Game Review: New York Giants at Washington Redskins, September 25, 2014

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Sep 302014
 
Prince Amukamara, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Prince Amukamara – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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New York Giants 45 – Washington Redskins 14

After lethargic and bumbling demonstrations during training camp, the preseason, and the first two regular-season games, the first-team offense of the New York Giants has caught fire. In the matter of five days, the once 0-2 G-Men have righted the ship and find themselves at .500 at the quarter-point of the season. Is it a mirage or the start of something bigger? The next three games before the bye week will be very telling.

As for this particular contest, the Giants humiliated the Redskins on national television on their own home field. Despite giving up some big plays, the defense forced six turnovers and created excellent field position for the offense. The Giants offense was a machine, scoring six touchdowns. All in all, it was an impressive performance across the board.

REVISITING: FOUR DOWNS
During our game preview, we listed ‘Four Downs,’ which took a look at the top four questions surrounding the Giants heading into the game. Now that the game has been played and the film reviewed, it’s time to break it down.

First Down
Who plays free safety?
Quintin Demps was the man who replaced Stevie Brown at free safety and the former Kansas City Chief played so-so. There were highlights, like his bat down of a Kirk Cousins screen pass when he came flying in on a blitz, along with an interception. However, there were also several plays the safety missed. He opened up his hips too much and allowed an easy slant completion to Niles Paul, then also took a bad angle on the Alfred Morris touchdown run. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great for Demps, either.

Second Down
Has the offensive line turned the corner?
For the second game in a row, the offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. Eli Manning was barely touched and the Giants rushed for 154 yards.

Third Down
Does Andre Williams see an increased workload?
Andre Williams finished the game with the most carries (15) and yards (66). Peyton Hillis saw his first action this year at running back and chipped in with 31 yards on eight carries.

Fourth Down
Can the special teams be special?
There was nothing special about the Giants special teams, but it wasn’t terrible, either. There were no big returns let up by the Giants and few lanes on punt and kick returns. Return wise, there was a nice one by Preston Parker, but it was called back on a holding. Unlike in previous weeks, the special teams didn’t stand out for a glaring mistake, it just didn’t do anything to separate itself with a “great” play, either.

OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW – by Eric Kennedy

It is always dangerous to make dramatic and sweeping statements after one or two performances. This is especially true after facing lesser teams with significant injury issues. But it is clear that this offensive system under Ben McAdoo is very different from the previous system under Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride. It’s not just the emphasis on the West Coast-style short-passing game – which obviously makes the offensive line look better and reduces wear-and-tear on Eli Manning. It’s the pace of the offense. In my lifetime, the Giants have never been this quick to run plays. The no-huddle is the base offense. And when it works, it’s impressive. The defense is back on its heels. The offense is dictating, not the defense. Of course, if you don’t pick up first downs, the hurry-up, no-huddle can backfire. But in this particular game, against this particular opponent, Giants fans have rarely been treated to such offensive efficiency.

Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson – © USA TODAY Sports Images

The Giants ran 78 offensive plays. They picked up 31 first downs. They were 11-of-16 (69 percent) on third-down conversions. They gained 449 yards of offense, with 154 yards rushing and 295 net yards passing. There were no fumbles and one fluke interception. The Giants were 6-of-8 (75 percent) in the red zone. They controlled the clock for over 37 minutes.

The downside to the West Coast offense is it is a dink-and-dunk type of scheme. It’s safer, but it relies on an offense to remain relatively mistake free in order to extend drives that often end up being 8-12 plays long. A sack or penalty or negative run can sabotage a drive. For example, on the Giants third possession of the game, a holding call basically stopped the drive in its tracks. But when the offense plays mistake-free, like the Giants largely did against the Redskins, the results are impressive. While there were six pass plays of 20 yards or more, the longest was only 36 yards.

It is also important to note that their is a symbiotic relationship between offense and defense. I’ve been bitching for weeks that the defense has to help the offense by getting the ball back, either by forcing three-and-outs or turnovers. Against the Redskins, when the offense stumbled with a turnover, the Giants got the ball back one play later. Most importantly, the offense started on a short field five times – at the Redskins 24, 21, 35, 22, and 46 yard lines. Four of those drives ended with touchdowns. You cannot divorce the 45-point explosion from that key fact.

My biggest worry now? Ben McAdoo is going to be one hot coaching commodity after this season.

QUARTERBACK – by Eric Kennedy

It would appear the stories of Eli Manning’s demise were premature. The two-time Super Bowl MVP has his mojo back. To confirm, he will need to demonstrate some come-from-behind heroics and another playoff run, but let’s focus on this particular game for now.

