What We Learned Following the Giants 22-20 Preseason Loss to the New England Patriots

With six weeks of training camp and three preseason games in the books, it's probably fair to say that the New York Giants are still very much a work in progress.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Aug 29, 2021 10:25 PM EDT

The New York Giants lost their third and final preseason game 22-20. It's the last time we get to see Big Blue on the football field until September 12th against the Broncos.

The Giants had their starters play the first half while playing the backend roster guys the entire second half. Here are some key takeaways from the game.

Offensive Tackle Issues

The Giants showed nothing but confidence about this Giants offensive line during the offseason. They made no significant investment, didn't select an offensive lineman in the draft, and spoke glowingly about their young player's development arc under a coach like Rob Sale.

This is not an indictment on Sale, nor do I want to overreact to a preseason game, but this offensive line's struggles against the Patriots were concerning. Many who follow and cover the Giants alluded to the many potential problems that this line could encounter, and they saw those issues materialize on Sunday.

He was disastrous in the game against former Michigan Wolverine Josh Uche. Andrew Thomas surrendered sacks, pressures and took a holding penalty. He kept allowing defenders to get up the arc, establish hip to hip relationships, and then corner into the pocket for disruption. He needs to get a bit more depth in his set, use better timing, and frame his blocks in a more precise manner.

Nate Solder started over Matt Peart and was the best of the three, albeit still wasn't great. He surrendered a half-sack by getting beat inside; the pocket was just engulfed in on Daniel Jones.

Peart gave up a really poor pressure that led to the Jones overthrow to wide receiver Sterling Shepard. He had poor technique, feet, and posture on that rep. It wildly concerns me that these tackles will play against Bradley Chubb and Von Miller.

However, the starting offense was able to mount two solid drives. One ended in the Jones' goal-line interception - that can't happen. The other was at the end of the first half. That drive was capped by a 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Smith. Peart was in on this drive over Solder, and Jones made a few very nice throws to get the Giants into the end zone.

This will be a long season if Thomas reverts to early 2020 Thomas, as we saw on Sunday. Thomas didn't struggle much with getting beat around the EDGE last year - it was mostly getting beat inside - but there were a few reps against the Bears, Cowboys, and Eagles that were ugly in this regard during the 2020 season.

New York needs a stable Thomas to succeed this season, and they need Peart to develop more consistency. Rob Sale's job is difficult right now, but his ability to develop these young tackles is contingent on the Giants having any semblance of success in 2021.

Mistakes

Three Giants' drives were ruined by third-down mistakes, which has become synonymous with the Giants. Thomas getting beat by Uche on the 3rd-and-6 forced the first punt.

Receiver Darius Slayton dropped the 3rd-and-13 that was right in his hands forced another punt. On a 3rd-and-11, Jones just missed throwing an interception to Pettis on a poorly placed ball to the inside on an out route.

In the second half, before his touchdown, receiver Alex Bachman also dropped an easy third-down conversion.

These mistakes hinder the efficiency of an offense that lacks explosiveness. Backup quarterback Mike Glennon just missed finding David Sills on a deep corner-post route against a two-high defense.

I won't kill the Giants for their backup quarterback missing a pass like that, especially after Glennon connected in Aaron Rodgers fashion with Damion Willis with eight seconds left on the clock. Still, this team has to capitalize on these opportunities because they're few and far between.

Furthermore, New York has to do a better job on early downs. These third and long situations put Jones and this offensive line into deep holes.

On the defensive side, the second-team defense struggles to maintain continuity with their rush defense. Over multiple weeks, the Giants' second-team defense has allowed big chunk rushing plays that must infuriate Patrick Graham.

Daniel Jones

The third-year quarterback finished the game 17 of 22 for 135 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The final Jones' drive settled what were uneasy nerves. Jones threw a dime to tight end Kaden Smith up the seam and looked good, hitting Dante Pettis on a deep comeback from the far-hash earlier in the game.

