barkley’s win probability added totals negative-8.6 percent on running plays and just 3.9 percent on passing plays. He’s been worth minus-2.21 expected points added on the ground just 2.0 through the air.One place where Barkley’s usage could continue to improve is how he’s used in the passing game. If he’s used more in the slot or the outside or even just in front of the line of scrimmage, he could be put in more space to do more damage. Over half of Barkley’s targets have come behind the line of scrimmage and 83 percent of his targets have come no further than two yards down the field. That’s fine for a normal running back, but Barkley wasn’t drafted to be a normal running back. Instead of running the ball with Barkley on first down, throw it to him.These issues aren’t the fault of Barkley, but they come with trying to get the most efficient use out of a running back picked second overall.Will HernandezHernandez has gotten better each week. He was at fault for some of the pressures against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, but that could be said of all five offensive linemen who played in that game. Hernandez was expected to be a force in the run game, and that’s come already. Per Sharp Football Stats, Barkley’s highest success rate has come running behind the left guard.source: Sharp Football StatsThis holds up by EPA, too. Among the run gaps, Barkley only has positive EPA behind the right and left guards. But he’s been much better behind the left guard — eight carries, 6.1 EPA (0.76 average), and 62.5 percent success rate — than right guard — 10 carries, 1.17 EPA (0.12 average), and 40 percent success rate.But where he’s really developed is in the passing game, a welcome addition to a line that desperately needed it. Hernandez has been able to use his strength to keep defenders away from the quarterback, but his situational awareness has also been an important factor to his early success. He never looks lost on a play, again a welcome trait along this line.Take this play here against the Saints this past week. There’s pre-snap communication between Manning, Hernandez, center John Greco, and left tackle Nate Solder. They recognize a blitz is probably coming from No. 24 and they adjust the protection for it. At the snap, Hernandez kicked to his left — where two rushers are likely to come from, and they do — but he also prepared himself to adjust in case the defensive tackle to his right came at him. Still, he was able to take the defensive end who looped to him and kept him away from the quarterback.It’s something relatively simple — having clear communication and knowing the assignment — but there’s a low bar to be judged against for this offensive line. Though even without grading on a curve, Hernandez has continued to be excellent. Lorenzo CarterLorenzo Carter has been given a bigger role than previously expected because of the injury to Olivier Vernon through the first four weeks of the season. Carter has played 40.6 percent of the defensive snaps as the No. 3 edge rusher behind Kareem Martin and Connor Barwin.Carter has always been a good athlete — he had the No. 2 speed score and was No. 1 in SPARQ among this year’s class of edge rushers — but he hasn’t always been able to translate that athleticism into production. That was the case in college when he had just 14.5 sacks in four years and it still remains something to work on in the NFL.At Georgia, Carter had a role that was more of a traditional linebacker who could rush the passer. But so far with the Giants, Carter has transitioned to full-time edge rusher — he has just three snaps in coverage against the pass this season. When Carter can use his speed, good things can happen.Against the Houston Texans, Carter had a pressure by lining up in a wide-9 technique, running full speed at right tackle Julie’n Davenport and flushing Dashaun Waston out of the pocket.He got his lone sack of the season by fighting Davenport to the outside, then beating him around the edge.But there are still times when he doesn’t really have a move and can easily be stopped by an opposing tackle like he was in many cases against the New Orleans— here against Ryan Ramczyk.Carter is second on the team with three quarterback hits and he’s already matched his four-year college total with one pass breakup. He wasn’t supposed to get this much time on the field this early and we’ll see how or if his role changes with the return of Vernon, but there have been signs of development in this time with room for much more. B.J. HillThroughout training camp, Hill was a breakout star. He was treated as a clear-cut starter in the preseason and played limited snaps. He hasn’t really been given that role in the regular season, though. Through four games, he’s played just 32.8 percent of the defensive snaps.But, Hill has made an impact when he’s on the field. He leads the team with two sacks — one each of the past two weeks — and he’s done it from the interior and the edge. He also moves extremely well for a 300-plus pound lineman. Against the Saints Michael Strahan Jerseys 2019 , he got his sack when he and Dalvin Tomlinson were 2-on-1 against the center which eventually gave Hill a clear run to Drew Brees. It wasn’t beating a blocker like