NY Giants Defensive Preseason Game 3 Review: A Solid Showing

Oftentimes in the NFL, it’s the little things that go unnoticed, but when added up, result in a pretty solid day at the office.

Such was the case for the New York Giants defense in the preseason finale against the New England Patriots. The Giants sat their starters (as did the Patriots), and yet the Giants' backups still managed to dominate the Patriots in nearly every major statistical category.

New York held the Patriots to just a 36% conversion rate on third down, 1919 net yards (3.4 yards per play), 110 rushing yards, 81 net passing yards, and a 50% pass completion rate.

It was as solid a showing as any and reassuring for the most part to know that the Giants’ depth is a lot further ahead than last year’s crop.

That said, let’s take a look at the individual performances (we include special teams for good measure).

Defensive Line

Darius Alexander | Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Elijah Chatman

The team’s longshot, undersized D-lineman and occasional fullback made a couple of solid early sheds and finished with two solo tackles. We’re not sure if there will be a spot for this young player; if not, we'd keep Chatman around on the practice squad for developmental purposes.

D.J. Davidson

Getting one of the starts and assigned to play over the nose, Davidson batted down one ball on the bull rush. He drew a huge hold at the 1-yard line when he anticipated the snap and beat the center to his gap, essentially turning the Pats “certain” drive at the 1-yard line into a settle-for-it field goal.

Oddly enough, Davidson did not record a single tackle. He only played the first half, but he’s likely got this team made.

Jordon Riley

Getting lots of second-half snaps over the nose, Riley got in on two stops and was a physical performer throughout. We don’t think Riley is making this roster, but the practice squad makes a lot of sense.

Cory Durden

As an intriguing backup option over the nose, Durden makes some sense with his solid instinctive game for finding the ball, and his mobility for his size. He made a great hit outside the tackle box, plus a penetrating tackle in the backfield, plus a hit on the quarterback.

He finished with three tackles and will likely be in consideration for a spot on the practice squad.

Darius Alexander

This talented rookie with the steep learning curve made his best play of the preseason in the second half when he made an excellent read and reaction to a draw play, making a physical solo tackle.

Alexander also got a hit on the quarterback as he finished off the preseason on a bit of an upswing.

Jeremiah Ledbetter

We’re finding it hard to believe that this 31-year-old off-season pickup, coming off a 38-tackle and 2-sack season, got a limited run this preseason. He sure opened up some eyes this week with his five total tackles and some very physical play.

Is Ledbetter the answer to some of this defense’s run defense woes? Has he been injured this preseason? Isn’t he a better option than what might be available on the waiver wire? We wish he had had more opportunities to answer some of these questions.

Elijah Garcia

Garcia received a lot of snaps this week at both defensive end spots, played consistent contain, and created a handful of positive pass rushes that included one batted down ball, and the pressure that led to the second-half pick-6 that really finished off tonight’s game.

Garcia finished with three tackles and a handful of power pressures, besides some positive sheds. Garcia lacks dynamic traits, but he sure finds himself around the ball a lot.

Outside Linebackers

Abdul Carter

Getting just a handful of early snaps, Carter did produce a third-down inside flash pass rush from the strong side that forced a punt. Several other wide rushes were handled by misdirection and double teams. The regular season–and his first sack– awaits.

Chauncey Golston

Getting one of the starts on the edge, Golston created several early pass rushes while lined up at defensive tackle. A later pass rush, also from the defensive tackle spot, resulted in a tipped pass.

Golston’s strength is on passing downs. The number of pass rushers that this team can run out there is going to be a lot to deal with this year, as long as the run defense does its job.

That all said, Golston was shut out on the tackle sheet this week.

Trace Ford

Getting a lot of snaps once again on the edge, this ultra-aggressive attacker produced the most pressure of any Giants defender this preseason, while holding up very well to the physical demands of the edge player.