Manning was near-perfect in the first half, going 20-for-24 (with three drops) for 209 yards and three touchdowns. His first-half QB rating was 142.5. When the Giants were in hurry-up, no-huddle in the first half, Eli was in as much of a “zone” as he has ever been in the NFL. He properly read the defense, scanned the field, made the correct decision, and delivered extremely accurate throws. And he spread the ball around to seven different targets in the first half, including 15 passes to the wide receivers, seven passes to the tight ends, and two passes to the backs.

Rueben Randle, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Perfect Pass from Manning to Randle

Manning seems to be regaining his trust in his blockers up front, and with that, he is starting to move around the pocket without worrying about contact. That is a departure from his skittishness from the preseason. My favorite pass of his on the night was the 27-yarder to Rueben Randle where dropped the ball perfectly over the corner and in front of the safety.

My biggest criticism of Manning in this game was while his short to medium throws were mostly spot on, he missed some deep opportunities, including what should have been an easy deep strike to Preston Parker for a 22-yard touchdown and possibly a 56-yarder to Victor Cruz. He also was very lucky on one late sideline throw where the defensive back dropped a sure interception.

By game’s end, Eli was 28-of-39 (with five drops) for 300 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception (on a throw that should have been a touchdown). He also rushed for a fifth touchdown.

RUNNING BACKS – by Eric Kennedy

The Giants took control of the game in the first half, when they went up 24-7. Only one-third (13-of-38) of the offensive plays in the first half were runs, with the Giants gaining 3.7 yards per carry and the longest run being only 12 yards. Obviously, Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams were not the focus early on.

Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Peyton Hillis – © USA TODAY Sports Images

In the second half, with the big lead, the Giants began to pound the ball more as Jennings, Williams, Peyton Hillis, and Henry Hynoski finished with 24 more carries. Interestingly, Williams finished with two more carries than Jennings and had the team’s biggest run, 23 yards. Five days after he carried the ball 34 times against the Texans, Jennings carried it only 13 times, affording the Giants’ feature back somewhat of a break. Jennings’ most important run of the night might have been his 1-yard effort on 3rd-and-1 at the Redskins 7-yard line. Jennings picked up the first down basically on his own, allowing the Giants to go up 21-7. The normally sure-handed Jennings did drop a sure touchdown pass; the not sure-handed Williams dropped a pass as well.

WIDE RECEIVERS – by Eric Kennedy

As Rueben Randle and Larry Donnell improve, and with Preston Parker being an improvement over Jerrel Jernigan as the third receiver, Victor Cruz seems to be getting his mojo back as well. He’s not quite there yet, as the dropped passes remain an issue (the Giants’ first drive stalled at mid-field when Cruz dropped a 3rd-and-5 pass for a first down and room to run). But Cruz is finally more involved in the offense and he looks slippery after the catch. He caught four passes for 83 yards in the first half, including a 36-yarder (the Giants longest offensive play of the game) on the second touchdown drive, and a 29-yarder with only one second left before halftime to set up the Giants’ lone field goal of the game. Late in the third quarter, he made a very nice play with a 20-yard catch-and-run over the middle down to the Redskins 2-yard line. By game’s end, he was targeted 10 times, with six catches for 108 yards. For those who have not noticed it yet, Cruz sometimes lines up in the backfield before going out on his pattern, an interesting wrinkle from Ben McAdoo.

Daniel Fells and Adrien Robinson, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Rueben Randle – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Like Cruz, Randle isn’t quite “there” yet, but he’s improving. He finished as the team’s leading receiver with eight catches on 10 targets for 89 yards. He would have had a bigger night had he been able to hold onto the ball after a hit by the safety in the end zone. It looked like a touchdown regardless, but the officials ruled it wasn’t and the ball was intercepted after coming loose from Randle’s hands. Randle had a 27-yard reception on New York’s third touchdown drive of the first half. He also made an outstanding, leaping 21-yard reception down the right sideline to the 2-yard line in the third quarter. Perhaps the most satisfying play was his 12-yarder on 3rd-and-7. It came on a back-shoulder throw, the type of play Randle hasn’t been on the same page with Eli in the past.

Quietly, Preston Parker is beginning to have an impact as the Giants’ third receiver. He only caught three passes for 29 yards, but one was a clutch 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-9 on New York’s third touchdown drive. Later in the half, he had a 12-yard gain on 3rd-and-4 and drew a 17-yard pass interference penalty on the Giants field goal drive. He also dropped a pass on this possession however. In the second half, he easily got behind the Washington defense on what should have been a 22-yard touchdown but Eli overthrew him.

TIGHT ENDS – by Eric Kennedy

So the Giants may not have the worst group of tight ends in the NFL. In fact, the Giants tight ends have quickly become an instrumental part of their offense, something we were clued in on as early as the Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices. At the time, we thought, “Why the heck is Ben McAdoo featuring our tight ends when our tight ends are so dreadful?” Once again, a lesson for us fans to perhaps reserve judgement until the bullets actually start flying.

