Game Review: New York Giants 23 – Denver Broncos 10

 Posted by
Oct 182017
 
Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants (October 15, 2017)

Dalvin Tomlinson – © USA TODAY Sports

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New York Giants 23 – Denver Broncos 10

RECAP

Heading to Denver in prime time after a 7-day run that saw the loss of 4 of the team’s top 5 wide receivers and starting weakside linebacker to injury in addition to the suspension of their slot cornerback appeared to be a situation that was going to be as bad as it can be. Denver has was won 25 of their past 30 games on their home turf, including all 3 this season. The number one defense in the league matched up against an offense that has been struggling mightily. A secondary and pass rush that has been shutting down passing games with ease and the top ranked run defense with the backing of a home crowd on a Sunday night. This had the makings of just ugly for NYG. In typical NFL fashion, Eli Manning yet again proved but he and the league are as unpredictable as ever.

The Giants dominated the time of possession early on. They forced two three-and-outs defensively. And with Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan now calling the plays, there was a consistent and steady flow off the bat spearheaded by a running game that went from evolving over the past few weeks to domination in Denver. The Giants made it down to the Denver 8-yard line, 1st-and-goal, with rookie Evan Engram taking over as the team’s primary target in the passing game, catching 2 passes for 37 yards. Aldrick Rosas kicked a 25-yard field goal to give the Giants the initial lead, something they wouldn’t give up the rest of the game.

On Denver’s third possession of the game, they began near midfield thanks to a catch interference by Michael Hunter on a punt play. Former Giants kicker Brandon McManus, whom had already missed 3 field goal attempts at home in 2017, went wide right on is 35-yard attempt. There was blood in the water and NYG too advantage of it. Led by a 47-yard run by Orleans Darkwa, the Giants marched down the field and capped the drive with a 5-yard pitch-and-catch for a touchdown from Manning to Engram. NYG had a commanding 10-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter.

Once again, Trevor Siemian and the balanced Broncos offense appeared to be driving until he threw an interception to safety Landon Collins. Collins returned it 21 yards setting up the Giants on their own 35-yard line. A quick three-and-out partially because of a 3rd down delay-of-game penalty gave the ball back to Denver who, once again, drove down the field via play-action passes and attacking the top Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. Their red zone woes continued, however, and they settled for a field goal attempt by McManus, this one he made. 10-3 Giants with just over 4 minutes left in the first half.

The Broncos defense forced the Giants into another three-and-out as the momentum appeared to be shifting. A big play from the Giants defense was needed. On 3rd-and-10, Siemian continued to throw to Jenkins’ side one too many times, as the Giants top cover man picked off a pass to the left and returned it for 43 yards into the end zone. The Giants took a 17-3 lead into halftime with Siemian in the locker room early getting his non-throwing shoulder checked out which he appeared to injure trying to tackle Jenkins.

New York and Denver exchanged 4 play drives to start off the second half. On the Giants second possession, they were led by a 21-yard catch-and-run by Engram, the rookie who will likely view this game as his breakout. His speed and size gave the Denver coverage fits. For the first time this year, Ben McAdoo opted to let kicker Aldrick Rosas go for a 45+ yard field goal. The rookie lined up from 51 yards away and nailed a 51-yarder that would have been good from 60. New York took a 20-3 lead and it was now up to the defense to prevent the 12th-ranked offense in the league from giving the team another blown lead.

The Broncos quickly got to midfield and started to approach field goal range. A sack by the run-stuffing Damon Harrison put a roadblock in the Broncos plans. They opted to go for a 53-yard field goal, which would cut the lead to two possessions. Kerry Wynn broke through the inside gap and got his hand on the low-line drive attempt, getting enough of it to prevent the ball from ever having a shot at even reaching the goal post. The score remained 20-3 as the Giants took over close to midfield.

Manning hooked up with Engram for yet another impact, 19-yard play, getting the Giants to the Denver 38-yard line. On 3rd-and-3, Engram however suffered his second drop of the night forcing NYG to give Rosas another shot at a long field goal, this one 49 yards. Denver’s own hybrid defensive lineman, Adam Gostis, snuck through the line and got his hand on this one, making it the second block in as many attempts for in this match-up.

As the 3rd quarter was drawing to a close, wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas were injured. Sanders was eventually carted off while Thomas was fighting through a significant limp. The team was down 17 points with one quarter left and their top two targets were either not on the field or a shell of their actual selves. Jason Pierre Paul recorded his second sack of the night and then on 4th-and-5, Thomas was stripped by Jenkins and the ball as recovered by Eli Apple. Giants ball near midfield again with a 17 point lead.

A quick three-and-out and a punt gave the Broncos the ball back on their own 15-yard line and they put together perhaps their best drive of the night. Despite losing another wide receiver, Isaiah McKenzie, to injury, they drove all the way down to the Giants 1-yard line. The Giants defensive front came up big and forced a turnover on downs. New York was able to take 2 minutes off the clock, giving the ball back to Denver at their own 42-yard line.

Siemian went 4/6 for 55 yards, capping the drive with their only touchdown of the night to tight end Jeff Heuerman. After a failed onsides kick attempt and good field position, the Giants rode another long Darkwa run into field goal range and Rosas made his third one of the night, this one from 40 yards. The Broncos squeezed one more play in but nothing from that point mattered. Giants win 23-10 in Denver.

QUARTERBACKS

  • Eli Manning: 11/19 – 128 yards – 1 TD/0 INT. With multiple weapons no longer in the picture, the outlook and approach of this offense had change. Manning has always done a nice job with young, under the radar receivers and this game was no different. He wasn’t asked to do much but he did protect the ball against one of the scariest pass defenses in the league at their place. Him and Engram have seemed to develop the relationship this team will be heavily relying on the rest of the season. This is something that I saw developing at training camp and the best has yet to come.

RUNNING BACKS

  • Orleans Darkwa: 21 att/117 yards – 1 rec/13 yards. The highest rushing total for a lone Giants rusher since, get this, January 3, 2016 (Week 17 of the 2015 season)!  Darkwa started off hot and ended hot. His aggressive downhill style is a force when the blocking is there.
  • Wayne Gallman: 9 att/27 yards – 2 rec/7 yards. There wasn’t much of a need for Gallman other than giving the hot-handed Darkwa a breather. The combination of these two can be something to really work with, as their running styles couldn’t be more different.

WIDE RECEIVERS

  • Roger Lewis: 1 rec/15 yards. With such a limited amount of passes thrown and Engram being their top target, Lewis couldn’t really get involved. Also keep in mind that being matched up against Aqib Talib forced Manning to look away from him. Lewis’ lone catch was a big one, a 3rd-and-10 conversion on the Giants lone TD scoring drive. Next up? Richard Sherman.
  • Tavarres King: 1 rec / 7 yards: In his debut back with the team, King was thrown to 3 times. I expect him to be more involved over the next few weeks, as Eli seems to at least have some trust in him. Travis Rudolph is knocking, however.

TIGHT ENDS

  • Evan Engram: 5 rec/82 yards – 1 TD. This was a huge, huge night for the Giants first rounder. Not just the production, but the fact he stepped up as the team’s primary receiving option and looked dominant doing it is a sign of things to come. The quick speed he has for a player his size may be unmatched in this league and once he gets over the little hesitations I see here and there, there is no ceiling for him. Huge test or him against SEA coming up.
  • Rhett Ellison: 0 rec/0 yards. He played about two-thirds of the team’s snaps. The team’s running success was in part because of him. What I like most here is how hard he runs downfield to throw the extra block. Watching the offensive tape over and over makes me appreciate what he brings to the table as an intangible guy. And I am holding on the concept that he can be a difference maker in the passing game if he gets the looks.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • Tackles: Considering who these guys went up against, both Ereck Flowers and Justin Pugh had a very solid game. Flowers graded out at 2.78, right around the “average” line of my grading system. The two sacks he allowed were not fully his fault and if anything, were both more on Manning. Flowers actually didn’t run block well and a number that stood out to me were the 5 tackles he allowed, his highest of the season. Pugh graded out at 2.9 and was primarily matched up against Von Miller – that is a major victory for the team’s best OT. He allowed 1 sack 1 tackle on the night.
  • Guards/Center: D.J. Fluker, in his first start of the season, dominated in the run game. His 2.93 grade was the highest of the night, as he was moving guys off the ball consistently from start to finish. He is probably the biggest difference maker in this Giants running game that appears to be taking off finally. John Jerry and Brett Jones graded out at 2.89 and 2.81 respectively, rounding out the first time the linemen have all graded out above the average mark on my sheet in the same game since last year. Jones had some play-changing blocks but also allowed 4 tackles, a high number for a center.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Ends: One of my preseason predictions gone wrong was Jason Pierre-Paul being in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. I wouldn’t call his start to the year “horrid”, but it was nowhere near where I thought he would be. Well he took a step in the right direction finally, finishing the night with 3 sacks and a forced fumble. There was less dancing around to his game and I’ve always felt when he was more assertive, more straight-lined, with his approach that is when we see the dominant JPP. He has another opportunity coming up this week to take over. Kerry Wynn got the start on the other side and played solid run defense, recording a tackle for loss. Rookie Avery Moss played nearly half the team’s snaps but didn’t make much of an impact. The power presence simply isn’t there yet.
  • Tackles: Damon Harrison continues to be the bright spot of the defense. He finished with 4 tackles and a sack where he was moving like a 275-pound pass rushing tackle. His impact is felt almost every play, as he was double-teamed on 78% of the plays he was in. Rookie Dalvin Tomlinson took yet another step forward in his progression, getting off the ball exceptionally well and altering the plans of the Broncos running game. They averaged just over 2.5 yards per carry largely because of these two. Jay Bromley and Robert Thomas actually got close to even playing time at the position to help keep those two fresh and did a fine job inside.

LINEBACKERS

  • After a rough start to the year, Keenan Robinson played his best game of the year. He was very consistent with his assignments against the run and made an impact in coverage, break up 2 passes. He finished with 6 tackles. B.J. Goodson also finished with 6 tackles and 2 pass break ups, although he is still struggling often when it comes to recognizing pass and getting to his spot and/or man.
  • Devon Kennard had a quiet night but his versatility and multiple roles helps this defense in several ways. Calvin Munson was brought in as an early run-down defender and finished with 2 tackles.

CORNERBACKS

  • With Dominique Rodgers-Cromarite serving his one game suspension handed down by Ben McAdoo, someone had to step up. Eli Apple had his best game of the year and one of his best since being in the NFL. He broke up 3 passes, wasn’t flagged once, and was very physical in the run game. Janoris Jenkins was picked on early and did get a beat a few times (including a pass interference penalty) but came up with the biggest play of the night – a pick 6 at the end of the 2nd quarter that gave the Giants a double digit lead.
  • Ross Cockrell and Donte Deayon both saw plenty of time with the Broncos playing the majority of the game from behind. It was Deayon’s first game action and he was very sure of himself and his assignments. Watching the “All-22” tape, I can tell Deayon knew where to be and who to get to. He is an excellent mover in coverage and if he can hold up physically, can bring plenty to the table in nickel/dime packages .

SAFETIES

  • With Denver only handing off the ball off 15 times, Landon Collins’ didn’t have his usual impact in the box. He finished the game with 0 tackles for the first time in his career. However his 2nd quarter interception with the Broncos driving was a major momentum shift in the game that prevented them from putting valuable early points on the board. Collins also was somewhat limited, playing 64% of the teams snaps. Darian Thompson had another solid game, finishing with 5 tackles and more importantly getting near the action often.
  • Nat Berhe and Andrew Adams played about 20% of the teams snaps and didn’t make much of an impact. Berhe did miss a TFL opportunity which has become the norm for him.

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • K Aldrick Rosas: 3 / 4 – Made 25-51-40 – Missed 49. An important step for Rosas, who really has been overlooked in long field goal attempts so far this year. Rosas’ 51-yarder hit halfway up the kicking net with velocity; it may have been good from 65.
  • P Brad Wing: 6 punts – 49.8 avg. His 46-yard net average is top tier. Wing had a solid night that helped NYG win the field-position battle.
  • Return: Ed Eagan – 1 PR for 20 yards. With Dwayne Harris gone for the year, this is a job that is there for the taking and the shifty Eagan took advantage on his one shot. I like how quickly he can accelerate north/south while maintaining the ability to cut laterally at any given time.