If somebody is getting up from the bottom of a pile, it’s usually Ford. We really like him as a player and would hate to lose him to the waiver wire. He’s not only physical at the point of contact with everything he does, but he’s a great backside pursuer, playing it like a dog chasing a bone. He’s relentless.

His pass rush wound down as he played nearly every snap and lost some steam, but when he’s halfway fresh, his motor runs hot. His four solo tackles tonight included one in the backfield.

His attack mentality and physicality were must-watch TV throughout the preseason. If the team doesn’t find a way to keep him around, it will be disappointing.

Tomon Fox

Playing opposite Ford all night, Fox delivered with a coverage sack when he beat a solo tight end edge block. He also made several late pursuit tackles.

He severely over-pursued a mis-direction naked bootleg in the red zone and lost containment, which was a major mistake. Fox also finished with four tackles on the night, but in no way does he inhabit the same football universe as Ford.

Inside Linebackers

Chris Board

Getting a start inside, Board only played one series. Board was brought in here for special teams, which, to be frank, this preseason has been quiet for him. Perhaps everyone is holding back, but we’d like to see some more firepower come from him.

K.J. Cloyd

Getting most of the playing time at inside linebacker, Cloyd missed several open field tackles early on, but he played aggressively throughout, in fact leading the entire group with six total tackles.

His best play was an inside fill on 2nd-and-1 that forced a third down. That said, it wasn’t enough as he was among the first eight players cut on Friday.

Dyontae Johnson

Johnson’s big hit came in the fourth quarter when he shot a gap and physically finished off a tackle in the backfield. Johnson also missed a couple of open-field tackles.

He produced a solid single coverage against a seam-running tight end, with the ball hitting Johnson in the back. He finished the night with four total tackles, but was also among the first few players cut..

Defensive Backs

New York Giants cornerback Nic Jones | John Jones-Imagn Images

Cor’Dale Flott

Flott got the start and the early playing time, looking lightning-quick vs. the Patriots' backup receivers. Flott broke up one pass, and his tight coverage discouraged any further forays into his area. He only played a couple of series.

Nic Jones

Playing some slot as well as some safety tonight, Jones finished with two reliable tackles in limited snaps. We question if Jones is making the team, but he’s a smart player who can usually show up in the right places at the right times.

Art Green

It was Green’s powerful tackling that showed up early on. At the start, we suspect that Green might have this team made, given his unmatched physicality in containment.

He plays corner like a safety, which is to say that he’s most comfortable keeping things in front of him and then closing down for the kill. He finished with five tackles while playing just two series, which is remarkable production.

Three of those tackles came in run force. The other two came on third downs in front of the yard marker and forced punts. Green is also one of the team’s proven gunners. We’d be surprised if he doesn’t make the final 53.

Dee Williams

Williams had a rough night trying to keep up with the Patriots' backups, including allowing a fade touchdown throw over his head, as Williams reacted to the ball too late. He’s a certain waiver wire candidate.

T.J. Moore

What a shame that this ascending young player suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury while covering a punt late in the game. To that point, Moore had played his best football of the preseason.

Early on, he stayed home on a misdirection and made the solo tackle in space for no gain. Though Moore committed an illegal contact foul on the next snap, he made another tackle off of tight coverage.

Then came the pick-6, Moore taking in the off-line throw and taking it to the house for a 41-yard touchdown that saw the entire team race down to the end zone to celebrate the big play.

Though Moore finished with three solo tackles and looked to be on the upswing, the injury took the glow off of the team’s dominating win.

O’Donnell Fortune

One of the young corners responding to the increased playing time, Fortune looked extremely comfortable defending routes along his sideline. He got credit for three total knockaways, including an end zone fade that he defended like a veteran.

Fortune has very nice height for the position, and though he’s rail-thin, he wasn’t shy in sticking his nose into traffic, finishing with three tackles besides the three passes defensed. We sure liked how Fortune played instinctively.