Larry Donnell, New York Giants (September 25, 2014)

Larry Donnell – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Aside from the overall performance of the offense and the resurgence of Eli Manning, the story of this game has to be the emergence of Larry Donnell. Seven catches for 54 yards sounds fairly modest. But three first-half touchdowns certainly does not. As was pointed out repeatedly on the telecast, Donnell is rapidly becoming a match-up problem for defenses. Donnell got open against linebackers, safeties, and even corners in this game. He is not particularly fast, but he is an athlete with very good overall agility and body control. Combine that with his size and sure hands, and you have an emerging weapon very well suited to this type of offense. If Donnell stays healthy and humble, he could be in store for a huge season. Through four games, it’s clear that Donnell is quite comfortable making the tough, athletic catch despite opposing contact. His size allows him to out-muscle or out-reach defenders, and he is very natural catching the ball away from his large frame. The best news is that Manning is beginning to trust Donnell to make the correct adjustments during the play. On the first touchdown pass, Manning threw the ball away from the defender and Donnell expected Manning to do just that. They were both on the same page in reading how to react to the defender. That chemistry should only build with time.

We should not lose sight of the fact that Daniel Fells is starting to make some noise as the second tight end. Fells only has six catches in four games, but three of those have gone for touchdowns. For a guy who was out of football in 2013, Fells looks like a legitimate NFL contributor as a second tight end. Aside from his 2-yard touchdown, Fells caught an important 6-yard pass on 3rd-and-4 on the third touchdown drive.

The icing on the cake was Adrien Robinson’s first NFL catch. Yes, the 15-yarder came in garbage time, but hey, at this point, we’ll take it.

OFFENSIVE LINE – by Eric Kennedy

The Giants offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. Read that again. Savor it.

Please note that the improvement in Eli, the ground game, the passing game, third-down conversions, time of possession, and points all seem intimately connected to the performance of the offensive line. Duh? Well, it’s surprising how quickly many fans fail to appreciate that point.

To be fair, the Giants were facing a beat-up front seven and the short-passing game does significantly reduce the pressure on linemen to hold their blocks. In other words, the system often makes the line’s performance look better than it really is. That said, the Giants are protecting Manning – something they didn’t do last season – and they are creating running room for the backs – again something they didn’t do last season. Left tackle Will Beatty is regaining his 2012 form. Right tackle Justin Pugh is building on his solid rookie season. And of particular note, the trio of Weston Richburg, J.D. Walton, and John Jerry have been a huge upgrade over their 2013 counterparts. Eli isn’t getting pressure immediately in his face. What I like about this group is they are developing a touch of nastiness to their game. They seem to enjoy punishing defenders.

Though actual hits are often under-reported, according to the official game book, Eli was only hit once in the game. This came on the play where Jerry gave up some immediate pressure and OLB Ryan Kerrigan beat Pugh for the sack. Eli was hardly touched. And the Giants rushed for 154 yards. That’s a nice day at the office. The only other negative notes I had were a holding penalty on Jerry and inside pressure allowed by Walton and Jerry on the play were Manning was almost picked off.

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW – by Connor Hughes

There is a telling stat that should be provided: Since taking over as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, teams are 3-12 the week after facing Chip Kelly’s team. Actually, make that 3-13 following Thursday night.

The Washington offense looked downright dysfunctional, most of that having to do with Kirk Cousins. The quarterback was throwing passes right at the Giants defensive backs and seemed completely unprepared for the game. During his first two games played this year, Kirk Cousins didn’t face much pressure. He was allowed to sit back in the pocket and wait for his guys to get open. The Giants made a concerted effort to make sure that was not the case, and Cousins didn’t respond. The quarterback was under constant pressure and made bad decisions as a result.

The numbers don’t lie, Washington finished with the following stats: 329 yards (243 passing, 86 rushing), 17 first downs and a whopping six turnovers. The six turnovers are nice, but a bit padded as well. Trumaine McBride, Antrel Rolle and Demps had balls thrown right at them. Mathias Kiwanuka’s sack-fumble and Prince Amukamara’s interception were the two that were truly “forced.” Either way, the Giants defense has gone from turnover-challenged to a turnover machine the last two weeks.

Not bad for a unit without Jon Beason and Devon Kennard.

DEFENSIVE LINE – by Connor Hughes

There’s been a lot of heat thrown Mathias Kiwanuka’s way, and some of it warranted. The veteran is no longer the player he used to be, but he’s still a very, very serviceable player. Kiwanuka set the tone early with a sack-strip-fumble of Kirk Cousins on Washington’s first drive. Kiwanuka did a great job of smacking the offensive lineman’s hands away to get around and apply the hit on Cousins. The scary part of the hit? Cousins had no idea it was coming.

