Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Report Card: Giants Offense Struggles in 35-14 Loss to the Patriots
For more than 45 minutes of play, it looked as though the New York Giants were going to thwart the New England Patriots' attempt to cover one of the largest point-spreads in sportsbooks history (16.5-point favorite).
Alas, it was not meant to be, as the Giants offense sputtered so much that it forced the defense to play nearly 80 snaps, which no doubt began to wear on them.
Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, facing his toughest test to date, threw three interceptions, one of which the Patriots converted into a 5-play, 20-yard second-quarter scoring drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Brandon Bolden.
In the fourth quarter, Giants rookie running back Jon Hilliman, carrying the load for the Giants rushing game, had a huge fourth-quarter fumble New England returned for a scoop and score that doubled the Patriots lead.
Half of the Giants' 14 points were scored by the defense when Giants edge rusher Lorenzo Carter, back from a one-game absence due to a neck injury, sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forced the ball loose.
Markus Golden scooped up the ball and was off to the races on a 42-yard touchdown, which tied the game 14-14 with 4:54 left int he second quarter.
Even the Giants usually reliable special teams contributed to the loss as punter Riley Dixon's punt at the bottom of the first quarter ended up being blocked by Chase Winovich, who returned the ball six yards for the first score of the game by either team.
Jones, who continues to have turnover issues, finished 15 of 31 for 161 yards with one touchdown and the three interceptions for a 35.2 rating. He was also sacked once and was hit eight times as the Giants offense recorded seven out of their 13 drives with three or fewer plays.
Report Card vs. Patriots
Passing Offense: C
Yes, this was the worse showing by the offense from a statistical standpoint, but that was no surprise given that the Giants were missing their top skill position players and were playing a rookie quarterback against one of the all-time greatest defensive strategists in football's history.
Daniel Jones, as he'll continue to do the rest of this season, went through some growing pains and had a few critical mistakes. He also found himself under pressure again, which certainly was to be expected against this Patriots defense.
But the young man battled--his touchdown pass to Golden Tate was a thing of beauty--and he continued to show that he's cut out for this role.
There are things Jones can improve, such as his tendency to stare down his receivers, developing a better feel for pressure while in the pocket, and learning to slide feet first. Still, against his first real test and his toughest test, the rookie and his passing offense might have had a better chance of keeping this closer had they not shot themselves in the foot so many times.
Rushing Offense: D
For the second week in a row, Jon Hilliman turned the ball over, this time a critical turnover which the Patriots converted into points that all but put the game away.
Hilliman also does way too much dancing before hitting the hole, and every single time he did that, the crease closed up before he decided which way he was running. Hilliman finished with 38 yards on 11 carries with a long of 10.
Fullback Eli Penny's touches, or lack of touches, were even more mystifying. One would have thought that the more experienced Penny might be the lead in this week's running game with more carries, but he only received three carries for six yards in what was one of several head-scratching decisions made by head coach Pat Shurmur in this game.
Run Defense: B-
There were some missed tackles and guys who were late in getting off blocks again this week, but it wasn't nearly as bad as last week. 34-114. Inside linebackers Alec Ogletree and David Mayo combined for 24 total tackles and two tackles for a loss as both played an active game. Both, for the most part, made all their tackles within seven yards of the line of scrimmage, which is what you want to see from your team's leading tacklers.
Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson had the best game of his Giants career, as he put his athleticism on display to plug up rushing lanes, finishing with a single-game high seven tackles.
Pass Defense: C-
Cornerback Janoris Jenkins took a bad penalty that gave the Patriots new life after the Giants had stopped them. And poor Grant Haley, their slot cornerback, continues to be beaten like a drum in coverage.
On the plus side, the pass rush continues to hum along at a steady pace. Markus Golen has quickly made people forget about Olivier Vernon, as Golden added a half-sack (split with linebacker David Mayo) to increase his season total to a team-leading 5.0.
Alec Ogletree and Carter also added one sack apiece as the Giants did a somewhat decent job of trying to exploit the weaknesses along the Patriots offensive line.
Special Teams: B-
The usually reliable unit had a major breakdown that led to the Patriots' first score when punter Riley Dixon had a punt blocked. Three things led to this.
The first and most apparent was linebacker Nate Stupar being pushed backward into Dixon after failing to establish an anchor. Considering special teams is Stupar's forte, this was a disturbing development at that point in the game.
The second was a slow snap from long snapper Zak DeOssie, something that has been developing since the start of the year and something in which last week's Inside Football issue we predicted would come back to haunt the Giants one of these days.
The third problem was the ball came off Dixon's foot a little too low, but that could have been because of Stupar crowding his space. Still, put it all together, and it turned into a significant play for the Patriots, who broke the scoring ice.
Otherwise, the Giants special teams were, as usual solid.
Coaching: C-
James Bettcher put together a much better game plan, taking a page out of past Giants' defensive coordinators' books by getting after Tom Brady. The Giants hit the future Hall of Famer six times and managed three sacks and got huge strip-sack/fumble recovery for a touchdown out of the duo of Lorenzo Carter and Markus Golden, respectively.
Pat Shurmur? It seems every week there is either a decision or a series that leaves one wondering. This week, besides not giving Eli Penny more touches int he running game ahead of Hilliman, Shurmur's biggest head-scratcher was his decision not to go for it on 4th-and-2 at their 33-yard line while down by 14 points.
"I felt like it was the right thing to do," Shurmur said when asked about the decision after the game.
It wasn't. If the Giants make it, then they have a chance to close the scoring gap and ruin the evening of the gamblers who took the Patriots and the 16.5 spread. Also, by going for it, perhaps the offense rallies behind their coach's show of confidence and converts on the play.
Instead, the Giants ended up giving the Patriots back the ball to chew up what remained of the seven-plus minutes on the clock.
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