He seems to lack great foot speed out wide, but as a zone corner with a nose for the football, he may have some value, just not on this final 53 (and he’s already been waived by the team)..

K’Von Wallace

Getting one of the starts at safety, Wallace didn’t get very many chances to get in on the action, recording just the one tackle. This young veteran is a likely cut, but his physicality is something that would make him attractive to keep around.

Makari Paige

This UDFA did not look overwhelmed tonight, looking more and more comfortable with each passing week. Though he’s very thin, Paige never hesitated attacking the line of scrimmage and getting in on the action.

He finished with four total tackles, including one in the backfield when he made a great read out wide, and he seemed to hold up better this week than last week.

The practice squad beckons for this interesting safety whose height and mobility are big pluses. We’d sure like to see more of this kid.

Special Teams

Jude McAtamney

For the second week in a row, the coaches did the smart thing with their 38-year-old placekicker (Graham Gano) by giving him the night off and allowing the kid with the pretty big leg to take all the swings at the ball on the ground.

The kid converted each one of his six extra points (no field goals attempted, unfortunately, to these curious eyes). Other than the opening kickoff, McAtamney was directed to kick all of his kickoffs into the end zone for a touchback.

This is a no-brainer for the opposing team to accept the ball at the 35-yard line. We doubt that it will be a regular-season strategy, but the touchback rule kept any kickoff collisions and/or injuries to an absolute minimum.

Jamie Gillan

For the second week in a row, Gillan only had to punt three times, the recipient of the team’s preseason leading scoring offense that consistently finished off most of their drives with touchdowns.

Gillan had a solid 47.0 gross, but he was back to his unacceptable punting ways. His first punt was too short to field, but fortunately turned into a 49-yarder with zero return.

His second punt was an average 45-yarder that several members of his coverage team whiffed on, yielding a 22-yard return that nearly went all the way. A later 47-yarder yielded a 12-yard return. All this return yardage made Gillan’s net a sub-par 35.7, which is not good.

Casey Kreiter

Nothing wrong with Kreiter’s snaps, all of which were solid.

Additional Notes

Ihmir Smith-Marsette: Smith-Marsette got the starting punt return and returned it for 7 yards. He also went back to field a late-game punt, but it was too short to field on the fly.

Gunner Olszewski: Getting the second punt to return, Olszewski produced a neat 17-yard north-south return that was negated by an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Giants. This was Olszewski’s only return opportunity of the night.

Dante Miller: This speedy but out-of-control gunner made a big mistake by continuing to block his gunner on a fair catch. Miller should have faded away from his return man, but instead, he blocked his man into the catch point.

To make matters worse, the punt hit Miller in the leg, and when the Patriots recovered the loose ball, Miller was credited with a punt return for zero yards. Still, it was essentially a muff and, ergo, a turnover deep in Giants territory.

Though he’s made some plays on specials this preseason, this lack of awareness is not acceptable when the games start to count.

Nic Jones: Getting one of the starting gunner spots, Jones did well on his first coverage, but on his second one, he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for continuing to block his man out of bounds. That 15-yard penalty negated a 17-yard return and put the offense in bad field position.

Greg Dulcich: Dulcich made the touchdown-saving punt coverage tackle on the Pats’ dangerous 22-yard return.

Beaux Collins: Getting the other starting gunner spot, Collins got downfield well on several punts but did not look particularly agile in space. He was solid on the team’s lone kickoff coverage, and was blocked from behind, but there was no call.

Jonathan Ward: On that lone kickoff coverage play, Ward made the resounding solo tackle. Interestingly, Ward also made the solo tackle on the Patriots’ final punt return of the night, giving him two of the three special teams tackles on what was a rather quiet night on returns.

Zach Pascal: With Dane Belton not playing, this veteran took over the punt coverage fullback role and performed it credibly. This guy does so many of the little things, we’d like to see him hang around, but his lack of speed and athleticism won’t keep up with the league’s regular-season speed.

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