Giants’ Bryce Ford-Wheaton part of a special play in NFL debut

LANDOVER, Md. — As it turned out, it was easy to ignore the role Bryce Ford-Wheaton filled last week in his NFL debut — in what could have been a big moment for the Giants.

These sort of important but under-the-radar contributions often fall by the wayside when the team gets clobbered.

The 24-year-old was on the back end of a dynamic special teams maneuver.

It was still a game early in the second quarter, the Giants trailed 7-3, when Jamie Gillan put a punt down deep inside Vikings territory.

Ty Summers kept the ball from bouncing into the end zone, flipping it backward to Dane Belton, who got it to Nick McCloud.

The ball made its way to Ford-Wheaton, who downed it on the 1-yard line.

“It was a good play just because there was so much that went into it,’’ Ford-Wheaton told The Post. “Like teamwork. Ty Summers got down there first, he put the ball back into play, then I think it was Dane Belton and then Nick McCloud and the returner tried to punch it out of Nick’s hands, and I was just right there so I just fell on that. It’s definitely a credit to those guys for getting down there first and Jamie for the great punt.

“I didn’t really do much but get on the ball, but it was definitely cool to hear the crowd kind of roar, they were excited, and to put our defense in a good situation. That was exciting.’’

Alas, the momentum shift was fleeting, as the Vikings proceeded to march 99 yards on a touchdown drive that paved the way for a 28-6 Giants loss.

If the Giants can keep it close on Sunday against the Commanders, perhaps a play on special teams can make the difference.

LB Micah McFadden will make his season debut against the Commanders alongside Bobby Okereke.

He was in uniform but did not play last week, dealing with a groin injury.

McFadden established himself in 2023, his second year in the NFL, with 101 tackles in 14 starts and showed a nose for the ball with four fumble recoveries.

CB Emmanuel Forbes, a former first-round pick, is out for the Commanders with a thumb injury.

Forbes had already lost his starting job.

Two starters on defense, DE Clelin Ferrell (knee) and S Quan Martin (hamstring) are questionable.

Want some keys to winning games in the NFL?

Coach Brian Daboll studied the first week of the season and had these numbers ready for his team:
“The one thing you do know, there were 16 games last week,’’ Daboll said. “Teams that had a better turnover ratio were 10-1. Teams that had more explosive plays [20 yards or more] were 11-3 out of the 16, so two other games they were tied. That’s huge.’’

Rookie QB Jayden Daniels ran for 88 yards last week in his NFL debut.

If he picks up 37 yards against the Giants, he will move past Robert Griffin III for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in his first two games in the Super Bowl era.

RG3 had 124 rushing yards in his first two starts in 2012.

Kicker Graham Gano (groin) was added to the injury report Saturday but he has no game designation, meaning the Giants expect he will be able to play.

WR and returner Gunner Olszewski was placed on injured reserve and will miss the next four games.

The Giants are keeping an empty spot on the 53-man roster, choosing to elevate LBs Tomon Fox and Ty Summers from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.

— Additional reporting by Ryan Dunleavy