3 STUDS

  • RB Orleans Darkwa, OG D.J. FLuker, DE Jason Pierre Paul

3 DUDS

  • OC Brett Jones, DE Avery Moss, WR Roger Lewis

3 THOUGHTS ON DEN

  • Coming into the year, my biggest worry about this defensively-dominant team was a lackluster offensive line paired with a QB who doesn’t seem to have a ceiling higher than middle of the road. That can be a rough combination and considering Paxton Lynch won’t be ready until next year at the earliest, DEN may have a hard time holding onto that wild card spot. Unless their defense dominates week in, week out, they are going to have a lot of trouble winning enough games.
  • CB Aqib Talib may not be everyone’s favorite person, but re-watching his all 22 tape and with what I have seen on those tapes the past 3 years, I have to say I think he is the best CB in football right now. Granted Roger Lewis may not have been the stiffest challenge Sunday night, but the way he moves before reads are supposed to be made combined with his size, speed, and ball skills is almost unfair.
  • Left tackle Garett Bolles was a very much talked about prospect last year because of his interesting situation. Older than the average rookie, a rough past, sloppy technique at times, short tempered. But in his short career to this point, he may have the left tackle spot locked up in DEN for the next 7-10 years. He looked fantastic.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

  • Do we need to evaluate the Giants playoff chances every week? No. One week at time and let this thing play out. There IS still a chance and the biggest weakness on this team has turned a corner, the offensive line. Plays are being made by the defense, and Eli Manning specializes in these situations. Keep all of those in mind.
  • 4 of the 5 top WRs were injured last week and all of the sudden this Giants offense looked efficient, consistent, and reliable. Funny how that works. You will never catch me saying they are better off without those guys on the field, but something needs to be said for the fact they were just fine against the BEST defense at THEIR place. Quality offensive line play and a new play caller made all the difference. It would be great to see this offense actually take steps forward to prove to everyone in the building and on the sideline that star players aren’t always needed, a team that plays together to win is all you need.
  • Did Ben McAdoo “save his job”? Well first of all I don’t think his job was ever that much in danger the way some were saying. It simply isn’t the Giants way to fire someone after his second year, the first of which he made the playoffs. But him turning the play calling duties over and suspending the team’s #2 CB after an 0-5 start were both ballsy moves. And they both worked out very well. If he can get this team to a 2-5 mark heading into the bye week, I don’t think there is anything that can happen that would get him fired in 2018.

New York Giants 23 – Denver Broncos 10

 Posted by
Oct 162017
 
Landon Collins and Jay Bromley, New York Giants (October 15, 2017)

Goal-Line Defense! – © USA TODAY Sports

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NEW YORK GIANTS 23 – DENVER BRONCOS 10…
Missing a plethora of injured players, the underdog New York Giants soundly defeated the Denver Broncos 23-10 on Sunday night at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. The victory was the team’s first on the season, as New York is now 1-5 overall.

Denver actually substantially out-gained the Giants in first downs (20 to 12), total net yards (412 to 266), and net passing yards (366 to 118). But the Giants out-rushed the Broncos 148 to 46 and the Giants won the all-important turnover battle 3 to 0. New York’s defense also forced two turnovers on downs. Coming into the game, Denver had been averaging 143 rushing yards per contest. And the Giants were able to move the ball on the ground against what had been the NFL’s #1 defense.

It was announced before the game that Offensive Coordinator Mike Sullivan would be taking over play-calling duties from Head Coach Ben McAdoo. The Giants also reconfigured their offensive line as follows: left tackle Ereck Flowers, left guard John Jerry, center Brett Jones, right guard D.J. Fluker, and right tackle Justin Pugh.

After the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out to start the game, New York set the tone with a 7-minute, 13-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard field goal by place kicker Aldrick Rosas. Both teams then exchanged three-and-outs. Denver had a chance to tie the game on their third possession, but missed a 35-yard field after a 6-play, 41-yard drive. Sparked by a 15-yard catch by wide receiver Roger Lewis on 3rd-and-10 and 47-yard run by running back Orleans Darkwa, the Giants went up 10-0 early in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eli Manning to tight end Evan Engram on 3rd-and-2.

The Broncos responded with a drive into New York territory, but safety Landon Collins picked off quarterback Trevor Siemian’s pass at the 14 yard line and returned it 21 yards. After a three-and-out by the Giants, Denver managed their first scoring drive with a 9-play, 70-yard possession that resulted in a 28-yard field goal. Giants 10 – Broncos 3.

The Giants went three-and-out again and Denver got the ball back with 2:32 left before halftime. But on 3rd-and-10 from the Denver 38-yard line, Siemian’s pass was intercepted by cornerback Janoris Jenkins and returned 43 yards for a touchdown to give the Giants a 17-3 halftime advantage.

After both teams exchanged punts to start the third quarter, the Giants expanded their lead to 20-3 with Rosas’ 51-yard field goal after the offense gained 30 yards on six plays. Denver’s attempt to cut into this lead on their ensuing possession failed when their 53-yard field goal was blocked by defensive end Kerry Wynn. The Broncos immediately reciprocated as Rosas’ 49-yard field goal was partially blocked.

Still trailing 20-3, a desperate Broncos team went for it on 4th-and-5 at the start of the 4th quarter. The Broncos completed the pass for six yards and the first down, but Jenkins forced a fumble on the play that was recovered by fellow cornerback Eli Apple at the Giants’ 39-yard line. The Giants then went three-and-out for the fourth time in the game. Denver seriously threatened with an 11-play, 84-yard drive. But on 4th-and-goal from the NYG 1-yard line, defensive end Avery Moss stopped the running back for no gain with 8:23 to go in the game.

After a 15-yard run by Darkwa, the Giants were forced to punt again with just over six minutes to play. Unfortunately, the defense too quickly allowed Denver to score their lone touchdown of the night, moving 58 yards in seven plays and two minutes. The Giants recovered the onside kick at the Denver 41-yard line with four minutes to go. On 3rd-and-9, Darkwa gained 19 yards – enough to set up Rosas for a 40-yard field goal with half a minute to go for the final points of the game.

Offensively, Manning only completed 11-of-19 passes for 128 yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. His leading receiver was Engram, who caught 5 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Darkwa rushed 21 times for 117 yards.

Defensively, Jenkins scored on his interception and also forced a fumble that was recovered by Apple (who also was credited with three pass defenses). Collins also had a pick. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul led the team with 8 tackles, three tackles for losses, and three sacks. Defensive tackle Damon Harrison also had a sack. The Giants were credited overall with 11 pass defenses.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were running back Paul Perkins (ribs), wide receiver Sterling Shepard (ankle), center Weston Richburg (concussion), defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle), defensive end Romeo Okwara (knee), linebacker Jonathan Casillas (neck), and quarterback Davis Webb.

Linebacker Calvin Munson (quad) left the game and did not return.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Ben McAdoo and the following players are available at Giants.com:

  • Head Coach Ben McAdoo (Video)
  • QB Eli Manning (Video)
  • TE Evan Engram (Video)

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Ben McAdoo will address the media by conference call Monday afternoon.

Preview: New York Giants at Denver Broncos, October 15, 2017

 Posted by
Oct 132017
 
New York Giants Fans (October 8, 2017)

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Game Preview: New York Giants at Denver Broncos, October 15, 2017

THE STORYLINE:
The 2017 New York Giants season is shaping up to be one of the most disastrous in the team’s 93-year old history. Fans who thought it couldn’t get worse witnessed it getting worse last Sunday. Not only did the winless Giants lose yet another game, but they lost four of their active five wide receivers, including the team’s best player, Odell Beckham, Jr.

You think it can’t get worse? Oh I’m here to tell you sunshine that it can. Thirty-six year old Eli Manning will likely take more and more hits on his aging body. It is not out of the realm of possibility that we could see Manning’s ironman streak end and Geno Smith taking over. The team is beginning to show signs of tuning out Ben McAdoo. And as losses mount, expect the injury list to grow. There are already 13 players on Injured Reserve. And six more players have been ruled “out” against the Broncos.

The 2003 New York Giants won four games. The 1983 New York Giants won three games. The 1974 New York Giants won two games. The 1966 New York Giants won just one game. How low will the 2017 New York Giants sink?

THE INJURY REPORT:

  • RB Paul Perkins (ribs – out)
  • WR Sterling Shepard (ankle – out)
  • OC Weston Richburg (concussion – out)
  • DE Olivier Vernon (ankle – out)
  • DE Romeo Okwara (knee – out)
  • LB Jonathan Casillas (neck – out)
  • S Landon Collins (ankle – questionable)

NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
If you choose to watch, from a fan perspective, the best way to approach the rest of the regular season is like watching an extended and more serious preseason. We don’t know if Ben McAdoo will be back. Or Jerry Reese. But many – if not most – of these players will.

  • Quarterbacks: Barring a miracle turnaround, the New York Giants will likely have a shot at one of the best quarterback prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft. And the prevailing opinion is that the Giants will draft one of them if they get the opportunity. It would be ideal if Davis Webb were a 3rd-round steal and the Giants were able to draft running back Saquon Barkley or a defensive end instead, but the Giants will simply not know what they have in Webb by the end of this year. So expect the Eli Manning era to last at least one more season in 2018 as he serves as a mentor for the team’s 1st round pick and/or Webb. How can this season get worse? Manning gets hurt and we get to enjoy Geno Smith running around like a chicken with his head cut off.
  • Running Backs: Same story with Orleans Darkwa. He impresses early in a game. Then he stops receiving carries. We later learn he got banged up again. The Giants simply can’t count on him. His touches should be going to Wayne Gallman, who has shown flashes of being a legitimate NFL back. The big offseason debate for NYG fans will be the quarterback (and which one) or running back Saquon Barkley. (This of course assumes the Giants will keep losing).
  • Wide Receivers: The Giants are down to four wideouts – three of whom were not on the 53-man roster last Sunday. Roger Lewis, Travis Rudolph, Tavarres King, and Ed Eagan?! Good Lord! At the very least, this is a tremendous opportunity for one or two of these guys to prove they belong in the NFL. Roger Lewis has the most upside, but has proven to be inconsistent. Rudolph is the most consistent, but can he separate from NFL defenders? King and Eagen have bounced around the NFL and this is their last chance.
  • Tight Ends: One would think we’ll see a heavy dose of Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison on the field together. I hope the Giants don’t force feed Engram as a wideout. As Sy’56 has already pointed out, if the Giants split him out wide, and the opposing team puts their best CB on him, he is likely to be held quiet. I would heavily use Engram and Ellison in the passing game as true tight ends/H-Backs. Try to match them up on safeties and linebackers.
  • Offensive Line: As Sy’56 and Cris Collinsworth have pointed out, Ereck Flowers has flashed signs of not sucking in recent games. But he’ll be tested to the limit in this game by pass-rush extraordinaire Von Miller. The question remains… what is his best position? Bobby Hart is struggling on the opposite side. He has 11 games left to prove he belongs in the NFL. At right guard, the Giants have one player who can’t run block (John Jerry) and one player who can’t pass block (D.J. Fluker). Is Justin Pugh worth the money he thinks he deserves or is it best to let him walk? Is Brett Jones a legitimate NFL starter? I’m rooting for a way for Chad Wheeler to play.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
For the third game in a row, Steve Spagnuolo’s defense could not hold a 4th-quarter lead. Now an open rebellion appears to be brewing on the defensive side of the ball. Olivier Vernon out again. Jonathan Casillas not playing this week and Landon Collins questionable? This could get even uglier.

  • Defensive Line: Unfortunately, given the size of their recent contracts, for better or worse, the Giants are stuck with Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon for a while. The cap hit for cutting or trading either in 2018 would be too great. It was hoped that Romeo Okwara might prove to be another rookie free agent steal, but he’s not. And he’s out for this game. Kerry Wynn, who was far too quiet last week, will start again. Meanwhile, the JPP disappearing act continues. Damon Harrison is playing his heart out. He’s got to be frustrated as hell. I personally will be spending more time watching Dalvin Tomlinson.
  • Linebackers: Jonathan Casillas was not playing as well as last year, but him not playing this week is a significant loss for a unit that has struggled to cover backs and tight ends. B.J. Goodson was the talk of training camp, but he’s embarrassing himself in coverage. Keenan Robinson has regressed and shouldn’t be back next year. The Giants may want to start rotating Calvin Munson and Curtis Grant more into the line-up and see what they can do. For any future opponent, I would keep throwing against these guys with my backs and tight ends all day.
  • Defensive Backs: Along with the defensive line, this was supposed to be one of the best units in the NFL and good enough to help carry the team. Now there is dissension in the ranks. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is suspended and he probably won’t be back in 2018, even with a regime change. Despite what the coaches say, Eli Apple was benched. He’s unhappy. Landon Collins and Janoris Jenkins don’t sound happy at all about the DRC situation. And now Collins is banged up. The Giants are wasting snaps on Ross Cockrell. He’s not the future. Play Apple and Michael Hunter. They need the experience. Darian Thompson had his best game last week. Let’s see if he can build upon that.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
Dwayne Harris was finally getting some chances last week and responding. Then he breaks his foot and is gone for the year. He may not be back in 2018. Travis Rudolph and/or Ed Eagan will return. Ball security could be an issue. I’d love to see Aldrick Rosas get a chance at a historic-type kick in Denver with his leg. Have I said I want Tom Quinn gone?

