The New York Giants lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart on their first offensive drive, and they failed to gain much offensive rhythm after Dart’s seven offensive plays that went for 27 yards. New York failed to get anything going on the ground, and Jameis Winston looked overmatched in relief of Dart. The Giants only had 182 yards on offense, and the Rams rumbled for 481 yards, while averaging eight yards per play.
Los Angeles went 5 of 9 on third down and the Giants 3 of 14. The Rams had the football
for five minutes and ten seconds more, but their explosive plays complied, as the Giants’ offense sputtered all night after Dart’s injury. The Giants suffered multiple injuries in the loss, but they’ll have to quickly regroup on a short week. Brian Burns hurt his ankle late in the fourth quarter. It was just a brutal game for the Giants from many perspectives. Here are the grades.
Quarterback
The Giants lost Jaxson Dart on their first offensive drive. Dart was ruled out in the second half, and it was a devastating blow to the Giants’ nation. Jameis Winston looked lost through the first half. He went 4 of 12 for 58 yards with a terrible interception in the red zone. Winston didn’t improve until the Rams were up by three-plus scores well into the second half. Winston finished 11 of 27 for 111 yards while suffering two sacks and throwing an interception. It was the worst I’ve seen Winston as a Giant. Dart was 3 of 5 for 20 yards before the injury.
Grade: D
Running back
Jevon Holland forced a fumble late in the first half, which gave the Giants excellent field position and a chance to split the Rams’ lead in half. Matt Nagy decided to roll out a package with Najee Harris on second and third down, with the third down play being in 11 personnel. It was a handoff, too, and it was a massive tackle for a loss that led to a Dominic Zvada 24-yard field goal. With no Jaxson Dart, Nagy kept his best running back on the bench in a critical situation – that’s a HIGHLY questionable situation.
The Giants averaged a measly 2.5 yards per carry. Skattebo finished with 12 carries for 36 yards; he added four catches for 19 yards. There was no room on the ground, and the backs couldn’t get much goiung.
Grade: C
Wide receiver
The loss of Dart hurt the offense, and Malik Nabers battling a shoulder injury that held him out for several plays didn’t help the overall chances of the Giants to win the game. The Giants offense went into a shell once Winston entered the game. Darnell Mooney had a few plays over the middle of the field, but the receivers were not receiving quality looks from Winston.
Mooney led the Giants with 48 receiving yards on two catches, while Fields hauled in two balls for 30 yards. Odell Beckham Jr. was not targeted, and Malik Nabers caught one of his four targets for one yard, and left in the first half with a shoulder injury. He returned, but the game got out of hand.
Grade: C –
Tight end
Dart’s injury stifled their passing attack. Theo Johnson had an opportunity to secure a Dart pass on the play he was injured. Johnson did an excellent job high-pointing the football over two defenders, which was very impressive, but, unfortunately, Johnson could not secure the football. Isaiah Likely was targeted ten times and caught five for 33 yards.
Grade: C –
Offensive line
Jon Runyan’s holding penalty ended an early potential scoring drive for the Giants. The offensive line struggled all night. They opened a few lanes for Cam Skattebo and the Giants’ rushing attack, and their pass protection was suspect. Obviously, the injury to Dart changed the Giants’ game plan, but the offensive line was just getting beat by the Rams’ front. John Michael Schmitz, just like last week with Devin Singletary against man coverage, was late to his assignment at the second level and a screen ended in a loss, when a massive gain was attainable if that block was executed. Jermaine Eleumunor was beat bad by Byron Young on a valuable third-down in the third quarter, which led to Zvada’s second field goal of the game.
Grade: D
Defensive line
Chauncey Golston forced a holding penalty and had a few disruptive plays up front, and the Rams weren’t establishing the run too well for much of the game, but Stafford had too much time to pass too often. A lot of the Rams’ rushing success was to the outside, and D.J. Reader had a few nice STOPs near the line of scrimmage. Still, the line didn’t do enough to make a difference.
Grade: C +
Edge
Matt Stafford had WAY too much time in the first half. He sat comfortably in the pocket and delivered too many passes beyond 20-yards. New York HAS to receive more from their pass-rush. Carter did sack Stafford by splitting a double-team, but the Giants’ surrendered 21 yards on the following play to Terrance Ferguson. The Giants were also shaky on the edge against the heavier personnel packaged Rams.
Kayvon Thibodeaux lost contain on a 21-yard Williams scamper in the third quarter. New York surrendered the edge several times in the second half. What’s possibly most consequential from the game is the injury to Brian Burns, who got rolled up on in garbage time. The Giants need to get more from this position group.
Grade: F
Linebacker
Kyren Williams caught a touchdown as the third receiver releasing to the boundary toward the two receiver side. Arvell Reese stayed tight toward the in breaking route of the No. 2 receiver, and Reese allowed Williams to find a soft-spot between himself and Colton Hood, where Williams caught the ball for an easy score. This was Reese’s second mistake in coverage that resulted in a touchdown. The Terrance Ferguson touchdown was over the head of Tremiane Edmunds.
The middle of the field was more vulnerable versus the pass as well. Stafford found back side dig routes and other in-breaking routes in front of over-pursuing safeties, but just behind linebackers. The coverage was an F for the Giants’ linebackers, but they were adequate against the run. Edmunds did, however, knock a pass away as a blitzer late in the third quarter.
Grade: D
Cornerback
Matt Stafford and Davante Adams were having success against quality cover plays by Greg Newsome III and other Giants’ cornerbacks. Colton Hood wasn’t terrible, but there were plays where he looked like a rookie, specifically the Davante Adams touchdown pass in the third quarter in the red zone. Greg Newsome III was forced to shadow Adams after Hood surrendered the touchdown.
Grade: C –
Safety
Tyler Nubin had a beautiful tackle at the line of scrimmage early in the first quarter, but he was the defender that contacted Davante Adams on the veteran’s first quarter touchdown. Nubin was then toasted in coverage on Matt Stafford’s long 64 yards third-and-nine conversion; the third-year safety bit on an Adams’ double-move. Nubin lost leverage and over-pursued on several other coverage snaps.
Jevon Holland, however, was one of the biggest difference makers for the Giants’ defense. He intercepted Matt Stafford as the middle-of-the-field closed safety and then punched the football loose from Kyren Williams on the subsequent Rams’ drive. Holland is living up to the off-season hype. Holland than forced a fumble against Blake Corum in the fourth quarter.
It’s strange to give a grade to the safety position with Holland having a great game but Nubin having one of the worst by a Giants’ safety in some time. Let’s split the diff and give the position a C. Nubin was attacked all game, but he did knock one pass away from Ferguson late in the third quarter, although Nubin was beaten on the play.
Grade: C
Special teams
Jordan Stout is an asset. Poor blocking up front forced Stout to punt it into the end zone on the Giants’ second drive, but he was lucky to get the football off; his third punt, though, sailed for 61 yards. Stout also booted a 58-yarder after the Giants’ failed first drive of the second half. Field position becomes more important when injuries take effect on offense. Unfortunately for the Giants, that happened early in the game.
Malachi Fields did an excellent job making a tackle after a quality punt by Jordan Stout in the second quarter. Dominic Zvada went 2 of 2 with 24 and 52 yard field goals. Stout may have been the Giants’ most valuable player outside of Holland; he added a fourth quarter 78-yard punt.
Grade: A
