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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Giants have made themselves relevant again with a modest two-game winning streak that has left them one game out of first place, and in the thick of the Wild Card chase one quarter of the way through the season. They have an exciting young quarterback, lots of confidence, and a little bit of momentum.

But is it all just too good to be true?

The next 10 days will tell that story, as the Giants enter a difficult and critical stretch of their season. On Sunday, they face the Minnesota Vikings (2-2), owners of the sixth-best defense in the NFL. Four days later, they travel to New England (4-0) to face a Patriots defense that ranks No. 1. Those are two legitimate playoff contenders with defenses that quarterback Daniel Jones will find hard to decipher.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Daniel Jones reminded everyone on Sunday that he's human.

He also reminded everyone that he's resilient, too.

The Giants' 22-year-old rookie quarterback struggled a bit in his home debut and threw the first two interceptions of his NFL career. But he bounced back each time, never looked rattled, and made more than enough plays to help the Giants beat the Redskins 24-3 to improve to 2-2.

It looks like the Giants will be getting WR Cody Latimer back after the latest injury report on Thursday. 

Latimer, who had been dealing with a concussion and was out Week 3, was a full practice participant and should be set to go on Sunday against the Redskins. That would be a big return to the receiving corps that should be full go once Golden Tate returns from his suspension next week. 

Also, OLB Lorenzo Carter was upgraded to a full practice participant after being limited with an elbow injury on Wednesday. 

After regular season-opening losses to the Dallas Cowboys (35-17, Sept. 8) and Buffalo Bills (28-14, Sept. 15) in which the offense's ineptitude plagued the team over the course of the first two games, the Giants put their future for 2019 and beyond into Daniel Jones when they face the Tampa Bay Bucanneers.

Ahead of Sunday's 4:05 p.m. kickoff from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the Giants (0-2) turned to the rookie quarterback after second-year head coach Pat Shurmur named the No. 6 overall 2019 NFL draft pick the starter over 16th-year veteran Eli Manning.

While the Giants' move from Manning to Jones assumes that the team has given up on its win-now mode and begun the rebuild, Shurmur emphasized Friday from Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, why the decision took place now.

As the Giants shift from veteran Eli Manning to rookie Daniel Jones ahead of Sunday's 4:05 p.m. kickoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, wide receiver remains in question after Cody Latimer made for the latest key absence.

The sixth-year wide receiver, who bumped up the depth chart in each of the 2019 season's first two games after the Giants lost Sterling Shepard last week to a concussion while Golden Tate served the first half of a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, will miss Week 3 with a concussion.

Latimer's second injury came after he entered Week 2 last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, a 28-14 loss at MetLife Stadium that dropped the Giants to 0-2 on the early year, a game in which he was already questionable for following his calf issue earlier last week.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard has been cleared concussion protocol on Thursday, according to the team's latest injury report. He should be set to play on Sunday in Tampa Bay against the Bucs.

Shepard was a full go at practice on Thursday, not wearing his yellow non-contact jersey that he had on Wednesday. He has been in the protocol since suffering the concussion after Week 1's loss to the Cowboys.

Shepard getting cleared on Thursday would seem to bode well for his chances of suiting up on Sunday against the Bucs, during what will be Daniel Jones' debut as the Giants' starter.

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If the Giants are looking for the perfect spot to make the switch and give 22-year-old Daniel Jones his first NFL start, this isn't it.

But there are ideal windows coming soon.

Now, the Giants may decide that the situation doesn't matter or they may feel like they don't have a choice. They may decide to name Jones their starting quarterback for this Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, even if the situation isn't ideal. The reality is that teams can't always choose a perfect spot for a rookie quarterback to make his debut.

It was deja vu for the Giants. 

They put together a solid first drive of the game with Saquon Barkley capping it off with a 27-yard run. But all 75 yards came on the ground -- Barkley with 55 and Bennie Fowler getting a 20-yard sweep play as well. 

Eli Manning in the passing game during this home opener just didn't work. And the 28-14 on the scoreboard in favor of the Bills was the result. 

Giants WR Cody Latimer has left today's game against the Bills with a concussion. 

Latimer made a crucial fourth-down grab, but caught a helmet to helmet tackle from Bills S Jordan Poyer. He immediately went to the Giants' medical tent to be evaluated. 