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Head Coach Ben McAdoo: “Nobody is giving us a chance in this ballgame. They’re saying without Odell, we can’t score points.”

THE FINAL WORD
Attention NFL and networks – flex the Giants out of all prime-time spots while you still can! Save yourselves!

Game Review: Los Angeles Chargers 27 – New York Giants 22

 Posted by
Oct 112017
 
Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, New York Giants (October 8, 2017)

Eli Manning and Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Los Angeles Chargers 27 – New York Giants 22

RECAP

With two 0-4 teams facing off at MetLife Stadium, something had to give. The stadium notably lacked life, as it rained all morning prior to kickoff, creating an eerie, something-just-isn’t-quite-right-type feeling. Just 3 and a half hours later, that eeriness was proven right. The 2017 season couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start leading up to this match-up, or so we thought. This 2017 Giants squad was about to find themselves on the wrong side of team history.

The defense was stout early, not allowing a first down over the course of their opponent’s first three drives. With Kerry Wynn on the field in place of the injured Olivier Vernon and Ross Cockrell seemingly having passed Eli Apple on the CB depth chart, there was a sense of new energy and confidence. On the second possession, LA quarterback Philip Rivers did not see the shotgun snap coming from deep in their own territory. With the fear of oncoming defenders potentially landing on the ball for a defensive touchdown, he smacked the ball out of bounds for a safety.

The Giants offense paired this hot start with something we haven’t seen yet, a consistently-productive running game. Orleans Darkwa got the start in the backfield and they rode his hot hand all the way into the end zone, as he carried the ball 6 times for 58 yards in the first quarter, the final carry being a 23-yard touchdown. The line, particularly inside, was dominant at the point-of-attack and things were looking up as the Giants took their 9-0 lead into the 2nd quarter.

On the Chargers’ fourth drive of the game, they began to move the ball via a balanced run/pass attack. Their star running back, third-year Melvin Gordon, hadn’t been seeing success as much as last season to this point. They were noticeably trying to force-feed him the ball via the ground and air, as he got the ball 4-out-of-8 plays including the one that got him them into the end zone on a 6-yard catch after he easily beat B.J. Goodson in coverage. Speaking of Goodson, he was exploited as a pass defender on a couple of occasions on this drive and his 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for physically contacting a ref was a huge, costly mistake.

With the Giants lead cut down to 2, rookie Wayne Gallman was the feature player on the next drive. He was consistently making the first man miss, getting the Giants near midfield but in typical 2017 NYG fashion, the offensive line was completely blown up on a 3rd-and-1 attempt, ending in a 2-yard loss, forcing NYG to punt. The Giants defense got back on track, forcing three straight 3-and-outs. The combination of poor field position, dropped passes, and a dominant Damon Harrison continued to shut down this Chargers’ offense. They converted just 1-of-7 third downs, a theme that would not exactly stick for the rest of the game.

The Giants’ offense had their best opportunity of the day to create distance on the scoreboard just past the halfway point of the 2nd quarter. 1st-and-10 at the Chargers 39-yard line. A bad drop by Darkwa, an overthrow by Manning to Engram down the sideline, and a false start by tackle Bobby Hart pushed them out of field goal range and into a punt situation. Valuable points were left on the board via shooting themselves in the foot.

To finish off the first half, LAC put together the first of their three 11+ play drives. They drove all the way down to the Giants’ 6-yard line but thanks to one of Keenan Allen’s three drops on the day, they settled for a field goal as the time ran out. LAC headed in to the locker room up 10-9 despite being outplayed by the Giants the entire half.

The start of the second half was an interesting case of back and forth as both teams had the momentum in their laps, but failed to seize the opportunity to fully secure and run away with it. After going 3-and-out, the Giants punted the ball to LAC. Speedster Travis Benjamin keyed a 19-yard return giving the Chargers 1st down at midfield. At the snap of a finger, they were inside the Giants 10-yard line looking to lengthen their lead. Darian Thompson, whom played the best game of his young career by a wide margin, intercepted a 3rd down pass intended for Allen. He went down in the end zone, securing the touchback and gave Eli Manning the opportunity to shift the lead again.

The Manning-to-Beckham connection finally woke up, connecting twice for 31 yards. On 3rd-and-5 from the LAC 29-yard line, Manning overcame his deep ball accuracy issues from the first half and dropped the ball in a bucket to Roger Lewis for a touchdown. It was as good of a pass as anyone could have thrown in that situation and Lewis did a fine job of tight-roping the sideline and holding onto the ball as he crashed to the ground. The Giants took 16-10 lead and against an 0-4 team, this was supposed to be the stopping point.

The Chargers pieced together another 12-play drive, their second in three possessions. Towards the start of this possession, however, the refs overlooked a major penalty that could have easily altered the outcome of this game. On 2nd-and-9 from the LAC 9-yard line, Rivers was pressured and as he began to vacate the pocket, he threw the ball away where there was no Chargers’ receiver. He made the throw from his own end zone, thus it should have been a safety, as intentional grounding was never called. The refs claimed he made it out of the pocket, but that was not the case. What should have been 2 points and possession to the Giants turned into an eventual touchdown. Rivers completed three passes on 3rd down this drive, one of which was 3rd-and-15 and the last being a 18-yard gain the play before their touchdown to tight end Hunter Henry, whom beat Collins for the ball.

Down 17-16, Manning responded by inching his way up to midfield before pump faking a short slant to Beckham, whom got an easy and free release to his deep route and ended up with no one around him as he jogged into the end zone with what ultimately ended up being his last touchdown of the season. The Giants, with what has now become too much the norm, failed to manage the clock properly as they lined up for a 2-point conversion attempt. They were bumped back a crucial 5 yards and weren’t even close to securing the 7-point lead. New York led 22-17.

After trading back and forth possessions, the Chargers added 3 more points at the end of an 11 play drive. On the next drive, the Giants almost-hopeless season turned, well, hopeless. Beckham was badly injured and carted off, making him the fourth receiver of the day to leave the game with an ankle/foot injury. The pass catchers were decimated from a personnel standpoint, the Chargers offense was showing they could drive the ball down the field without much of a problem, and the Giants lead was only at 2. On the next play, Manning was sacked by, you guessed it, another stunt play by the Chargers defense and ended up losing the ball via fumble. LAC recovered and it took them just 3 plays to score on a Rivers pass to Gordon. The score was 27-22 just like that and NYG had little to no hope of moving the ball with their injuries and shaky offensive line play.

The Giants were able to muster together two first downs and got over in to LAC territory, for a short time. Bobby Hart, who had a game to forget, was flagged for illegal hands to the face and instead of it being 2nd-and-2 on the LAC 40-yard line, it was 1st-and-20 from the Giants’ 42-yard line with 1:20 left on the clock. Four plays later, Manning was intercepted by safety Tre Boston and that signaled the end. The Giants lose, 27-22, and fall to 0-5.

QUARTERBACKS

  • Eli Manning: 21/36 – 225 yards – 2 TD/1 INT – 83.7 rating. As we’ve seen the previous two weeks, Manning showed up in the second half. He was spreading the ball around, getting it out quick, and was responding to pick up the Giants shaky defensive play. He did struggle mightily in the first half, especially with the deep ball. He had two plays where Beckham was open downfield for a touchdown, but overthrew him by 5+ yards. He was sacked 5 times and lost a fumble.

RUNNING BACKS

  • Orleans Darkwa: 8 att – 69 yards – 1 TD. After missing a game with injury, Darkwa came back as the starting running back and gave the Giants their best performance out of the backfield this season. He showed off his aggressive downhill style that initially drew everyone to him early in his career. His 23-yard touchdown run saw a combination of good blocking and late movement to miss tacklers. The one glaring issue here, however, was his 3 drops. Not good.
  • Wayne Gallman: 11 att – 57 yards – 5 rec – 27 yards. Another impressive game for the 4th-round rookie who ran with such an elusive style. Gallman, on multiple occasions, showed the ability to create something out of nothing. Intended running lanes aren’t always there and with the good backs, that doesn’t always matter. Gallman is showing a trait that can be very hard to find.
  • Shane Vereen: 5 att – 18 yards – 4 rec – 27 yards. His biggest play of the game was called back by a Roger Lewis hold. His one-handed grab and 20-yard scamper was a thing of beauty. That play is what I think NYG could have and should have been using in recent weeks more often. He is such a weapon in the screen game with his awareness of defenders and blockers in space.

WIDE RECEIVERS

  • Odell Beckham: 5 rec – 97 yards – 1 TD.  The last game we will see Beckham play in 2017 was a solid one. He was quiet early but if it weren’t for a few overthrows by Manning, we could be talking about a breakout performance and NYG win. Who knows, maybe even a healthy Beckham. 2017 couldn’t have gone worse for the kid who wants to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. These next 6-9 months of rehab will tell us a lot about him and his future with the team. Mouth shut, get to work. You have a ways to go.
  • Brandon Marshall: 2 rec – 15 yards. Speaking of individual situations that couldn’t have gone worse this year, Marshall’s 2017 is now over as well. An ankle injury that required surgery will sideline him the rest of the year. Marshall didn’t impact the game, or the season, much. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him hang up the cleats for good in the coming months.
  • Sterling Shepard: 1 rec – 9 yards. On a day where 4 of the top 5 NYG receivers went down, Shepard was the day’s first. He was hurt in the 2nd quarter and he too, won’t be back for awhile. If the season continues to go down the path it is currently headed, the team may very well opt to keep him out until 2018.
  • Roger Lewis: 1 rec – 29 yards – 1 TD. Eli Manning deserves a ton of credit for the touchdown pass to Lewis, perfectly dropped in the bucket where only he could grab it. However Lewis showed tremendous ball skills by getting both feet down in a tight space and holding onto the ball after hitting the ground hard. There is a draw to this kid’s talent, one of the top UDFA’s from the 2016 Draft Class who would have been a mid-rounder had he not had some previous off-field issues. This is his opportunity. Lewis is now the team’s number one wide receiver.

TIGHT ENDS

  • Rhett Ellison: 1 rec – 9 yards. Ellison played a season high 71% of the team’s snaps, partially due to the multiple injuries at wide receiver. I’ve been banging on the table since week 1 in Dallas that this guy needs more playing time. He needs more looks in the passing game. Well, by default that is about to happen.
  • Evan Engram: 0 rec – 0 yards. For the first time in his young career, Engram was shut out. His opportunities were almost zero, as well. He was thrown to 4 times but on none of them did he really have a credible chance at bringing in. He is going to be the feature part of this offense now and I’m not sure if that is a positive or not. I assume they are going to split him out wide most of the time, but there he may be matched up against the opposing top CB. That’s what I would do if I was against the Giants. Will he be able to separate? Or is he a guy who needs the outside receivers to take pressure off him? A positive note: Engram has graded out positive as a blocker in all 5 games this year.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • Tackles: Ereck Flowers had his best game of the season, and his upward trend is very encouraging. He didn’t always look pretty or efficient when it came to technique, but point blank he got the job done. His grade of “3” is exactly where I would want any starting OL. That is graded as a plus performance. Bobby Hart, on the other hand, mightily struggled. He allowed 3 sacks, 3 pressures, and committed 2 penalties. Two of his sacks were partially a result of Manning evading the pocket and running into the defender, however. Hart was getting beat from the start and put out the worst-graded NYG OL performance of the year.
  • Interior: Justin Pugh continued to stay at the level he’s pretty much been at all year. Solid, slightly above average. He moved back to LG after his short tenure at RT and the fact he can maintain his level of play inside-out is going to add some money on to his contract come this offseason. D.J. Fluker replaced John Jerry early, getting a shot at facing off against his former team. He had a very up and down game. His ups, as we expected, came in the run game. A lot of movement up front and he sustained his blocks. As a pass blocker, he struggled. He allowed 3 pressures and the inability to pick up stunts is just alarming. How he can make this mistake over and over is just awful. Center Brett Jones was the surprise of the day, as he graded out at 2.95, second highest on the team. He is as gritty as it gets and reminds me a ton of former Giants’ OL Rich Seubert.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Defensive Ends: With Oliver Vernon on the sideline nursing his ankle injury, Kerry Wynn got the start. He proved he just isn’t an every-down guy, as his impact was never felt. Jason Pierre-Paul continued his disappointing season, finishing with a mere 4 tackles and 1 QB pressure. Unlike previous weeks, the Chargers were dropping back deep, giving several opportunities for the ends to make their mark. It never happened, as Rivers wasn’t sacked once. Pierre-Paul has struggled mightily to disengage from blocks despite getting off the ball well. And the two offsides penalties for lining up in the neural zone are almost inexcusable. Rookie Avery Moss got on the field for 29 plays. His lack of power presence was apparent.
  • Defensive Tackles: The Damon Harrison/Dalvin Tomlinson duo inside continues to be a strength. The Chargers really struggled to consistently gain yards on the ground between the tackles. Harrison played arguably his best game of the season, eating blockers and space with ease. He added 5 tackles, one of which was for a loss and broke up a pass. Harrison also showed some pass rush we haven’t really seen much of this year. Jay Bromley played about half the team’s snaps and was able to hit Rivers a couple times.

