New York Giants Report Card Week 5
The Giants fought and kept it close, but it wasn't enough to earn higher grades this week. So how did the Giants grade out following their 37-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys?
Offense: D
After last week’s promising showing in which they topped 130 yards on the ground, the Giants running game went right back to mediocrity, finishing with 89 yards on 27 carries.
But before you go thinking I’m being hard on the rushing offense, consider that 42 of those rushing yards came in the first quarter (and that included 32 of team rushing yardage leader Devonta Freeman).
And against a Cowboys run defense that was gashed every which way last week by the Cleveland Browns, the Giants only managed one big run of 10 or more yards, that being by Wayne Gallman.
Not good.
Meanwhile, in the passing game, quarterback Daniel Jones was knocked around like a pinball one again this week. According to the gamebook, he was hit ten times (sacked twice).
But let’s get back to those ten hits—that’s nearly one-third of his total drop backs (33). We can scream all we want about the turnovers, a problem for sure, but at some point, this kid has to get a chance without worrying where the next leak in the protection is going to come from.
Receiver Darius Slayton ended up as a bright spot in the passing game, catching eight out of 11 pass targets for 129 yards, the first Giants receiver to crack 100 yards receiving this season. But there were no receiving touchdowns, so take that for what it’s worth.
Defense: C
At first glance, the final numbers—126 yards on 29 carries—don’t seem all that impressive, but Ezekiel Elliott, who had 91 of those rushing yards, also scored two touchdowns on the ground.
In the passing defense, cornerback James Bradberry delivered another fine performance, taking Amari Cooper out of the game—Cooper recorded two receptions out of four pass targets for 23 yards, one of which you could probably chalk up to linebacker Blake Martinez, who just missed Cooper on the second play of the Cowboys winning drive.
The Giants had no answers for rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb, who became the first opposing receiver to record over 100 receiving yards against them this year (eight receptions for 124 yards).
Special Teams: B
In retrospect, Thomas McGaughey might have dropped a hint about a trick play coming up this week, as sure enough, the Giants tried a fake field goal that would have worked were it not for a penalty called on Cam Fleming for not having set before the snap.
Too bad because it was a genius play that was otherwise executed well. But it did cost the Giants four points, and they turned out to be a big four points.
Meanwhile, how about Graham Gano? He’s been an absolute godsend with his kicking, which has been stress-free, something the Giants haven’t had in quite a while.
Coaching: C
No one was expecting perfection, and certainly, very few people thought this team would make a run for a playoff berth. But if you want to know what Judge is likely speaking about when he says the team is making progress, you could point to how the team has responded the last two weeks against two opponents that are heavily favored to be in the postseason this year and how the Giants came within a sneeze of pulling off upsets.
The problem is that the progress is coming in baby steps as the losing continues to pile up and frustrate the fan base. If there’s one thing this team needs to stop worrying about, it’s the division standings. Never mind how many games out of first place they might be; win a game first, which is that all-important first step, and the other stuff will follow hopefully follow.
