New York Giants Week 1 Report Card: Passing Grades in an Upset Win

Coach Gene Clemons delivers his grades for the Giants following their Week 1 21-20 upset win over the Tennessee Titans.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Sep 12, 2022 12:57 PM EDT

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New York Giants

The New York Giants got their first win of the season in week one against the Titans. Several units played well, but other areas need improvement immediately.

Even in a win, we can find things to critique, which is the best way for a team to improve. Overall this is a great foundation to build off next Sunday. Let’s take a look at how each unit faired.

Quarterback C-

In short, Daniel Jones cannot make the plays that lose games for teams. He was a manager, and if the skill positions and the offensive line performed the way they performed during game one, that might be all the Giants need from him.

Being a game manager means not giving critical possessions away, which he did on an interception intended for Saquon Barkley in the end zone. Overall, he was good enough to win the game, but he needs to be even better if this team is to win consistently.

Running Back A+

Explosive! That is how starting running back Saquon Barkley looked on Sunday against the Titans. He exhibited the quickness and decisiveness he has displayed throughout training camp and reminded Giants fans exactly why he was so fantastic as a rookie and second-year player in the NFL before injuries made people believe he had fallen off.

The most impressive part of his game is that if you take the 64-yard run away from his 18-carry, 164-yard, 1-touchdown rushing performance, he still averaged 5.88 yards per carry. That is phenomenal, especially against one of the best run defenses in the NFL.

Receivers/Tight Ends: B

The receivers and tight ends did a good job blocking in the run game, and they made timely catches when given the opportunity, but there should have been more opportunities that the quarterback missed.

Most of the receivers that did get a chance made the most of their targets, especially Sterling Shepard, whom many believed would be on PUPto start the season. Instead, he was able to haul in a 65-yard pass from Daniel Jones, shed a defender, and run into the end zone for a critical score.

The other receivers and tight ends need to be more heavily involved in the offense to get it where Coach Daboll wants it firing on all cylinders.

Offensive Line: B

The offensive line gets an A for run blocking, given how they moved bodies and opened holes for the running backs. They get a C for their pass protection, though. Giving up five sacks is unacceptable, regardless of who is to blame.

Tennessee is not a team known to have an intense or even highly productive pass rush, even with a healthy Harold Landry (on IR) and Jeffrey Simmons. This is a pass rush that a good offensive line should be able to keep off the quarterback. Improvement will be needed before they line up against one of the better pass-rushing teams on the schedule.

Defensive Line: B+

The defensive line was stout against the run and allowed the linebackers to make good quality tackles behind them. They got a push on the line of scrimmage and made life miserable for running back Derrick Henry, who finished with 82 yards on 21 carries.

The defensive line was also able to get some pressure and even some hits on Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but they could not bring him to the ground. Not having Aziz Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux did not help their efforts.

Linebackers: A+

So many questions with the two starting outside linebackers out and a bunch of unproven commodities on the inside left many nervous about the defense's chances of holding up. Still, they were able to stuff holes and get one of the toughest backs in NFL down on the ground repeatedly. They limited any explosive runs and made Henry work for every yard he gained, holding "The King" to 3.9 yards per carry.

Defensive Backs: B

The defensive backfield was probably under the most pressure of any group on this Giants team going into Week 1 of the season. They were eased into a season where they will undoubtedly be challenged regularly by taking on a team that relies heavily on the run game to get going.

Fortunately for New York, they have defensive backs that have no problem coming up and tackling. Five defensive backs had five or six tackles in the game. There were gaps in coverage and passing windows, but the bend-but-don’t-break philosophy worked well for this unit. They need to make some improvements, but they played solid this week.