LINEBACKERS

  • B.J. Goodson was solid in run support, mainly inside. However, he was beat badly in coverage on multiple occasions, furthering the fear around the idea he may not be an every-down guy. Melvin Gordon beat him badly in to the flat for the Chargers first score in quarter 1.
  • Keenan Robinson, a player that is supposed to be making his money via ability to cover backs and tight ends, was getting beat routinely in addition to shoddy run defense. With The Giants up by 2 with 3 minutes left, Robinson failed to stick with Gordon into the flat for his second easy touchdown catch of the day. Jonathan Casillas was banged up and tried to play through it, but his impact on the game was never felt.

CORNERBACKS

  • 2016 first round pick Eli Apple has officially lost ground on the depth chart, having sat on the sideline for the first three defensive series. Apple didn’t have a bad game once he got on the field, however. He played stout run defense on the outside, totaling 5 tackles. One glaring negative from Apple that may only bother me: can he please not openly laugh on the sidelines while the rest of the team is staring at the ground as their record is just minutes away from being 0-5? His little-kid approach was shown during training camp as well. Ross Cockrell got some more playing time as a result, but allowed two big third-down conversions and had 2 missed tackles.
  • Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins both played well. Unfortunate this team is wasting such solid veteran CB play on such a bad year, because it’s a really tough position to fill.

SAFETIES

  • Darian Thompson has struggled this year, but his performance against LAC was very encouraging. He intercepted a pass in the end zone and had two high-level deflected passes. Thompson was also a factor as a blitzer and run defender, leading the team with 11 tackles.
  • The second-leading tackler, Landon Collins, played through a lower-body injury sustained in the first half. His aggression is usually a weapon for this defense but it turned out to be a negative on a few occasions against the Chargers. He over-pursued play-action fakes and was beat in coverage for a touchdown and two separate third-down conversions. The injury may have slowed his reactions a tad, but Collins had his worst game of the year and it really hurt this defense at the most inopportune times.

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • K Aldrick Rosas: 2/2 extra points. I found it interesting that McAdoo, for the second week in a row, would not attempt a 50+ yard FG attempt with the strong-legged Rosas.
  • P Brad Wing: 8 punts – 44.1 avg. Wing pinned the Chargers inside their own 20 four times, and inside their own 10 twice. Very good bounce back performance for him after two consecutive weeks of game-altering punts, in a negative way.
  • Return: Dwayne Harris had his best game of the season, returning 3 punts for 38 yards. He was making a difference in the field position game before his injured his foot, which ended his season.

3 STUDS

  • S Darian Thompson, OT Ereck Flowers, DT Damon Harrison

3 DUDS

  • OT Bobby Hart, DE Kerry Wynn, S Landon Collins

3 THOUGHTS ON LAC

  • The Chargers may have shown up 0-4, but they are not a bottom feeder in the NFL. They were seconds away from a win in Denver, their kicker missed a chip shot field goal at the end of their week 2 game against Miami. This is not a bad team, in fact, this may be the best Chargers team we have seen in years. If there is a team you want to bet on that appears to be down and out, but can comeback in to playoff contention, Chargers should be that team.
  • Hard to watch Russell Okung, who was available this past offseason, dominate at left tackle week after week. NYG had a shot at this guy and I was told Okung was interested in playing here. The issue with being stubborn about past draft picks that aren’t panning out is the missed opportunity to getting a guy like this. This guy should have been in an NYG uniform, not the LAC one.
  • Not sure how many people pay attention to the CB Cameron Heyward, but he is one of the top 5-6 CBs in the league. He has really developed nicely after inaccurately being labeled a slot-only CB.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

  • On October 8th, the 2017 season has now become all about next year and beyond. They aren’t doing any damage this year, but the value of watching and paying attention now is trying to find players that you can move forward with. Can Brett Jones be a cheap starter at OC? Is Wayne Gallman a starting caliber RB? Are any of these WRs going to be in the rotation next year? Can Eli Apple progress?
  • Eli Manning will not, and should not, be benched for Davis Webb. It is a ludicrous idea. He is still going to be the guy next year and Webb never showed anything that would lead you to believe he is the next guy. Remember, he is a 3rd round project that nobody wanted to see the field this year.
  • Is Ereck Flowers turning it around? He has gotten better 3 weeks in a row, with this game being the best we’ve seen possibly over his whole career. I firmly he is not the left tackle you want long term, but if he can prove to play at a decent level from here on out, NYG may have their RT of the future.

Los Angeles Chargers 27 – New York Giants 22

 Posted by
Oct 082017
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (October 8, 2017)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports

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LOS ANGELES CHARGERS 27 – NEW YORK GIANTS 22…
It just keeps getting worse and worse for the New York Giants, who lost their fifth consecutive game on Sunday, falling 27-22 to the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Giants also lost four of their five active wide receivers to injury as Odell Beckham (fractured ankle), Sterling Shepard (ankle), Brandon Marshall (sprained ankle), and Dwayne Harris (fractured foot) left the game and did not return.

The injuries to Beckham and Marshall looked very serious. The Giants are officially reporting that Beckham fractured his ankle. ESPN is reporting that Beckham may undergo surgery as early as today or tomorrow. The NFL Network is reporting that the team believes Beckham broke his fibula. He will need to undergo an MRI to ascertain any ligament damage.

The game itself was sloppy and difficult to watch. The Giants squandered a 9-0 1st-quarter lead, and yet another 4th-quarter lead as the team was up 22-17 late in the contest.

After the teams exchanged punts to start the game, New York went up 2-0 as a botched snap by the Chargers was knocked out of the end zone for a safety. After both teams punted again, the Giants went up 9-0 on Orleans Darkwa’s 23-yard touchdown run, capping a 5-play, 64-yard drive. The play marked the first time a Giants’ running back scored a rushing touchdown this year. But the Chargers overtook the Giants on the scoreboard before halftime with an 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive and a 12-play, 49-yard field goal drive. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Melvin Gordon and place kicker Nick Novak kicked a 20-yard field goal. The Giants twice squandered excellent field position in the 2nd quarter – starting one drive at their own 45 and another at the Chargers 39-yard line – coming up with no further points in the first half.

The Giants went three-and-out to start the 3rd quarter. The Chargers drove to the Giants’ 14-yard line, but Rivers’ 3rd-and-7 pass was intercepted by safety Darian Thompson in the end zone. It was the first pass the Giants have picked off all season. The Giants then re-gained the lead on a 9-play, 80-yard effort, culminating with a perfect quarterback Eli Manning 29-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Roger Lewis. Giants 16 – Chargers 10.

But the defense could not hold the lead as the Chargers responded with a 12-play, 92-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Rivers to tight end Hunter Henry. It only took five plays (and 75 yards) for the Giants to move ahead again. Under duress, Manning found a wide-open Beckham for a 48-yard score. After a delay-of-game penalty, the Giants’ 2-point conversion attempt failed and New York led 22-17 with 13:31 to go in the game.

After both teams exchanged punts, the Chargers got the ball back again with nine minutes to play. Los Angeles moved the ball 48 yards in 11 plays to set up a successful 31-yard field with just under five minutes to go. Then came disaster. On 2nd-and-7, Manning’s high slant pass to Beckham fell incomplete. It was on this play where Beckham got seriously injured. On the very next snap, Manning was sacked and fumbled the ball away at the New York 11-yard line. On 3rd-and-9, Rivers found Gordon again out of the backfield for a 10-yard score. The Chargers now led 27-22 with three minutes to play.

However, by this point the Giants were down to only one wide receiver – Roger Lewis. The offensive line, which struggled all day in pass protection, allowing five sacks, imploded on the last possession with two penalties. Manning’s desperate 4th-and-10 pass from the Chargers’ 48-yard line was intercepted with less than 50 seconds to play. Game over.

The erratic Manning finished the game 21-of-36 for 225 yards, two touchdowns, 1 interception, and 1 lost fumble. The only player with over 30 yards receiving was Beckham with 5 catches for 97 yards. Against Los Angeles’ 31st-ranked run defense, the Giants had their best rushing game of the season with Orleans Darkwa rushing for 69 yards on eight carries and Wayne Gallman rushing for 57 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, the Giants allowed 382 total net yards, including 124 yards rushing and 258 yards passing. The Giants have now allowed 100 yards rushing or more in five consecutive games to start the season. The Giants only forced one turnover and did not sack Rivers.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were running back Paul Perkins (ribs), center Weston Richburg (concussion), defensive end Olivier Vernon (ankle), quarterback Davis Webb, tight end Matt LaCosse, defensive tackle Robert Thomas, and cornerback Michael Hunter.

Wide receivers Odell Beckham (fractured ankle), Sterling Shepard (ankle), Brandon Marshall (sprained ankle), and Dwayne Harris (fractured foot) left the game with injuries and did not return. A number of Giants were in and out of the line-up with injuries including cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, linebacker Jonathan Casillas (burner), safety Landon Collins, and running back Orleans Darkwa (lower body – calf?).

Quarterback Eli Manning also had x-rays taken on his neck, but they were negative.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Transcripts and video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Ben McAdoo and the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

POST-GAME NOTES…
The Giants fell to 0-5 for only the fourth time in franchise history. They lost their first nine games in 1976, their first five in 1987 (three of them strike-replacement games), and their first six in 2013. In those seasons, they finished, respectively, 3-11, 6-9, and 7-0. The Giants were also winless through their first five games in 1947 (when they started 0-7-2) and 1966 (0-4-1).

The Chargers broke a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. The Giants lost their fourth consecutive game to the Chargers, and now trail in the all-time series, 7-5.

Quarterback Eli Manning’s ninth pass attempt was the 7,000th of his career. He is the seventh quarterback in history to throw at least 7,000 regular-season passes.

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Ben McAdoo will address the media by conference call Monday afternoon.

Preview: Los Angeles Chargers at New York Giants, October 8, 2017

 Posted by
Oct 062017
 
Eli Manning, New York Giants (December 8, 2013)

Eli Manning prior to Giants-Chargers game in 2013 – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Game Preview: Los Angeles Chargers at New York Giants, October 8, 2017

THE STORYLINE:
It’s been decades since a New York Giants’ season was all but officially over this early. Even the 4-12 2003 New York Giants started the season 2-1. The strike-plagued 1987 team started 0-5, but there was also an expectation that the defending Super Bowl champions might make a push. You’d have to go back to the mess of the 1960s and 1970s to find such a depressing start.

To be honest, I am at a bit of a loss in how to proceed with these game previews. The Giants are no longer really playing for the post-season but their own jobs. And that includes the coaches as well as the players. This team was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. Instead, it is one of the worst teams in the NFL – on offense, defense, and special teams.

Enter the win-less Los Angeles Chargers, another NFL team that abandoned its fan base in pursuit of even more $$$ to play in a city that doesn’t like football. So with one-quarter of the season already over, we are about to witness a glorious 0-4 versus 0-4 match-up of teams from America’s two largest media markets. This isn’t good for the NFL.

For at least one more month, the owners, front office executives, coaches, and players will parrot talking points about the season not being over, but at some point, 2017 will become more about 2018 than the current disastrous season. Many fans will want the Giants to begin playing younger prospects in order to effectively ascertain what the team’s true needs are. But the coaches may be playing for their livelihoods. A game here or there could save Ben McAdoo and his staff. Will the coaches do what is best for the long-term development of the team, or for themselves?