his sack on the edge against Houston, but there are not many interior defenders who would have been able to close on Brees as Hill did.Like Carter, Hill could see his playing time decrease even more with the addition of Josh Mauro, who is returning from a four-game suspension. But while that scenario could help Carter with his development, Hill has already shown he should be getting more playing time than what he’s already been given.The othersKyle Lauletta, the Giants’ fourth-round pick, has not been on the active game day roster yet, so he’s no immediate threat to take over at quarterback. But should the Giants continue to struggle on offense, it would not be a surprise to see him get a look during the second half of the season.Fifth-round pick R.J. McIntosh has been on the reserve/non-football illness list since the beginning of September. He likely won’t see any action until 2019.Sean Chandler, an undrafted rookie safety out of Temple, was a surprise player to make the roster out of training camp. He’s only been in on one defensive snap (he made a tackle) but has played over half of the team’s special teams snaps.Tae Davis, an undrafted linebacker out of Tennessee-Chatanooga, has not seen the field on defense, but has played on 36 special teams snaps. This game was something. Each week when this article gets put together, there’s one or two really big plays and the rest are meaningful but don’t have a massive impact on the result. That was not the case in the 33-31 New York Giants loss to the Carolina Panthers. There were numerous big plays and big swings, especially in the second half. These are the biggest plays in the game, by Win Probability Added (WPA) and Expected Points Added (EPA). Explainers here (WPA) and here (EPA).Both WPA and EPA presented from the perspective of the offense.Not so special teams - 14:21, second quarterEPA: -7.22 | WPA: -16.6 percentSo this happened.The Giants have struggled to find success on punt returns, so Odell Beckham Jr. got the call in this game. He had a 15-yard return early in the game, but this play was as bad as they get and Beckham wasn’t trying to return it. In an attempt to push the closest defender away and let the ball get into the end zone, the ball instead brushed off Beckham’s leg, bounced around, an in another comedy of errors with more Giants trying to jump on the ball, it ended up in the end zone in Carolina’s possession for a touchdown.When you need something done 鈥?- 6:48, second quarterEPA: 5.54 | WPA: 18.3 percentIn an interview with ESPN that aired pre-game, Odell Beckham said he was disappointed in the lack of deep passes for the offense this season. So he did it himself. On a second-and-18, Beckham took a backward pass from Eli Manning and unloaded a throw with a defender in his face across the field to an open Saquon Barkley for a 57-yard touchdown. Trick plays with wide receiver throws often create ample space for the throw, but the degree of difficulty on this throw was not easy. The play not only gave the offense a needed boost, it saved the Giants from a likely punt following a 2nd and 18.A poor defensive hold - 4:22, third quarterEPA: 3.08 | WPA: 10.7 percentCarolina lined up to punt on fourth-and-8 from the Giants’ 41-yard line, but an encroachment penalty on Kareem Martin moved it up to a fourth-and-3 and the Panthers chose to keep the offense on the field. The result of the play was initially incomplete, but a hold was called on B.W. Webb away from the throw. The five-yard penalty allowed the Panthers drive to continue and Webb’s extra 15-yard penalty for making contact with an official made it worse. Three easily avoidable penalties could have cost the Giants, but they ended up not mattering all that much because...Dueling interceptions, part 1Cam Newton to Curtis Riley - 3:44, third quarterEPA: minus-4.3 | WPA: minus-11.7 percent...three plays later Cam Newton threw an interception. After a holding penalty, the Panthers faced a second-and-20 at the Giants’ 26. Newton had time to throw and ripped a pass up the middle toward rookie tight end Ian Thomas, but the throw was off-line (or Thomas didn’t cut his route correctly) and the ball was placed perfectly into the waiting arms of Curtis Riley, who returned it for another 12 yards.Eli Manning to Mike Adams - 1:38, third quarterEPA: minus-5.94 | WPA: minus-12 percentBut not to be outdone, Eli Manning gave the ball right back to the Panthers on the following drive. This first-and-10 play looks like an RPO — the right side of the line plus a pulling Will Hernandez run blocked — with the read based on the pre-snap box count. With six men on the line and one more directly behind them, Manning decided to throw — not the wrong decision with one-on-one coverage outside. But at the snap, pressure got through on the right side and Mike Adams, one of the Panthers on the line, dropped back into coverage. With the need to get the ball out quickly White Will Hernandez Jerseys , Manning threw into what he thought would be an open window for Beckham one-on-one. But Manning never saw Adams drop back and the throw went straight to the defender. Catch CMC - 11:28, fourth quarterEPA: 3.39 | WPA: 13.1 percentCarolina went nine plays and 68 yards on the drive following the