New York Giants Report Card: Underachievement in 30-12 Loss to 49ers
Here are the grades for the New York Giants' 30-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night.
Offense: F
The Giants offense seemed more worried about protecting yet a third edition of the offensive line than anything. New York kept in more blockers this week, which naturally affected the routes guys were able to run, but even when that wasn't the case, to see tight end Darren Waller drop three balls or receiver Parris Campbell fail to pick up any yards after the catch, or see many deep shot down the field was all disheartening.
The Giants ran the ball 11 times--a headscratcher, as no rule says they can't run the ball more when Saquon Barkley is unavailable. And quarterback Danie Jones (22-33, 137 yards, 1 INT) was a nonfactor with his arm and legs.
In all, the Giants finished with 150 yards of offense. For comparison purposes, the 49ers yards after the catch total alone was 201.
Defense: Grade D
Missed tackles, yards after the catch galore, not enough heat on quarterback Brock Purdy, an inability to get off the field on third down (including a few third-and-longs)... shall we continue?
Linebacker Micah McFadden and safety Jason Pinnock came to play, but we're not sure we can say that about the others. Safety Xavier McKinney had a rocky game, and we continue to wait for Kayvon Thibodeaux and Leonard Williams to make some sort of splash play, regardless of their role in the scheme.
Special Teams: Grade A
For the first time this season, we can say that the special teams was the most solid unit of the three. "Mr. Reliable" (kicker Graham Gano) nailed a 57-yarder and a 44-yarder. Jamie Gillan put forth one of his best punting efforts in quite some time, and the coverage or return teams made no glaring errors.
Coaching: Grade C-minus
We get the feeling the Giants are still trying to figure out how to best deploy their skill position players and are simply doing so without a rhyme or reason. Might they just have too many skill position players they're trying to feed? It sounds silly, but when was the last time quarterback Daniel Jones looked in sync with any one member of his weaponry?
Can anyone explain the decision to go for two points in the third quarter? It was almost as though the Giants thought the 49ers wouldn't score anymore, which wasn't the case. Granted, the result didn't matter, but what a curious decision.
Lastly, this team continues to trip getting out of the gate. Until it can figure out how to hit on all cylinders, it's bound to have more days like this, as it hasn't proved good enough to overcome its own blunders.
- Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
- Follow and like us on Facebook
- Submit your questions for our mailbag
- Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
- Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
- Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14 Day Trial!