THE INJURY REPORT:

  • RB Paul Perkins (ribs – out)
  • RB Orleans Darkwa (back – probable)
  • WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (finger/ankle – probable)
  • WR Brandon Marshall (toe – probable)
  • OC Weston Richburg (concussion – out)
  • OG John Jerry (hamstring – questionable)
  • DE Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder/knee – questionable)
  • DE Olivier Vernon (ankle – questionable)
  • DE Avery Moss (shoulder – questionable)
  • CB Janoris Jenkins (ankle – probable)

NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
The 2017 New York Giants were clearly not ready to start the season. They slept-walked through their first two games on offense (13 total points), placing the team in a desperate 0-2 hole. Then continued offensive issues combined with late-game special teams and defensive breakdowns caused back-to-back devastating last-second losses. The offense may now be improving, but it is too late. And the offense is still not good. The Giants have NOT scored a point in the first quarter this year. They have only scored 17 first-half points in four games (an average of 4.25 points per first-half). So not only were the Giants not ready to start the season, they still aren’t ready at the start of games. Guess what? If you limit your scoring to only half the game, you are not going to win many football games.

  • McAdoo/Offensive Coaches: They seem over their heads. They preach balance and “heavy hands” but this team is as finesse and one-dimensional as it gets outside of the Arena League. With few exceptions, individual players don’t seem to be getting better. When is the last time you thought, “Man, our offensive staff really out-coached the other team?”
  • Quarterback: The New York Giants as a franchise squandered the last six years of Eli Manning’s career. Now 36, the #1 question this franchise faces is how long to stick with Manning. Is another year of the McAdoo-Manning combo really going to turn things around? Or do the Giants really want Manning to go through another dramatic coaching/offensive system change at the age of 37? It is hard to see the Giants pulling the cord on Manning, but they did it with Phil Simms so nothing is impossible.
  • Wide Receivers: The fact that we are talking receivers next and not running backs is an indication of how the Giants and the NFL have changed. But the #2 question the New York Giants face is whether or not to re-sign Odell Beckham, Jr. to what undoubtedly will be the highest non-quarterback contract in NFL history. Take Beckham off of this team, and a dreadful offense would become unwatchable. He’s the only guy causing non-diehard fans to tune in. And other than his atrocious run-blocking effort, Beckham certainly isn’t dogging it. He’s a super competitor who wants to win. But the Giants should be at least a little concerned about giving a player who has been difficult to control/influence one of the biggest contracts in sports. Will he become more powerful than the coach and even more difficult to manage? Does this team want to tie up a huge portion of its salary cap to a wideout? My guess is that Beckham isn’t going anywhere, but the situation bears watching as the Giants continue to lose. Brandon Marshall isn’t the future of this team. The Giants should cut him, re-sign Taverres King or sign Travis Rudolph from the Practice Squad, and play the young receivers.
  • Running Backs: Wayne Gallman should be made the starting running back. Paul Perkins needs to sit. Once Perkins (ribs) is healthy again, cut Orleans Darkwa (an injury-prone player who has no future with this team) and re-sign fullback Shane Smith from the Practice Squad. Gallman, Shane Vereen, and Perkins (last chance) should get remaining 2017 playing time. If someone gets hurt, Darkwa can be re-signed.
  • Tight Ends: One of the few bright spots is Evan Engram. He looks like the real deal. The Giants appear to be in good shape here with Rhett Ellison and the under-utilized Jerell Adams.
  • Offensive Line: It seems incredibly odd to me that the Giants did not prepare for a viable back-up plan if one (or both) of their young tackles struggled. Justin Pugh should have been moved to left tackle in camp. Ereck Flowers should have been moved to guard or tried at right tackle. What’s disturbing about Flowers is that a prospect who was supposed to be a mauler in the ground game now can’t seem to do anything well. He looks like a complete bust. Chad Wheeler needs another year or two in the weight room, but I’d be tempted to play him now and let him gain the experience. Re-signing John Jerry was a mistake. Well-respected OL Coach Mike Solari hasn’t delivered the goods in New York. No one appears to be getting better. And Jerry Reese and his scouting department can’t evaluate offensive linemen. This mess has been going on for years now.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The narrative that Steve Spagnuolo simply needed better players is rapidly falling apart. The 2017 New York Giants defense is beginning to resemble the dreadful 2015 version. The Giants can’t stop the run, they can’t rush the passer, and they are beginning to give up late-game leads again. (The defense squandered TWO 4th-quarter leads in BOTH of the last two games).

  • Defensive Line: The most shocking development has been the poor play of the defensive line. Coming out of the preseason, this group was healthy and looked poised for a monster year. The ends – who have played too much and are now struggling with injuries – have been a huge disappointment. Neither Jason Pierre-Paul nor Olivier Vernon are justifying their current contracts. The tackles have been a bit better. None of the back-ups – both outside and inside – have distinguished themselves. The Giants will need to spend a premium draft pick on a defensive end in 2018.
  • Linebackers: Jonathan Casillas had a strong season in 2016, but that now looks like it will be his career year. He is not playing well. Keenan Robinson has regained his injury-prone reputation and also is not playing as well. Hopefully B.J. Goodson will be part of the solution moving forward. Devon Kennard is more of a situational player. Like the offensive line, Jerry Reese and staff seem incapable of drafting athletic, play-making outside linebackers. Depth at this position is putrid.
  • Defensive Backs: The negatives here have been the continued inconsistent play of Eli Apple (1-3 bad plays per game offsetting otherwise solid performances) and the failure of Darian Thompson to turn into the player anticipated by the coaching staff. Moving forward, the Giants have to determine how much Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has left in the tank beyond the 2017 season. And if Thompson doesn’t have “it”, the team still has a major hole to fill at free safety.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
Tom Quinn should have been fired years ago. It’s hard to be overly-sympathetic with the owners, front office execs, and coaches when something this obvious is not acted upon. The Giants have now lost three games in a row largely due to special teams breakdowns. Interesting that things started to go really south again once Larry Izzo left the Giants after 2015.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Yada, yada, yada… No one is listening at this point.

THE FINAL WORD
Those of us who are old enough have seen the warning signs before. When your star players start throwing the coaching staff under the bus, things can turn ugly fast. Odell Beckham’s comments about the Bucs knowing what plays the Giants were running is reminiscent of player criticism directed at Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, and Jim Fassel. Whether this criticism is valid or not is moot. Fingers are beginning to be pointed. Next warning signs? More and more players showing up on the injury report and not coming back quickly.

The biggest draw for this particular game is that this is likely the last time Eli Manning and Philip Rivers will play against each other. Eli has never been on the winning side of this match-up (0-3).

Game Review: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 – New York Giants 23

 Posted by
Oct 032017
 
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants (October 1, 2017)

Wayne Gallman – © USA TODAY Sports

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 – New York Giants 23

RECAP

Typical fall weather in Florida. The sun was out, bright and shining, during pre-game warm ups then at the snap of a finger, the first few drives were played in a torrential downpour of rain. The day’s weather replicated the emotions of the Giants week 4 match-up against the Bucs, sitting at 1-1 having played just 2 games as a result of their forced week 1 bye due to weather.

The Giants offensive line saw a two-part shuffle in the starting lineup, with 2017 free agent signing D.J. Fluker getting the start at right guard, shifting John Jerry over to left guard and Brett Jones into his normal backup role. It didn’t matter who was in there early, as Bucs DT Gerald McCoy was bursting through the line whenever and however he wanted, causing major disruption early in the game. He had three tackles for losses during the Giants’ first three drives. He made both Jerry and Fluker look like high school freshman getting beat by Division I recruits. Whether he was penetrating and altering the running game’s plan or getting into Manning’s face on simple three step drop backs, he was the star of the show early.

The Bucs jumped out to an early 13-0 lead in the first quarter, with 2 touchdowns both from Jameis Winston’s arm. The first, a simple fade-type pass to their own star receiver (who near-rivals Beckham’s career numbers) Mike Evans, beating Eli Apple who did not even locate the ball. The second was a major breakdown in coverage by the Giants linebackers. Rookie tight end O.J. Howard was left all alone on a play-action right, pass left design and ended the 58-yard score with not a single defender anywhere near him. The one positive here was a missed extra point by Nick Folk, an important and oft-repeated theme of the day. The Bucs had 13 points on 12 offensive plays at the end of quarter 1. The Giants…0 points on 19 plays.

On the Giants 6th possession of the game, they finally started to piece together a positive drive into Bucs territory. They made it to the Tampa 21-yard line, 1st and 10. After a near first-down catch-and-run by Brandon Marshall, they lined up for a 3rd-and-1 on the 12-ard line. A quick inside handoff to Shane Vereen was stuffed right away by former Giants DE Robert Ayers, who beat Ereck Flowers off the ball to his inside shoulder. The Giants settled for a 30-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas, making it 13-3 with 7:21 left in the first half.

The Bucs went 3-and-out on their next drive thanks to creative play calling by Steve Spagnuolo, who put safety Landon Collins in position to disrupt the passing game via the blitz all afternoon. On 3rd-and-10, he forced Winston into a quick decision, throwing a ball right into the waiting hands of tackle Jay Bromley, who at least tried to drop in back in coverage. The ball literally went through his hands and we were all reminded that there is a reason why some guys play on the line. That could have been a major missed scoring opportunity for the Giants, but Manning and the offense responded.

Had it not been for an Odell Beckham drop (his second of the quarter), the 7-play drive would have been completely full of positive plays. Manning spread the ball around and ended it with a career long 14-yard touchdown run – the first (and currently only) Giants rushing touchdown of 2017.

Winston and the Bucs got the ball back with 3:17 and marched down the field, all the way to the Giants 1-yard line. A season that seemed to be hanging on by a thread got a major surge from the defense, holding the Bucs to a field goal and limiting the damage. The score going into halftime was Bucs 16 – Giants 10.

In the third quarter, the Bucs inched their way into field range, taking advantage of an over-aggressive Giants back seven and missed tackles. The Bucs backup running back, Jacquizz Rodgers, ran low to the ground and let the Giants defensive backs over-pursue, making it an easy task to run through arm tackles and gain extra yards. Nick Folk lined up for a 49-yard field and missed, supplying the Giants with solid field position as their quest for another comeback ensued.

The Giants marched down the field, never gaining more than 10 yards with the exception of a 13-yard run by rookie Wayne Gallman. After being a non-factor in the first three games, Gallman got his opportunity after the struggling Paul Perkins struggled to get up from a physical tackle by Kendell Beckwith. Gallman seized the opportunity, ending the drive with a 4-yard touchdown catch which put the Giants ahead for the first time, 17-16. The Giants then forced a 3-and-out capped by their lone sack of the day by the blitzing Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Momentum had fully shifted in Tampa.

The Giants entered the 4th quarter in Bucs territory. With Weston Richburg out with a concussion, Brett Jones stepped in and helped pave the way for yet another positive, piece-by-piece drive. They set Aldrick Rosas up for a 43-yard field goal attempt, but the rookie pushed it wide right, giving him is first miss of his career including regular and preseason.

The Bucs moved the ball over midfield but were forced with a tough 4th-and-2 decision on their own 36-yard line. Go for it? Or give Nick Folk another chance? This time from 53 yards. They chose the former and Landon Collins continued to do what he does best, disrupt. He broke up a pass intended for Cameron Brate, turnover on downs. The Giants suffered a 3-and-out, but the negative of that was overshadowed by punter Brad Wing’s second complete shank in as many weeks, with this punt traveling a mere 15 yards, keeping Tampa right near midfield.

It didn’t take long for Tampa to reach the red zone with the biggest culprit being a half-effort missed tackle by Rodgers-Cromartie that led to a 30-yard gain by receiver Adam Humphries. The Giants lack of quality tackling is a major issue that supplied the Bucs with way too many valuable yards late in the game. Cameron Brate caught a touchdown over the middle as Jonathan Casillas was simply over-matched dropping back into coverage. The Bucs took the lead back but missed the 2-point attempt. 22-17 with 7:44 left.

On the second play of the Giants ensuing drive, which started at the 25-yard line, Manning hit Beckham for a 42-yard downfield pass. We almost forget how good Manning is at this kind of throw in this kind of situation. With the offensive line altering the Giants approach to the passing game, it is almost upsetting to see what this duo could be if there were 5 capable guys up front. Beckham was off and on the field with his ankle injury continuing to flare up. Between that and a dislocated finger suffered earlier in the game, hats off to this hard-nosed, always-hustling superstar. Gallman helped inch the Giants up to the 2-yard line and on 3rd-and-goal, Manning found Rhett Ellison for the lead-changing touchdown. Beckham did catch a 2-point conversion attempt to give the Giants a safe 3 point lead, however he (barely) stepped out of bounds prior to catching the ball and ended up having to give the points back for illegal touching. The Bucs were getting the ball back, down 1, with 3:16 left.