Latimer, who was initially expected to be out with a calf injury, saw three catches on five targets for 30 yards before his departure. He now joins Sterling Shepard as another receiver with a concussion. 

Well, it looks like one Giants receiver that was expected to be out will strap on their pads for Sunday's tilt against the Bills. 

Cody Latimer, who was initially supposed to be out with a calf injury, is actually set to play, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Latimer was expected to be on the sideline with Sterling Shepard, who is out with a concussion. 

So Latimer should be set to start opposite of Bennie Fowler to start this game today. It's unknown if he'll be limited with his injury, but with the Giants' starting receivers in Shepard and Golden Tate out, one would expect to see Latimer out there as much as he can to help the receiving corps. 

Sterling Shepard spent the week in concussion protocol, but the fourth-year wide receiver was out on the field Friday as the Giants turned the page from the past weekend's 35-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Giants hoped to have Shepard back by the time Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff at MetLife Stadium against the Buffalo Bills arrived, but they instead enter the home opener without one of their top offensive weapons.

After Friday's practice, Shurmur said that Shepard was not entirely held out of action, but there were further steps needed to gain clearance before Sunday's game.

Giants WR Sterling Shepard, who has been doing light activity on the side at practice this week while still in concussion protocol, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bills. 

Along with Shepard, the Giants will also be without Darius Slayton, who is dealing with a hamstring injury.

Adding to the wide receiver injury woes, Cody Latimer is questionable for Sunday's game due to a calf injury.

Giants' wide receiver Cody Latimer is the newest player on the injury report, after sitting out practice on Thursday.

Latimer is dealing with a calf injury, forcing him to jog lightly on the side with fellow wide reciever Sterling Shepard, who is still in concussion protocol.

In 51 career games, Latimer has 49 recpetions for 709 yards and four touchdowns. He played with the Denver Broncos from 2014-17 before joining the Giants in 2018.

As the Giants hit the practice fields on Thursday, wide receiver Sterling Shepard remained in the league's concussion protocol.

Shepard entered the protocol following Sunday's loss to the Cowboys, and is reportedly doing "okay" according to head coach Pat Shurmur.

Shepard finished Week 1 with six catches for 42 yards, third most on the team behind Evan Engram's 116 and Cody Latimer's 74.

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When Daniel Jones makes his first start for the Giants on Thursday night, he won't have many starters around him. For nearly every key player on the team, the preseason is over.

The preseason finale in New England is all about the backups, and dozens of players still fighting for roster spots.

Who will make it and who won't? Here's a pre-game look at the Giants' projected 53-man roster, which could change considerably depending on how their game against the Patriots goes:

Before Giants rookie WR Darius Slayton made a beautiful catch down the left sideline in Cincinnati to set up a touchdown against the Bengals, his quarterback was sandwiched by one of his former teammates. 

Carl Lawson, a fourth-round pick out of Auburn back in 2017, beat Nate Solder off the line and hit rookie QB Daniel Jones on his blindside, forcing a fumble that the Giants luckily recovered. But on the very next play, Jones stood strong in the pocket and delivered a perfect ball to Slayton, who leaped high to grab it and bring it down just short of the goal line for a touchdown. 

A few plays later, Slayton was sure to tell his former teammate to be careful with his new one. 

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It's gotten lost in Daniel Jones Mania, but Eli Manning is having a pretty good summer, too.

The veteran starter - who is still the Giants starter - has been solid during the preseason so far in the three series that he's played. This time, in a 25-23 win in Cincinnati, Manning had a deceptive performance, going 4-for-8 for 41 yards. But two of those incompletions were drops by receiver Cody Latimer, including one in the end zone that forced the Giants to settle for a field goal on Manning's lone drive.

Manning is now 9-of-13 for 86 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. It's a small sample size, obviously, but good for a passer rating of 113.0.

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Maybe Baker Mayfield really was surprised when the Giants drafted Daniel Jones sixth overall. But nobody should be shocked anymore.

The 22-year-old rookie quarterback continued his stellar preseason by putting on another show in the Giants' third preseason game in Cincinnati on Thursday night. He completed 9-of-11 passes for 141 yards, playing the final 20 minutes of the first half.

