The New York Giants were in command for most of Sunday’s game, but a historic collapse ended with a 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart played well against one of the top defenses in the league, but his fourth-quarter interception changed the game’s trajectory.
NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final six minutes of a game. There were three lead changes in the final 1:51. The Giants continue to find creative ways to lose football games. Here’s this week’s report card.
Quarterback
Dart did not lead the Giants to a score on their opening drive for the first time in four games, but he led two touchdown drives in the first half with several high level throws, while also using his legs to buy time in the pocket. He even killed a play seconds before connecting with Daniel Bellinger on a 44-yard touchdown.
Dart was 8 of 12 for 193 yards with two touchdowns against Vance Joseph’s blitzes against the No. 1-ranked Broncos’ defense until there were five minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Dart threw an interception to linebacker Justin Strnad.
Dart finished 15 of 33 for 283 yards with three touchdowns and a costly interception. He also led an almost game-winning drive that was finished by his own rushing touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game. The Broncos couldn’t have been more undisciplined on that drive, but Dart did enough for the team to win this football game.
Grade: B
Running Back
The Giants generated little on the ground, but stuck with the possession approach through much of the game. Skattebo did have a creative 18-yard run early in the fourth quarter, where it appeared like the defense lost him near the sidelines. Skattebo also secured his first receiving touchdown on a screen pass. Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a few nice runs, including a 31-yard run that resulted in the Giants’ third offensive touchdown of the game. The blocking was exceptional, and the TEMPO used by the Giants helped set up Tracy’s touchdown. Skattebo finished with 16 carries for 60 yards (3.8 YPC) with three catches for 34 yards on four targets. Tracy. had nine carries for 46 yards with his long 31-yard touchdown scamper.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver
Wan’Dale Robinson was impressive. Several critical catches for the Giants with two second-half plays that showcased his high football IQ and field awareness/vision. The Giants relied on their 12 personnel package – Robinson was the only Giants’ receiver with a catch. Jalin Hyatt beat the defense deep at the end of the game, but Dart could not connect.
Wan’Dale was fantastic. The rest of the receiver corps, however, does not move the needle. Beaux Collins drew a defensive pass interference penalty, which was MASSIVE in the game. However, the Giants’ receivers, beyond Robinson, are not in the game plan, nor have they made plays on the football.
Still, Robinson is the only receiver who can be relied on and he’s limited by his measurables. Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Hyatt, and Collins received four collective targets, none of them caught. Robinson finished six of 12 for 95 yards.
Grade: C+ (Wan’Dale gets an A+)
Tight End
It was the Daniel Bellinger show in Denver. Bellinger secured the first Giants’ touchdown and had a 29-yard reception on a 12 personnel out and up around Theo Johnson. New York’s offense works out of 12 personnel with Darius Slayton and Malik Nabers out. Bellinger briefly exited the game early, but came back in to have one of his best performances. We even saw Thomas Fidone II on offense!
Theo Johnson, however, continues to frustrate; that is, of course, until a ball pops up in the air and he’s there to secure it on a fourth-quarter third-and-17. Johnson had the 41-yard touchdown catch and run off a deflected Wan’Dale Robinson pass. Johnson did have, though, a drop on a wide-open stick route that stalled a drive, and he failed to secure a more difficult pass along the sidelines in the first quarter.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
The Denver Broncos lead the league in sacks. They sacked Justin Fields nine times in Week 6 and had 10 more sacks than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who ranked second prior to the start of the week. The 30 sacks Denver earned through six weeks was wildly impressive; while they added to that number against the Giants, the offensive line unit, in general, still deserves their flowers, even though the run game struggled as well.
The Broncos are a formidable foe, and the offensive line kept them at bay. Not to mention…the Giants had a well-timed screen touchdown for the first time in a long time. Also, offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo was not present for the game, and neither was starting center John Michael Schmitz. Assistant offensive line coach James Ferentz assumed his responsibilities. Dart was sacked four times.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
The Broncos opted to throw more than run against the Giants. New York jumped out to an early lead, and Denver continued to try to pass. Both Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches knocked passes down at the line of scrimmage. Roy Robertson-Harris almost intercepted Nix on a play-action slide at the start of the fourth quarter. Darius Alexander had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage as well.