This is where big-time defenses step up. Sacks, pressure, turnovers….something. The Giants, however, continued to underwhelm on that side of the ball by allowing the Bucs deep into field goal territory in just 5 plays, the back-breaker being a 26-yard pass to Brate, whom beat Collins fairly easily. That play gave the Bucs tight ends a total of 6 catches for 143 yards (and 2 TDs). Instead of making plays, tackles were being missed left and right and no pressure was being put on Winston. Because the Giants mismanaged their timeouts in the 2nd half via a foolish challenge and timeout on a 2-point conversion, they were left watching the clock dwindle as the Bucs perfectly set up Nick Folk for a game-winning field goal. The 34-yard attempt snuck through the uprights by less than a foot, no time remaining. Giants lose 25-23.

QUARTERBACKS

  • Eli Manning: 30/49 – 288 yards – 2 TD/0 INT – 3 att – 21 yards – 1 TD. For the second week in a row, Manning led multiple touchdown-scoring, lead-changing drives in the second half. He had pressure in his face for the majority of his drop backs, but he wasn’t sacked once and appears to be adjusting very well to what the players around him can supply. His poise under pressure has always been a strength and he continues to give this team a fighting chance despite several factors around him heading in the wrong direction.

RUNNING BACKS

  • Wayne Gallman: 11 att – 42 yards – 2 rec – 8 yards – 1 TD. We saw a different level of explosion and decision making with Gallman during training camp in comparison to the other NYG running backs. With Paul Perkins continuing to struggle in addition to getting nicked up, Gallman got his shot in the second half and was one of the main reasons this offense had balance from there on out. He was able to find small windows, dart through them, and make positive plays out of nothing. His touchdown catch in the 3rd quarter and positive blocking grade may very well get him the starting nod in the near future.
  • Shane Vereen: 5 att – 14 yards – 1 rec – 11 yards. Continues to be underplayed, being on the field for just 28% of the plays in this one. Positive things happen with this guy on the field and he needs to get more action. I will keep saying this until it happens.
  • Paul Perkins: 9 att – 13 yards – 1 rec 6 yards. The nightmare season continues for Perkins, who may now have a rib injury to deal with in addition. Perkins finished with 13 yards but had a 14-yard run. Yes, do the math. That means otherwise, he carried the ball 8 times for -1 yard. Perkins is now averaging 1.9 yards per carry on the young season and while it isn’t only on his shoulders, the success Gallman had when he came in might be a damning fact for the second-year back.

WIDE RECEIVERS

  • Odell Beckham: 7 rec – 90 yards. Beckham is clearly still fighting the ankle injury he sustained during preseason, although he is still fully capable of making plays up and down the field. He came down with a 42-yard reception late in the game with his blazing speed and also came up with a 15-yard gain where he broke 3 tackles with a combination of strength, toughness, and quickness. Beckham, however, dropped 2 more passes and wasn’t aware of the out-of-bounds along the back of the end zone on their crucial 2-point conversion.
  • Brandon Marshall: 6 rec – 46 yards. Halfway through the game I had the thought that Marshall was just so much bigger and stronger than the Tampa corners, the Giants might as well just keep feeding him the ball underneath until the defense stopped it. For the most part, Marshall handled them in those situations but he too is still dropping too many passes. Off the top of my head he already has 5 on the young season.
  • Sterling Shepard: 5 rec – 54 yards. He was thrown the ball 5 times and he came down with all of them. Shepard is showing the necessary toughness and grit over the middle. He is a great option for this offense to have when primary reads aren’t there.

TIGHT ENDS

  • Evan Engram: 6 rec – 62 yards. As the weeks go by, it seems to be the case more and more that Engram is entrenched as the team’s number two receiving option. He is moving exceptionally well and making high-difficulty catches each game. Four of his 6 catches went for a first down and I think moving forward, he needs to be targeted on 3rd down. That only happened twice against the Bucs. He also had a positive blocking grade for the third straight week.
  • Rhett Ellison: 2 rec – 11 yards – 1 TD. Ellison played a season-high 39% of the plays, but I still don’t think it is enough. He saw a couple plays at fullback but with the amount of “11” personnel the Giants use and the emergence of Engram, he is stuck on the sidelines. He has been thrown the ball 5 time this year, and he has 5 catches. The yards he can gain after contact and the reliability as a blocker is part of what the Giants are missing. Two birds, one stone.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • Tackles: Both Ereck Flowers and Justin Pugh recorded their best grades of the season in this game. Manning wasn’t sacked once and even though the Bucs DEs leave a lot to be desired, these guys deserve at least some credit. Flowers did however allow two tackles for losses and Pugh struggled to maintain his anchor ability after he tweaked his back. But these guys fought hard and played better than any of their previous games. Pugh graded out at a “3”, which is right where I consider the best performances week in, week out around the league. Let’s not forget he is out of position. Makes me really think about him as a left tackle for the long-term future.
  • Interior:  Weston Richburg put together another solid game until he left with a concussion. Brett Jones stepped in and didn’t really factor in either direction. D.J. Fluker and John Jerry got off to horrific starts, as Gerald McCoy had his way with both of them for pretty much the entire first quarter. They cleaned it up well and both played at a very high level in the second half. They both snuck past the bare minimum grade of what I would consider acceptable, but still have plenty of room to improve. Fluker deserves a shot to stay at RG for the near future.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Ends: Jason Pierre Paul recorded 4 tackles, a half sack, and a QB hit. But he continues to underwhelm and is being neutralized by a lone blocker too many times. They are trying to move him around exploit match-ups, but he simply isn’t beating anyone right now. My expectations were so high for him this year, and he is far from meeting them. Olivier Vernon only made it 22 plays before re-injuring his bum ankle. Kerry Wynn and Romeo Okwara both got the opportunity to step up, and neither could produce any pressure. Both had a hard time holding up against the run, as well. Poor game for those two that certainly contributed to the Bucs 5+ yards per carry.
  • Tackles: Two of the bright spots were the consistent high level of play from both Damon Harrison and Dalvin Tomlinson. Harrison missed a short stretch with a minor knee tweak, but he demanded so much attention and started to disrupt the passing game via the bull rush with more and more frequency. Tomlinson is playing better each week, showing more confidence and pop off the snap. He is going to make things happen for this defense down throughout the season. Jay Bromley’s missed interception may be one of the NFL’s bloopers of the year and his stoutness against the run hasn’t improved. He is a liability to the defense.

LINEBACKERS

  • B.J. Goodson returned from a 2-week injury-caused hiatus. His presence makes a huge difference for this defense. He is the one defender on this team who I completely trust when it comes to actually bringing down the ball carrier when he has the opportunity to do so. He finished with 6 tackles on the day. His coverage was sub-par, something we saw up close and in person at camp.
  • Jonathan Casillas and Keenan Robinson are getting simply out-matched in coverage and in space. These two need to stop missing tackles and stick to their cover assignments or else tight ends will continue to torch this defense for, how many years in a row now?
  • There are far bigger issues on this defense than Devon Kennard and his versatility in terms of assignment and alignment is respectable. However his weakness in space, most notably coverage, is a huge liability to the defense that will continue to have a big negative impact.

CORNERBACKS

  • Not a bad day for the two starters, Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple, but far from great as well. Apple was beat badly for yet another touchdown in the first quarter when his lack of skill set showed up again. He doesn’t get it yet. Jenkins continues to play bigger than his size and continues to break up passes (2). However he had two very bad missed tackles that did end up impacting the game.
  • Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the only other CB to play, as he was on the field for the majority of the defensive snaps. I respect what he has turned his game into now, as he no longer has that top-level speed and athleticism. He is very good at anticipating and playing smart. Rarely is he caught out of position or surprised. However his missed tackle on Humphries that I noted above was just downright awful and lazy. And the sad part, it has become the norm with him at least once per game.

SAFETIES

  • A top defensive grade for Landon Collins is slightly overshadowed by his bad coverage on the final drive of the game when Cameron Brate beat him downfield. The timing of that beat couldn’t have been worse. Other than that, Collins led the team with 7 tackles, 2 pass break ups, and 3 QB pressures. The coaching staff is using him in so many ways and he is at such a high, difference-making level.
  • Darian Thompson and Andrew Adams pretty much split duties next to Collins, with Thompson still getting the edge in volume. This shouldn’t last much longer, as his two missed tackles this week were a big deal. His range couldn’t keep up with DeSean Jackson deep and he isn’t making quick enough decisions. Adams needs to be given the majority snaps now.

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • Aldrick Rosas: 1 for 2 (Made 30, Missed 43). Rosas was put in another pressure situation this week and failed. Those 3 points that were left on the board were huge. Looking forward to seeing how he responds.
  • P Brad Wing: Same story as last week. Overall a solid day until the pressure was really on and he responded with a 15-yard shank. When it gets in your head, it’s over. The Giants can’t let this happen week after week; he needs to put together a few good weeks now.
  • Dwayne Harris: Non factor again.

3 STUDS

  • QB Eli Manning, RT Justin Pugh, RB Wayne Gallman

3 DUDS

  • WR Brandon Marshall, DE Kerry Wynn, S Darian Thompson

3 THOUGHTS ON TAMPA BAY

  • Watching Gerald McCoy wreck havoc on the Giants offense for the entire first quarter all by himself from different angles was eye opening. Yes, it was against the Giants offensive line. However when you have a 300+ pound presence that can get off the ball fast AND powerful like that, he can make a lot of other players look good.
  • I continue to not be sold on Jameis Winston. This guy does play well late in games, but there are so many mental mistakes he continues to make week after week. His arm is erratic and he looks lost out there often, especially when you watch the All-22 tape.
  • CB Brent Grimes won me over this season. I always knew he was solid, but I admit the public perception of him and his wife being out of control via social media and a few rough games in Miami has kept him down my personal CB ranks for awhile. This dude is a legit blanket-cover guy who can hang with speed and quickness in any situation. He will continue to be among the league’s leaders in pass breakups.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

  • As long as the NFC East teams continue to lose games, the Giants will have a fighting shot. Who knows? Maybe this division will be the the one where an 8-8 team wins the title and a home playoff game. Wishful thinking, I know. There is stretch of schedule coming up that they can take advantage of, starting with the 0-4 Chargers. The Giants have the toughest strength of schedule in the NFL this year and they finally get a break here at home against an absolutely miserable franchise.
  • Even if Paul Perkins comes back healthy, Wayne Gallman and Shane Vereen should be splitting the RB duties for now. Gallman brought new energy and play-making ability and Vereen continues to make things happen for this offense. Time for Perkins to take a step back. Not a goodbye, just a sit tight and watch what happens with these other guys.
  • This Giants defense has major problems, the two worst being downright awful against the run and an inability to create pressure on the passer via four rushers. You can’t have that. Spags is being forced into blitzing a lot, leaving the overly vulnerable linebackers into serious coverage roles which they simply do not have the personnel for. Time to step up JPP. That’s on you and that hefty contract of yours.

This season still isn’t over.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 – New York Giants 23

 Posted by
Oct 012017
 
Nick Folk, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (October 1, 2017)

Giants lose at the buzzer again – © USA TODAY Sports

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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 25 – NEW YORK GIANTS 23…
The losing continues for the New York Giants as the team fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. For the second week in a row, the Giants blew two 4th-quarter leads and lost the game on a walk-off field goal. The Giants are still win-less on the season with an 0-4 record.

New York went three-and-out on its first two possessions of the game. Tampa Bay took a 7-0 lead after driving 56 yards in four plays, culminating with a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jameis Winston to wide receiver Mike Evans. The Giants responded by driving to the Bucs’ 30-yard line, but an incomplete pass on 4th-and-4 resulted in a turnover on downs. Two plays later, tight end O.J. Howard scored on a 58-yard reception to make the game 13-0 (the extra point was missed).

The Giants punted the ball away on both of their next two possessions. The Buccaneers punted once and missed a 46-yard field goal. New York finally got on the board in the second quarter with a 30-yard field goal by place kicker Aldrick Rosas after an 11-play, 52-yard drive. Tampa Bay went three-and-out and the Giants cut into their lead again when quarterback Eli Manning ran for a 14-yard touchdown, closing out a 7-play, 62-yard drive. But the Bucs added to their advantage late in the first half by driving 73 yards in 12 plays to set up a 20-yard field goal. It could have been worse as the defense held after facing 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line. At the half, Tampa led 16-10.

The Buccaneers missed a 49-yard field goal on their initial possession of the second half. The Giants then took the lead on their initial possession by driving 61 yards in 11 plays. Rookie running back Wayne Gallman scored on a 4-yard pass from Manning. Giants 17 – Bucs 16.