interception, capped off by an 18-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey. It was a beautiful play design by the Panthers to get McCaffrey into space. Carolina came out in shotgun with a 2x2 formation and McCaffrey in the backfield to the right. At the snap, the two receivers on the right side ran slants to the inside, which pulled all the defenders away from the sideline. That opened everything up for McCaffrey to take a swing pass, turn the corner, and score.The touchdown gave the Panthers a two-score lead, 27-16.Dueling interceptions, part 2Eli Manning to Mike Adams, again - 10:41, fourth quarterEPA: minus-3.74 | WPA: minus-11.3 percentIt didn’t get much better for the Giants on the next drive — one that lasted only two plays ended with another Eli Manning interception. After a 1-yard Saquon Barkley run on first down, the Giants faced a second-and-9. The Giants tried to go downfield again — something that worked well in this game — but Manning didn’t really step into the throw and the pass floated up the field instead of the sideline where Sterling Shepard was located. Again, Mike Adams was in perfect position for the interception.Cam Newton to Janoris Jenkins - 9:08, fourth quarterEPA: minus-5.86 | WPA: minus-22.1 percentBut, Newton would not be outdone. While Newton threw the first pick of the game and Manning answered on the following drive, the two switched roles in the fourth quarter. Three plays after the Panthers picked off Manning, Newton threw another interception intended for Ian Thomas. With pressure from Landon Collins in his face, Newton threw outside of Thomas and into the waiting arms of Janoris Jenkins, who turned into a punt returner and gained another 29 yards of zigging and zagging after the pick, down to the Carolina 34.Beckham gets one - 8:16, fourth quarterEPA: 3.65 | WPA: 13.1 percentIt only took the Giants two plays to find the end zone. The first was another one-yard run from Barkley. But the second was a 33-yard strike to Odell Beckham for his first receiving touchdown of the season. It was a perfect strike to Beckham in the end zone and the second-most improbable completion of the week across the entire league, per Next Gen Stats, with a completion probability of just 15.1 percent. Beckham came close to a receiving touchdown earlier in the game, but a great defensive play by James Bradberry knocked the ball out of Beckham’s hands. With Bradberry again in great coverage here, Beckham was able to hold on.The touchdown and the successful two-point conversion brought the Giants within three points — 27-24. All the Wright moves - 3:27, fourth quarterEPA: 3.02 | WPA: 5.8 percentOn the next drive, the Panthers faced a fourth-and-1 from the Giants’ 44. Carolina kept the offense out on the field and the Giants expected a QB sneak. They lined up seven players on the line of scrimmage and sent all of them. Christian McCaffrey ran to the flat out of the backfield, which pulled the shallow defender, Eli Apple. That left Jarius Wright wide open with Curtis Riley a step slow to cover. The deep pass gained 27 yards. Carolina would eventually kick a field goal to go up six points with just over two minutes remaining. Barkley breaks free - 1:15, fourth quarterEPA: 3.57 percent | WPA: 2.2 percentThere’s a theory for a leading team that it’s better to be up three late in the game, than up by four, five, or six points. With the typical timidness of NFL play-calling, a team trailing by three is more likely to play for a field goal to tie instead of playing aggressively for a touchdown to win. But a team down by four-to-six points knows it needs a touchdown will have no choice but to have that aggressive mentality.That’s what happened when the Panthers went from up three to up six and the Giants made sure to go down the field quickly. They went 75 yards in just four plays, the biggest of which was a 40-yard pass to Russell Shepard that gave the Giants a first-and-10 at the Carolina 15 with just over a minute remaining. Getting into that situation skyrocketed the Giants’ win probability, which is why the win probability for Saquon Barkley’s 15-yard touchdown catch looks so low compared to all the other plays listed.Barkley only got four targets in the game, but two of them were for the game’s biggest plays. The Giants sent Barkley out of the backfield and lucked out with defensive end Efe Obada in coverage. Obada started to rush the passer but turned in coverage once Barkley left the backfield and once that happened, it was too late. Barkley leaped into the end zone for a touchdown and the extra point gave the Giants a 31-30 lead.Gano is good - 0:06, fourth quarterEPA: 3.75 | WPA: 98.1 percentIf this game wasn’t weird enough, there was this final drive. There was the inside run on third-and-1 at the Giants’ 46 with 30 seconds left and no timeouts remaining. Even as the refs marked a first down, the Panthers didn’t have a lot of time push the ball further down the field. After a spike and incomplete pass, the Panthers stayed at the 46 and brought on Graham Gano for a game-winning 63-yard field goal — something you can see by the win probability added, didn’t have a real good chance at happening. But we all know what did happen and how this game improbably ended.