The continuity of the defense was intact from a run defense perspective until the end of the third quarter, where the Broncos leaned on JK Dobbins, who had 9, 5, and 32-yard runs. Some of those runs were outside at Tae Banks, who struggles MIGHTILY with fitting the run.
Grade: B
Edge
Sean Payton and the Broncos’ offense called a game to slow down Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux; that approach was quickly snuffed out by the rest of the Giants’ defense. New York dictated to the Broncos’ offense for the entire first half, rendering the Broncos scoreless.
The Giants didn’t sack Nix a ton (two sacks), but the pressure was there, and the Broncos’ game plan was curtailed to account for the immense pressure brought by the Giants’ front four. Brian Burns had both sacks and added a pass knocked down in the fourth quarter.
Kayvon Thibodeaux had a devastating offside on a third-and-5 on the Giants’ 14-yard line, which gave Nix and the Broncos a first down with less than five minutes left in the game, down by ten. Two plays later, Nix found rookie running back, RJ Harvey for a touchdown.
That mistake was one of many bricks laid on the Broncos’ comeback trail, as Harvey’s touchdown made the score 26-23.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
The second level of the Giants’ defense gave nightmares to the Broncos through the first half. Payton did not run the football often, but rather relied on quick throws that were quickly matched and attacked by the Giants’ linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties. Some of the throws were knocked down at the line of scrimmage by the Giants’ line as well. The Giants’ linebackers were solid in zone coverage as well, and seemed disciplined for most of the game.
Grade: B+
Cornerback
The Giants’ entire defense was vicious and violent. The Broncos’ early offense attempted to attack the flats for most of the first half; both Flott and Phillips made several plays around the line of scrimmage to force third-and-long situations that eventually resulted in punts. Phillips also annihilated Evan Engram before the first down marker on a late third down.
Phillips did get called on pass interference against Pat Bryant on a late fourth-and-2. Phillips also surrendered the back-shoulder Marvin Mims’ 31-yard catch that put the Broncos into field goal range just north of the two-minute warning. Phillips also allowed Evan Engram to pick up an extra 12 yards with a poor push out attempt late in the fourth quarter. He also surrendered the 29-yard pass to Mims with 30 seconds left in the game that set up Wil Lutz’s game-winning field goal.
Flott also forced an incomplete pass on a deep corner that Mims nearly secured; the Broncos would punt two plays later. Flott has played very well this season and the Giants need to think about retaining his talents, for he’s in a contract year.
Paulson Adebo surrendered some catches to Courtland Sutton but held his own, for the most part. Adebo left the game in the third quarter. Banks filled in for Adebo and surrendered a touchdown on a pass that was batted in the air by lott against Courtland Sutton. Unfortunately for the Giants, Troy Franklin secured it just behind Banks.
Banks also ran himself out of a run fit, again, on the Bo Nix 18-yard touchdown run. He’s a massive liability on the football field and proved why Adebo is indispensable, even if he’s not infallible.
Grade: D-
Safety
Jevon Holland left the game in the second quarter and was ruled out in the second half; he was relieved by Dane Belton, who made a massive tackle at the line of scrimmage that kept the Broncos scoreless in the first half. Belton did, however, surrender the 2-point conversion to Sutton at the start of the fourth quarter.
Tyler Nubin briefly left the game as well, but returned late. The Giants suffered several injuries to their secondary in the game, but the Broncos failed to take advantage of the situation. New York played soft through the fourth quarter, as they maintained a two-to-three score lead, but the Broncos took advantage and crawled back into the game. Belton led the team with ten tackles.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
This regime’s inability to find a kicker has worked to the detriment of both Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll. It’s astounding. I didn’t think we, as Giants’ fans, could have another Matt Dodge type of disaster, but why would I not envision that? These are the New York Giants!
The Jude McAtamney experiment is over. He missed two extra points, including one with 37 seconds left in the game that prevented the Giants from establishing a 3-point lead. The first missed extra point helped lead to the disastrous collapse, which overpowers the quality punts and coverage. This Giants team continues to lose games with peculiar kicking situations. Jamie Gillan is the only thing preventing this from being an F.
Grade: D-