Tampa Bay went three-and-out and the Giants had a chance to extend their lead but Rosas missed a 43-yard field goal early in the 4th quarter. The Bucs turned the ball over on downs on 4th-and-2 from the Giants’ 35-yard line with safety Landon Collins breaking up the pass. The Giants could not move the ball and punted. Worse, reminiscent of last week’s lost against the Eagles, Brad Wing shanked punt only traveled 15 yards. It only took Tampa Bay four plays to drive 57 yards with Winston throwing a touchdown pass from 14 yards out. The Buccaneers now led 22-17 (the 2-point conversion failed) with less than eight minutes to play.

To New York’s credit, the offense responded with an impressive 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rhett Ellison on 3rd-and-goal. The big play on the drive was a 42-yard strike to wide receiver Odell Beckham. Unfortunately, the 2-point conversion failed and the Giants only led 23-22 with 3:16 left to play.

The defense could not hold the lead. Tampa Bay gained 59 yards in nine plays with a crucial 26-yard pass on 3rd-and-1. Place kicker Nick Folk – who missed an extra point and two field goals in the game – then nailed the 34-yard field goal to win the game with no time on the clock.

Manning finished the game 30-of-49 for 288 yards, two touchdowns passing, one running, and no interceptions. His leading receivers were Beckham (7 catches for 90 yards) and tight end Evan Engram (6 catches for 62 yards). Gallman was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 42 yards. Manning was not sacked in the game.

Defensively, the Giants did not force a turnover and only accrued one sack.

The Giants had no return yardage. Rosas missed a field goal and Wing shanked a punt.

Video highlights/lowlights are available at Giants.com.

INACTIVE LIST AND INJURY REPORT…
Inactive for the game were RB Orleans Darkwa (back), RT Bobby Hart (ankle), QB Davis Webb, TE Matt LaCosse, DE Avery Moss, LB Deontae Skinner, and CB Michael Hunter.

RB Paul Perkins (ribs), OC Weston Richburg (concussion), and DE Olivier Vernon (ankle) left the game with injuries and did not return.

WR Odell Beckham (finger) and DT Damon Harrison (bruised knee) were injured but later returned to the game.

POST-GAME REACTION…
Video clips of post-game media sessions with Head Coach Ben McAdoo and the following players are available at Giants.com:

  • Head Coach Ben McAdoo (Video)
  • QB Eli Manning (Video)
  • RB Wayne Gallman (Video)
  • WR Odell Beckham, Jr. (Video)
  • WR Brandon Marshall (Video)
  • S Landon Collins (Video)

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Head Coach Ben McAdoo will address the media by conference call Monday afternoon.

Preview: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, October 1, 2017

 Posted by
Sep 292017
 

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Game Preview: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, October 1, 2017

THE STORYLINE:

Well, it just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. – Miracle Max

The 2017 New York Giants aren’t all dead yet. But they are officially on life support. Lose to Tampa Bay, and Miracle Max will start rummaging through their uniforms looking for loose change.

THE INJURY REPORT:

  • RB Shane Vereen (calf – probable)
  • RB Orleans Darkwa (back – questionable)
  • OT Bobby Hart (ankle – probable)
  • OL Brett Jones (hip – questionable)
  • DE Olivier Vernon (ankle – questionable)
  • LB Jonathan Casillas (ankle/wrist – questionable)
  • LB B.J. Goodson (shin – probable)
  • CB Janoris Jenkins (ankle – probable)

NEW YORK GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
We can talk X’s and O’s, discuss personnel strengths and weaknesses, and analyze match-ups. But all of that is moot unless the New York Giants offensive coaches and players decide enough is enough, man up, and takes their frustration out on their defensive opponent. We can argue about personnel liabilities, but there is enough talent on this offense for it to not be 21st on offense in yardage and 31st in scoring. It is absolutely outrageous that the team is scoring only 12 points per game (with 24 of those points coming in the last quarter played). At least go down swinging. Get angry. Be a man.

Time has run out. The offensive coaches have to decide what the New York Giants’ offensive identity is going to be. It appears that any attempt to be “heavy handed” are fruitless with this offensive line. The Giants are DEAD LAST in rushing in the NFL. They are the only team in the League who aren’t even averaging 50 yards per game. That’s beyond pathetic. Making matters worse is that Tampa Bay is 4th in the NFL in rush defense, allowing only 72.5 yards per game. Ironically, that figure would be a season high for New York…that’s how bad the Giants running game is. But at the same time, New York has only rushed the ball 47 times in three games. Chicken or egg? Is the running game bad because of the personnel or have the coaches shown enough commitment to the run? The wiggle room is gone. They can’t afford to experiment anymore. If they are going to save their season, they need to pick and identity and sink or swim with it.

Exacerbating matters this week is the injury situation. Their most reliable back (Shane Vereen) and their most productive between-the-tackles back (Orleans Darkwa) are hurt. Neither seem to be able to stay healthy. Paul Perkins has been a major disappointment. Whether it is lack of talent, him pressing, or the guys up front, he’s barely averaging 2 yards per carry. Rookie Wayne Gallman has yet to play this year. Would the coaches dare to put the fate of their season in the hands of a rookie?

The waiving of fullback Shane Smith could be a sign that the Giants – for better or worse – are going full bore West Coast Offense finesse again. Tight end Rhett Ellison isn’t getting the snaps anticipated and his run blocking has not been as good as expected. Odell Beckham seems to be rounding back into form. Brandon Marshall finally got into the action. And Sterling Shepard broke what should have been the game-deciding play last week. Evan Engram is still green, but he’s receiving valuable playing time each week and it is only a matter of time before he explodes.

To build upon the 4th-quarter success the Giants experienced last week, New York has to cut down on the mistakes. There were too many penalties, too many turnovers, and an inability to execute in crucial situations (see both 4th-down conversion attempts). The Giants should have beaten a very good Eagles team last week and they know it.

Manning will probably have to throw the ball at least 45 times in this game. Get it into the hands of your play-makers and see what happens.

NEW YORK GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
The offense has sucked. But I’m not going to let the defense off of the hook. Many anticipated that the defense would have to carry the team again this year. It was hoped that the defense might even be better than the 2016 version. That hasn’t happened. Worse, the Giants have fallen to DEAD LAST in run defense. It’s bad. They are allowing over 150 yards rushing per game. And last week, the offense gave the defense two 4th quarter leads that the defense could not hold. Yeah, yeah, yeah… the defense is on the field too much, they wore down, etc. That shouldn’t matter to very good defenses. Make a play. Get off the field. Where are the turnovers? Where are the sacks? Why is the third down defense so shoddy? This group is underachieving, and specifically Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon, Landon Collins, and Eli Apple. Partially due to injury, the linebackers haven’t been as good. And Darian Thompson isn’t the safety we were told he was.

Tampa can’t really run the ball either (27th in rushing) and doesn’t even try all that much (only team with fewer rushing attempts than the Giants). So the expectation (knock on wood) is that this is a good opponent for the Giants to start improving their league-worst run defense against. Obviously the strength of Tampa’s offense is their passing game (9th in the NFL). Jameis Winston is completing almost 66 percent of his passes. His TD/INT ratio is ordinary at best with three touchdowns and three interceptions. That said, he is a big, mobile quarterback with a strong arm and some very dangerous receivers in Mike Evans and former Eagle/Giants-killer DeSean Jackson. To me, the guy on the spot Eli Apple. I expected Apple to take a major step forward in 2017. Thus far, he has been a liability. The Giants coaches have been very defensive of him and he has had plenty of good coverage too (opposing teams are not racking up big yardage on the Giants – 6th in pass defense). But opposing teams are clearly targeting Apple and those 2-3 bad plays per game are killing New York. It’s not just the coverage breakdowns, but the penalties. Apple still is too grabby. And it won’t get easier with Evans and Jackson this week.

The other guys now officially under the microscope are Pierre-Paul and Vernon. They are being paid to be difference makers. Yet they aren’t making a difference. Get to the quarterback. Landon Collins hasn’t been “bad” but I had exceptionally high expectations of him based on his preseason play. In a secondary with three Pro Bowlers – Collins, Janoris Jenkins, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – the Giants have NOT intercepted a pass this year. Get the ball!

NEW YORK GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
Folks love to argue talent versus coaching, but I’ve always felt special teams was that one area where coaching deficiencies are obvious. Tom Quinn seems to do just enough to keep his job but his unit rarely excels. And worse, there always seem to be a few games each year where a major breakdown loses the game. It happened against Detroit with the punt return for a TD. And last week it happened again. Is it fair to blame Quinn for Brad Wing’s shank? Perhaps not. But damn it, it always appears to be something. To be blunt, Quinn’s special teams are a MAJOR reason why the Giants are 0-3 right now.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH:
Ben McAdoo on the Buccaneers: “Offensively, they’re led by Jameis Winston, a very aggressive and talented quarterback. The youngest player in NFL history to throw 50 touchdowns. They’re very talented on the perimeter, as talented of a group as you’ll find in this league. Defensively, they’re fast, athletic. They make messes all over the field. They do a good job with their line stunts, and their linebackers run well to the football. (Gerald) McCoy is a tremendous player at the three technique. He can wreck a game if you don’t account for him early and often. Their linebackers are a fast flow and active group. The secondary – they play very well to the front. Special teams – (Bryan) Anger is a tremendous directional punter, does a good job hanging it up there, puts it where he wants to put it. Nick Folk is a reliable kicker. He was just down the street a little bit ago and does a nice job for them.”

THE FINAL WORD

VALERIE: “Bye-bye, boys.”
MIRACLE MAX: “Have fun storming the castle.”
VALERIE (to Max): “Think it’ll work?”
MIRACLE MAX: “It would take a miracle.”

Game Review: Philadelphia Eagles 27 – New York Giants 24

 Posted by
Sep 272017
 
Odell Beckham, New York Giants (September 24, 2017)

Odell Beckham – © USA TODAY Sports

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Philadelphia Eagles 27 – New York Giants 24

RECAP

If there were ever a must win for the Giants in the first quarter of the season, this was it. Their second NFC East match-up of the season was on the road in Philadelphia, a place they haven’t won since 2013, against the 1-1 Eagles. As bad as the first two weeks were, Eli Manning has led the Giants out of a 0-2 hole to the pinnacle of the NFL before.  A win on the road, in the division, would get this ship heading in the right direction.

Things started off on a positive note, with the Eagles going 3-and-out on their first drive highlighted by an Olivier Vernon sack. Then began the theme of the Giants first half. They got to 1st-and-10 on the Eagles side of the field but it resulted in zero points. As a matter of fact, that happened on every single possession in the first two quarters. They put together solid drives, mainly through their passing game, but couldn’t quite seal it to the point of getting rid of that zero on the scoreboard. Missed opportunities and lack of execution.

After a 10-for-11 start by Eli Manning, he threw his first of two interceptions on the day. The pass was intended for Brandon Marshall who was targeted 11 times, more than the first two weeks combined, but Manning misfired and threw the ball towards the middle of the field rather than the sideline. It was a momentum killer after the Giants spent the entire first half knocking on the door.

The Giants were already in a 7-0 hole, thanks to an Eagles offense that was having an easy time running the ball via bad New York tackling and efficient blocking by their very solid offensive line. On 4th-and-8 on the Giants 43-yard line, Carson Wentz was sacked by Devon Kennard, giving Manning and the offense one more shot at a first-half score. 1st-and-10 at midfield with 2:29 left.

Slowly but surely, they got the ball to the 2-yard line, with 32 seconds left and a timeout remaining. Manning threw two touchdowns to Sterling Shepard but both were reviewed and correctly overturned. After a scoreless half and knowing the Giants would receive the ball after halftime, Ben McAdoo opted for the aggressive move on the road, foregoing a sure-thing 3 points, and gave it a go on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line, trying to run the ball behind an offensive line that has been pushed around since he’s been here with no change in sight. The result? Orleans Darwka being tackled for a loss. Giants down 7-0 at halftime.

The Giants and Eagles traded scoreless possessions to start off the second half, with the Giants gaining the field position advantage after a missed 42-yard field goal by Eagles kicker Jake Elliott. Two plays into the drive, Manning threw his second interception on a tipped slant pass intended for Odell Beckham. Thanks to a 41-yard pass interference by Eli Apple, the Eagles turned the Giants’ mistakes in a 14-0 lead after Carson Wentz found tight end Zach Ertz in the end zone before Darian Thompson could intervene.

Manning led a solid, piece-by-piece drive where both the ground game and air attack looked alive and well. They got it to the 13-yard line but McAdoo felt the pressure to score a touchdown a tad too early and opted to forgo an easy field goal attempt again just to be shut down on 4th-and-2, forcing another turnover on downs. The Giants entered the 4th quarter down 14-0.

