Big Blue View
The New York Giants were competitive in most games this year despite their putrid 2-10 record prior to their embarrassing 33-15 Monday Night Football loss to Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. New England finished with 395 total yards, 119 of them on the ground (4.1 yards per carry). The Giants only possessed the football for 26:34 to the Patriots’ 33:26.
New York was hapless, outmatched, and comically crumbled in front of a national audience. This matchup posed opportunities for both interim head coach Mike Kafka and defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen, but it was apparent – early on – that the Giants could not effectively battle the talented Patriots.
However, fortunes for the coaches may have changed if the Giants pulled off an upset or competed in front of the broader NFL world, but a reality where Kafka retains the head coaching position beyond this season seems distant. It was more of the same: a team outmatched, finding creative ways to lose.
Quarterback
It was nice to have Jaxson Dart back in the lineup, albeit the Jameis Winston experiment was entertaining. Dart was reckless early with his body. He took a massive shot along the sideline from Christian Elliss; it was a legal hit, but the contact led to a fight where the Giants took an unnecessary roughness penalty. Dart must do a better job protecting himself.
Dart also made some rookie errors, like the throw to Devin Singletary that caused an ineligible man downfield penalty. Still, Dart showed command at the line of scrimmage, checking into certain plays against advantageous looks; Darius Slayton’s touchdown was a play where Dart checked out against pressure.
Dart also improvised on a few occasions to create positive plays for the Giants’ offense; most notably, the successful two-point conversion to Darius Slayton after Devin Singletary’s 22-yard touchdown rush. Dart finished 17 of 24 with 139 yards with one touchdown and four rushes for 20 yards.
Grade: C-
Running Back
The Giants officially averaged 4.1 yards per carry, which was mostly due to Singletary, who had 12 carries for 68 yards and caught all three of his targets for 34 yards. Tyrone Tracy Jr. left the game late but finished with 10 carries for 36 yards with one catch that lost 3 yards. The highlight was Singletary’s 22-yard touchdown run in the second half. Overall, there wasn’t much push generated up front and not a ton of space for the Giants’ backs, albeit Singletary made some runs look better than the blocking.
Grade: C
Wide Receiver
Darius Slayton scored his first touchdown of the season but finished with just two catches for 41 yards. Isaiah Hodgins did not have the same rapport with Jaxson Dart that he had with Daniel Jones or Jameis Winston; Hodgins finished with one catch for 4 yards. Wan’Dale Robinson caught seven passes for just 34 yards on eight targets. Overall, the receivers did little to move the needle in this game, but that’s consistent with the Giants’ overall effort....