Through three games, he's 25-of-30 (83.3 percent) for 369 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. That's a passer rating of 140.1.

In addition to missing the first four games of the regular season due to a suspension for taking a banned substance he said was for fertility, Giants WR Golden Tate is now in concussion protocol.

Tate was targeted twice and reeled in one catch during Friday night's game against the Bears, with head coach Pat Shurmur saying on Sunday that Tate suffered the injury at some point during the game. 

The Giants' fifth game of the regular season -- the one Tate is eligible to return for -- is Oct. 6 against the Vikings.

Shortly after he fractured his left thumb July 25, Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was steadfast in his belief that he would return for the Sept. 8 opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

More than three weeks later, Shepard's outlook remains optimistic.

Seen without his non-contact yellow jersey Sunday afternoon at Giants practice -- the first time since the injury -- Shepard showed further signs of progression as he works back for the 2019 season.

With the Giants' receivers depleted entering the season, many have wondered if GM Dave Gettleman would find a way to bolster the group before the start of the season. So far, that hasn't been the case, but there are options out there. 

One of them is Vikings WR Laquon Treadwell, who SI's Albert Breer reported as on the market. Treadwell, a former first-round pick back in 2016, hasn't really panned out in Minnesota. However, he does have a Giants connection in Pat Shurmur, which is why NJ.com's Matt Lombardo brought up the idea that Gettleman may want to call the Vikings on the Ole Miss product. 

Treadwell shouldn't cost too much for the Giants, which is a pro in this case. Being that he hasn't lived up to his first-round choice, the Giants could probably get him for a late-round draft pick. Also, maybe a change of scenery is what Treadwell needs with the Giants, as he's currently stuck behind elite receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - When the Giants scouted Daniel Jones they were convinced he had a little Eli Manning in him. They saw that same calm, even-keeled personality that Manning has - the ability to appear unflappable when things start to go wrong.

On Friday, Jones showed them they were right.

Checking the box score after the Giants' first preseason bout against the Jets last Thursday, it wasn't Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, or Russell Shepard that led the receivers columns. 

It was TJ Jones. 

The five-year veteran, who spent all his NFL seasons with the Lions after being drafted in the sixth round back in 2014, finished the night with six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. His score came on a back-shoulder pass from Alex Tanney that Jones tracked down perfectly and fell into the end zone to tally six points on the board. 

The news surrounding Giants camp this week is WR Golden Tate having to serve his full four-game suspension for violating the league's PED policy. 

Tate was confident that the details in his case would have the suspension exonerated, but that wasn't the case given the league's no tolerance mindset when it comes to PEDs. The veteran wideout explained that he let the NFL know immediately when he found out there was a banned substance in the prescription, yet that wasn't enough to change his verdict. 

"I just thought, after we looked at the facts in the situation, that the NFL would be understanding," Tate said. "But because it's a no-tolerance policy, they, I guess, upheld the suspension."

One day after Golden Tate received his appeal fate from the NFL, which upheld the Giants wide receiver's four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, he opened up on the decision following Wednesday's practice.

Among his comments, Tate said he is considering taking legal action against the doctor who prescribed him the drug.

"We are definitely looking into it, we are kind of examining all of our options," Tate said.

Golden Tate will officially be serving his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED policy, as he has lost his appeal.

Back in April, Tate failed a drug test, which came about a month after he signed his four-year, $37.5 million deal with the Giants. The reason for failing the test came from a fertility drug that he said "contained an ingredient that is on the league's banned substance list," and noted not knowing about that when he was prescribed it by a fertility planning specialist. 

Tate said that he "immediately discontinued" the use of the drug, and reported his actions to the league's independent administrator. In fact, he did that before failing the drug test in the first place. 

The Giants' wide receiving corps has taken a big hit early on with Sterling Shepard injured, Golden Tate facing a four-game suspension, and Corey Coleman out for the season with a torn ACL. That was expected to be the top three players on the depth chart, but now things have changed here quickly in East Rutherford. 

But with the losses, other receivers are beginning to step up. 

Cody Latimer, entering his fifth year in the league, is looking to take advantage of this opportunity that will likely see him get many reps to start the season. The former second-round pick by the Broncos didn't pan out well in Denver, and after four years with the squad, they didn't mind moving on from him. 