Starting near mid-field yet again, Manning hooked up with Brandon Marshall three times before finding Beckham in the end zone for a 10-yard score. His ability to get his feet down in-bounds near the back of the end zone after out-leaping the defensive back is a play many won’t appreciate enough. He makes extraordinary plays look much more doable than they really are. The ball was quickly back in the hands of New York thanks to a dropped ball/fumble by Zach Ertz. Just 1:50 of game clock passed after that before Manning hit Beckham for another amazing, contested TD catch, this time with one hand. Another three minutes of game clock pass and all of the sudden, Sterling Shepard is racing downfield on his way to a 77-yard touchdown, the vast majority of which was after the catch. That had the look of a play that would turn the season around as New York took a 21-14 lead, their first lead of the season.

With momentum fully on the Giants side, Carson Wentz got aggressive by air mailing a pass to deep threat Torrey Smith. The ball would not have been caught, but the always-grabby Apple was flagged for another pass interference, this time being 36 yards. This brought the Eagles to the 15-yard line and on the next play, rookie Corey Clement made Jonathan Casillas and Darian Thompson look silly on his way towards the Eagles third touchdown of the day. It was a 1:32 drive.

The Giants and Eagles traded field goals towards the end of the quarter as both defenses failed to step up. The Giants got the ball with :51 left and cautiously went for the yards necessary to put Aldrick Rosas in a game-winning situation. However two penalties brought them back to a point where a punt with 19 seconds was the Giants only move. Brad Wing then made the mishap of the day, shanking one off his foot, totaling 28 yards.

Wentz was able to find Alshon Jeffrey over Eli Apple for a 19-yard gain, putting Jake Elliott in position to make a 61-yard field goal with :01 left on the clock. The result? Elliott is now the Eagles record holder for the longest made field goal in franchise history. 0-3 Giants.

QUARTERBACK

  • Eli Manning: 35/47 – 366 yards – 3 TD/2 INT – 100.1 rating. This game replicated Manning’s entire career to this point against the Eagles. He played well, threw for a lot of yards, came up big in the 4th quarter, but ended up losing. Manning is now 10-17 against Philadelphia all time. The “typical Eli” comments are warranted to an extent, as his interceptions came up at inopportune times but credit needs to be given for the poise and high pressure throws he made throughout the entire fourth quarter when this team needed him most.

RUNNING BACK

  • Orleans Darkwa: 7 att – 22 yards. Throw in an 11 yard reception as well. Darkwa continues to look like has more life with the ball in his hands. The word “impressive” cannot be used for any of these backs, but Darkwa at least showed he can break more tackles and push piles. At this point, that is the only thing the running game is creating; slow, crowded piles. His 20-yard run in the 4th quarter is the longest NYG has seen this year.
  • Paul Perkins: 9 att – 22 yards. Also note 2 catches for 8 yards. Perkins had a stretch on one drive in the 3rd quarter where he looked halfway decent. Yes, the sample size was that small. He rushed 3 times for 16 yards on that drive; you can do the math on what he put out the rest of the way. Again, a victim of poor blocking but also again, lack of impact after contact.
  • Shane Vereen: 2 rec – 18 yards. One carry for another 5 yards as well. On the field for less than 30% of the snaps. Not nearly enough playing time again and at some point he needs to be on the field more than the two names above.

WIDE RECEIVER

  • Odell Beckham: 9 rec – 79 yards – 2 TD. Moving forward it is safe to say that Beckham is as healthy as he will be in relation to the preseason ankle injury he sustained. It was good to see the emotion out of Beckham, as maddening as he can be. This guy plays his heart out and made two touchdown receptions that very few WRs in the league can make, trust me on that. There was a stretch of plays that stood out to me in the 3rd quarter. Manning went to him four consecutive plays, the third of which he dropped a ball. He responded right after with a 13-yard catch for first down, a high effort play. We can say what we want about his childish antics but if this team is going to make a turnaround, it will center around him. He is that big of a difference maker.
  • Brandon Marshall: 8 rec – 66 yards. Not an impressive stat line but it was good to see so many passes (11 total) thrown his way. We got to see what this guy can be to opposing defensive backs trying to tackle him in space. A glimpse anyway. I fully expect to see a big game out of him in Tampa Bay now the game chemistry is there with him and Manning.
  • Sterling Shepard: 7 rec – 133 yards – 1 TD. The play of the game was going to center around his 77-yard touchdown, one in which he made a move or two and raced 70 yards after the catch. The collapse late, however, overshadowed how big of a play that was. Shepard has an opportunity here to really shine. He is proving to be overly reliable in this slot-dependent, slant-dependent, YAC-dependent passing game. His toughness and consistency since the start of his rookie year are impressive.

TIGHT END

  • Evan Engram: 5 rec – 45 yards. Overall a quiet game from Engram. He continues to lead the tight end in snaps played by a huge margin. As a blocker, his grade was better than weeks 1 and 2 respectively. The progress there is encouraging but it is still a weakness to his game and the overall offense.
  • Rhett Ellison: Wasn’t thrown to at all and his performance as a blocker was average, although he played just 29% of the snaps. Tough to make an impact on the game with such little playing time. If this coaching staff wants more production out of the running game without taking to big of a bite out of the air attack, Ellison should be in for more than 50% of the plays.

OFFENSIVE LINE

  • Tackles: Admirable performance, for the most part, by both Ereck Flowers and Justin Pugh. Neither allowed any sacks and with the help of the quick-release passing game, their combined pressures allowed were just 2. Flowers graded out much higher than he did the first two weeks but still graded out slightly negative. Pugh has been a steady rock all three games. Pugh did allow some inside pressure but because he is so often in good position from top to bottom, he had enough to keep his man away from making a big impact. Pugh is making money every week with his performance at RT as he heads towards his free agency.
  • Guards/Center: Hard-nosed effort from these three, although there wasn’t a ton of movement at the point-of-attack. Weston Richburg was the highest-graded lineman although he is making it a common habit to play a recovery style after getting drilled off the ball. At some point, that is going to be a major issue for this offense. John Jerry had a positive grade. What’s ironic here is, he led the group in negative-plays and positive-plays. He made some play-altering blocks, especially when they had him trap across the line, on some of the Giants’ biggest gains. He also did a nice job neutralizing the inside rush. Brett Jones gets beat initially almost every time, but in the same breath he fights back hard and won more often than not. He, too, graded out positively.

DEFENSIVE LINE

  • Ends: Jason Pierre Paul was matched up against one of the best right tackles in the game, Lane Johnson. Johnson won. Pierre-Paul had a very quiet day against the pass and struggled to disengage from the lateral blocking by the athletic Johnson. He has been one of the most disappointing players on this team through the 0-3 start. Time for him to step up. Olivier Vernon recorded a sack early on a play where Wentz held onto the ball too long, but also recorded 5 tackles. His performance against the run was very up and down and he did have to fight through an ankle injury in the second half. Romeo Okwara and Kerry Wynn rotated in and out for about 20% of the plays but failed to make any serious impact.
  • Tackles: Damon Harrison was avoided by the Eagles’ ground game. They made him move laterally often and it tired him out. He was only on the field for 58% of the plays. The Eagles made sure to not let him impact the game. Dalvin Tomlinson, Robert Thomas, and Jay Bromley all had a hard time maintaining their positions. They were being driven back and out of holes. Thomas especially lacked gap discipline, opening up massive cutback lanes. None were very impactful as pass rushers.

LINEBACKERS

  • The most underwhelming position group when it comes to overall grades. Jonathan Casillas and Keenan Robinson led the group in playing time, and both led the team in negative plays. They had a hard time disengaging from blockers, especially on the outside. Don’t let Robinson’s team-leading 10 tackles deceive you, he was a liability against both the run and pass.
  • After a solid showing in his first week as the starting MIKE, Calvin Munson only played 30% of the snaps. Was there an injury? Did the coaches see something I didn’t? Was it the PHI personnel grouping that often had them running out three wide receivers? Could be any of those but Munson, in my opinion, deserves to be on the field. His play against the lateral run has been a major plus so far and NYG really struggled there Sunday.
  • Hats off to Devon Kennard who has been showing a healthy dose of versatility each week. He filled in at DE and strong side linebacker, finishing with a sack and a QB hit.

CORNERBBACKS

  • Janoris Jenkins broke up two passes, the only two of the day for the NYG defense. His effort and impact against receivers that are so much bigger than him is admirable to say the least. He is a major plus for this defense and is grading out as one of the best corners in the league so far in this young season.
  • Eli Apple is up for the dud of the week. Teams are obviously targeting him downfield because of his inability to keep his hands away from grabbing. It was his red flag coming out of college and there has been little-to-no progress there so far in his career. His two long pass interference penalties in the second half both led to PHI touchdowns. He also missed a tackle and allowed too much separation on underneath routes to Torrey Smith, a receiver who is not known for short-route running ability.
  • With the Eagles in a 3 WR formation so often, Dominique Rodgers Cromartie played a season-high 41 plays, showing more than solid man coverage. Ross Cockrell has been impressive in his limited action.

SAFETIES

  • Underwhelming game from both Landon Collins and Darian Thompson. Other than Thompson’s big hit which knocked Darren Sproles out of the game, his game review was full of negative plays. He is late to recognize underneath passing routes and he missed 3 tackles that resulted in big gains, including a touchdown. His leash shouldn’t be too long, as he has yet to show much in his short NFL career. Collins didn’t finish with a negative grade, but his impact wasn’t felt the way we are used to. He overran a few lateral pursuits. And his coverage was average at best. The forced fumble you see in the box score was a mere drop-of-the-ball by Zach Ertz that Collins had little to do with.

SPECIAL TEAMS

  • K Aldrick Rosas:1/1 (42) – 3/3 on extra points. Rosas attempted his first high-pressure kick. Tied 21-21 with 3:11 to go, he nailed the 42 yarder with plenty of extra room.
  • Brad Wing – 4 punts – 38.5 yard avg – 1 inside 20. His horrendous shank in the 4th quarter was the main reason for the Eagles being set up for a game-winning field goal.
  • Return: For the third straight game, Dwayne Harris made zero impact on the game via his returns.

3 STUDS

  • WR Odell Beckham, QB Eli Manning, CB Janoris Jenkins

3 DUDS

  • LB Jonathan Casillas, P Brad Wing, CB Eli Apple

3 THOUGHTS ON PHILADELPHIA

  • Despite Dallas’ 13-win season last year with their young nucleus coming back, I noted Philadelphia as the team NYG would have to fend off for a division crown. NYG’s poor start aside, I think the Eagles are as well balanced as it gets in the NFC East. Wentz is a gamer, the team will control the trenches on both sides of the ball most weeks, and their schedule is pretty favorable.
  • The Eagles secondary is very banged up, but the young guns put together a couple solid performances. I was impressed with how CB Rasul Douglas played. He prevented the deep ball from being an option a couple times and played tough underneath against Marshall.
  • The Wentz-to-Jeffrey duo is only going to get better as the season progresses. Jeffrey doesn’t do a lot of things right as a route runner, but he has a Plaxico Burress-type approach to his game. He is bigger, taller, and can reach longer than almost everyone covering him. He is a guy who can be thrown to even when he is covered, something Wentz has never done. Once he gains confidence and chemistry there, I expect their offense to jump to the next level.

3 CLOSING THOUGHTS

  • The Giants are one of 3 teams in the league that have faced three teams with winning records this season. If there is a glass half-full approach, it can center around that this was a very difficult set of games to start off the year. Two road division games and one of the most up-and-coming NFC teams on a Monday night. The upcoming stretch has a lot of winnable games. The Bucs and Chargers are very beatable. The Seahawks are not the Seahawks we have come to know the best 5-6 years. The Rams and 49ers have yet to prove that they are really out of the bottom third of the league. Those 4 teams make up 80% of the upcoming 5 games.
  • I wouldn’t call the offense broken anymore. It isn’t good, but it’s not broken. It’s improved each week and the biggest positive taken from this game is the fact that Beckham appears to be back, fully. When a player like that hesitates, a player who depends so much on explosive movement, he is a shell of himself. It is easy to tell that Beckham let it loose in the second half and I think his confidence will be back in Tampa – a defense that can be torched. Also, the fact Marshall got much more involved is a huge plus. He still has it.
  • This defense, at least to me, was supposed to come in and be a top 5 unit in the NFL. Right now, they are middle of the pack. There is too much talent here to think this is where they are. They are relatively healthy, too. There is a string of games coming up that could really elevate the confidence of this unit.  It’s not coaching or play calling, these guys simply need to beat their respective opponents.
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