However, Jones continued to show inconsistent decision-making. The pressure was ample, but he still missed easy check-downs that could have spared a sack for the Giants.

The interception was indicative of a Daniel Jones that we've hoped to see develop. Maybe he thought Evan Engram was going to sit on the interception instead of flow laterally. Still, throwing across one's body with defenders moving in the same direction is rarely a recipe for success--and these mistakes have to stop.

If this offensive line continues to allow pressure, Jones's internal clock will continue to be accelerated. It's on Jones and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to figure out how to compensate for the line's struggles. The two-minute drill was a welcomed sight, that's for sure, but it could be a long season if this offense can't stabilize.

SEE ALSO: Giants Tight End Evan Engram Exits Giants Game with Calf Injury

Defense

The Giants had four sacks against the Patriots, one apiece for Lorenzo Carter, Willie Henry, Dexter Lawrence, and Trent Harris. The pressure wasn't consistent, but the Giants' ability to generate pressure isn't one of the major issues with this team.

Patrick Graham was showing his aggressive nature against the Patriots. He was blitzing boundary corners, sending A-gap plug with inside linebacker Blake Martinez, and was employing unique twists in his four and five-man pressure packages.

We also saw Logan Ryan acting in a robber role against the No. 2 receiver on the seam.

The Martinez interception appeared to be a Tampa-2 defense where Martinez was tasked to carry the number three receiver up the seam. It was a great play by Martinez, but it seemed like cornerback James Bradberry blitzed to the weak side, forcing both safeties to take deep-half responsibilities, leaving the middle of the field vulnerable. Great job by Martinez to cover that space against a superior athlete.

SEE ALSO: New York Giants First-Team Offense Struggles in 22-20 Preseason Loss to Patriots

Running Back Situation

Saquon Barkley's week one availability isn't a certainty as of right now. This has me very interested in the running back position, albeit I expect Barkley to be available in some capacity.

Devontae Booker is the presumed second back, which is a safe assumption. He was inefficient behind a struggling line in this game, earning 14 yards on seven carries.

The Giants received an extended look at sixth-round rookie Gary Brightwell who played with the starters late in the first half and late in the second half with the second-teamers.

Brightwell ran for 10 yards on four carries and caught three passes for 20 yards. I find it interesting that the Giants wanted to see him with the first team, as there appears to be a roster spot up in the air between Brightwell and Corey Clement, the latter a player who has fumbling issues.

Clement had 24 yards on four carries, with two very impressive jump cuts. Ultimately, I feel Clement makes the team, but I think it's closer than I originally anticipated.

Fullback Elijhaa Penny also added four carries for 25 hard-earned yards. Penny runs with a lot of toughness and may receive some carries here and there through the season. He seems to be a fan favorite every time he touches the football.

Injuries

The Giants were getting thin at the tight end position before this game against the Patriots, and then Evan Engram went down with an injury. There is some early optimism about the injury, which is good news.

However, calf injuries tend to linger, so I’m sure the Giants will be cautious with Engram in the coming days. Meanwhile, Kyle Rudolph has just returned from the PUP list, but Engram’s presence on this Giants offense is still valuable, especially with Jason Garrett’s 12- and 13-personnel packages.

Head coach Joe Judge also stated that the team is optimistic about Darius Slayton’s ankle. Both players will be evaluated more extensively Monday.

Final Thoughts

I love how Jones has a short memory after making a mistake, but I hate that Jones makes too many mistakes. Again, the drive capped off by Smith's touchdown was an excellent way to end his brief preseason play, but similar mistakes were made in this game that we saw in 2020, and that has to change.

The Giants need this offensive line to play better. They were very confident in the offseason, and we haven't quite seen reasons for confidence in the brief snaps that these linemen played in the preseason.

No one knew that Zach Fulton or Joe Looney would retire before the start of the season, but the coaching hubris the Giants staff displayed early in the offseason has to come to fruition and prove development if this team wants to make any noise in 2021.