A few weeks ago during Giants minicamp, we profiled five dark horse players who turned heads. At the end of the day though, every football player knows that, while minicamp standouts are nice stories, the real competition starts in training camp.

Big Blue training camp starts in a little over two weeks. It's a 90-man competition for 53 spots, and more than a few veterans will be left behind if they don't put up a good showing.

Here are five guys who are on the hot seat for the Giants: 

Say what you want about your opinion on the Giants trading away star WR Odell Beckham Jr. His former teammates miss him. 

"Just his presence," Sterling Shepard told The Post's Paul Schwartz, adding that there has been an adjustment period to get used to him not in the locker room. "He's a great guy, he's loved around this facility. Just his presence, I guess."

Beckham has always been one of a kind since entering the league, and it showed in his awe-inspiring play that was matched with an exuberant personality as well. Whether it was making his signature one-handed grabs like it was just another day on the gridiron, or dancing in around practice with players like Shepard and Saquon Barkley, Beckham was always keeping things light and fun. 

After a tornado exerted severe damage on Dayton, Ohio, and the surrounding areas, Cody Latimer returned to his hometown. 

The Giants wideout left the team after Tuesday's practice and likely won't be on the field the rest of this week during OTAs as he provides aid to Dayton residents. Latimer was born and raised in the city and still has family that resides in the area. 

According to the Dayton Daily News, Latimer is one of several professional athletes giving back to the community. The former Jefferson High School standout helped provide meals for storm victims Wednesday through a partnership with a local pizzeria. 

When Giants wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert walked to the podium during coaches availability on Wednesday, it was expected the slew of Odell Beckham Jr. questions were going to come his way. But with him now on the Browns, Tolbert wanted to talk about who he actually will be coaching in the new season.

"I'm going to say this about Odell, I don't want this to be an Odell Q/A," Tolbert said affirmatively. "Odell was a great player for us, with the Giants. We all love Odell, we respect him as a player and wish him nothing but the best with the Cleveland Browns."

For the Giants, though, it isn't as simple as replacing Beckham in the offense this season. He had over 1,000 yards receiving in four of the last five seasons, and was Eli Manning's favorite target when he was on the field. 

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The 2019 NFL Draft is over, and the Giants have made all of their picks to bring in prospects they believe can impact them for years to come. It will be fun to watch as these rookies join the veterans at camp this preseason to see who will earn a spot on the 53-man roster, and who will be starting at the end of the day. 

Between the new rookies and veterans, here are some position battles to watch in the new year...

DEPTH RECEIVERS

The Giants are rounding out their receiving corps in the wake of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. 

The team re-signed Cody Latimer, the wide receiver announced on Twitter Sunday night. 

"Back for seconds!!!. Let's go big blue!!! Ready to get back to work with the squad!!! Time to finish what I started last season," he tweeted. 

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Eli Manning had a chance for some late-game magic, when he had 55 seconds to play, and all he had to do was get the Giants into field-goal range. Instead, he threw a game-sealing interception on an ill-advised pass over the middle.

But don't blame this 28-27 loss in Indianapolis on him.

WR Cody Latimer left the game for the Giants during the second half of their 34-13 loss to the Eagles with a hamstring injury.

Latimer led all Giants wide receivers with 52 yards on three catches for the night.

Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive: A week ago they had made so much progress. Then on Sunday, the Giants stepped back into their abyss.

Now, after their disheartening 33-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints, they are 1-3 and looking at the likelihood of yet another lost season.

Here's a look at how their specific position groups played in their Week 4 loss...

After the news broke that Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a five-year, $95 million mega extension, social erupted with congratuations for one of the league's brightest stars. 

First, it was fellow Giants wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Roger Lewis Jr. posting videos of the celebration in the locker room following practice. And, of course, the song playing in the background had to be "For The Love of Money" by The O'Jays.

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Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive: Now that Odell Beckham Jr. is planning to attend the Giants' mandatory mini-camp, a major crisis has been averted.

But that doesn't make the three-day camp any less interesting.

As the Giants continue their quick rebuild from the ashes of last year's 3-13 mess, they still have a lot of questions to answer and pieces to fit in before they get to training camp this summer. This week will begin to add some clarity to their picture...