The sacks aren’t there just yet for Jason Pierre-Paul, but the defensive end has been a complete and total force through the first four games of 2014. Pierre-Paul is back playing sideline-to-sideline, playing both the run and pass and seems like he’s a much more mature and intelligent player than he used to be. Pierre-Paul always had the physical attributes to be one of the league’s best, but couple in game smarts? It’s a dangerous, dangerous combination.

Pierre-Paul again made his presence felt and should have had a sack had he not been tackled by Trent Williams.

One of the reasons Cousins struggled as much as he did was the fact his timing clock was messed up from the start. The Giants put an emphasis on pressuring the quarterback as often as they could, and it worked. It didn’t matter who brought the pressure, the pocket was regularly collapsed.

While the defensive backs of the Giants got a lot of credit for the interceptions, much more of it has to go to the defensive line pressuring Cousins into the throws. Two specifically stand out. On Antrel Rolle’s interception, Robert Ayers Jr. blew up his lineman and forced Cousins to throw the ball early.

On Prince’s pick, there wasn’t pressure, but rather a forest Cousins had to throw around.

LINEBACKERS – by Connor Hughes

I understand, in essence, the decision to have Mark Herzlich in the game. Aside from the starters (McClain/Williams), Herzlich is the Giants best linebacker against the run. You put the Boston College product on the field in base formations where you expect the run, he should be able to keep it contained.

That mindset works…when opponents run the ball. When they don’t? It’s not pretty. Not pretty at all.  Three screen-grabs show the complete and total story:

The thing that is completely mind boggling is the fact those second and third photos just above were near identical plays that came on back-to-back series. I do not know how much longer Herzlich can be in the game, because he is a complete liability against the pass. When watching the film, Herzlich simply turns on both plays and runs towards the center of the field. I do not know why he’s running towards the center of the field because others were guarding the area (as you can see in the one, Rolle is there). Against good teams, those plays will cost the Giants. Beason may be back this week, which should signal the end of Herzlich as a starter. If something were to happen that opens up another spot before Devon Kennard returns from injury, I don’t know how Spencer Paysinger is kept off the field.

DEFENSIVE BACKS – by Connor Hughes

Prince Amukamara and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie earned their paychecks, holding Pierre Garćon and DeSean Jackson to just three receptions, but my eye, for the most part, was on Quintin Demps. Stevie Brown lost his spot to Demps for not making the instinctive plays that led to eight interceptions two years ago, would Demps really be a better fit?

The answer, as mentioned in ‘Four Downs,’ was both yes, and no. Things didn’t start great for Demps as he gave up a first down completion to Niles Paul on Washington’s first drive. On a slant, Demps opened his hips allowing Paul to create separation and gain the first down, but he responded well. Two plays especially stand out.

Washington attempted a receiver reverse and the receiver looked to have a lot of room to run, but Demps closed very quickly to negate anything big from happening. On another play, Demps came firing in from the edge on a blitz, leaped in the air and batted down the pass.

The one play that I wasn’t sure if it was Demps, or nickel cornerback Trumaine McBride, was the touchdown throw from Cousins to Andre Roberts. After watching it back, I believe this one has to fall on McBride. Washington came out and spread the defense, then proceeded to run four verticals. Four verticals normally line two wide receivers to the left or right with a tight end, then another receiver on the other side. All four players run streaks, or deep patterns.

In this particular situation, Washington lined up all on the far side of the field. Amukamara matched up on Jackson, McBride on Roberts and Demps, in his safety position, had the deep zone. It looked like Jameel McClain was a little slow on covering Paul, which meant Demps needed to pick up the tight end. For some reason, McBride stuttered at the seven yard line, allowing Roberts to get behind him.

Could Demps have pulled off and covered Roberts with help? Sure, but that would have meant leaving Paul wide open.

SPECIAL TEAMS – by Connor Hughes

As stated in ‘Four Downs,’ it was nothing special for the special teams, but nothing especially bad, either. Washington returned two kickoffs for 33 yards (16.5 average) with a long of 20. The Redskins did not return a punt.

Returning for the Giants, Preston Parker ran back two punts for 11 yards with a long of six. He had a 29-yard return nullified on an illegal block penalty on Nat Behre. Parker returned the Giants only kickoff of the day 34 yards. The biggest special teams screw up of the night was Parker not fielding one punt in the third quarter, allowing the ball to eventually travel 77 yards. Making matters worse was 10-yard penalty on Damontre Moore on the same play. These snafus completely altered the field position battle at the time. Josh Brown went 1-for-1 with a 29-yard field goal. Steve Weatherford punted five times, with three downed inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 45 yards per punt.

(New York Giants at Washington Redskins, September 25, 2014)
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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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