The New York Giants lost their third game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football in Week 4. Kicker Greg Joseph booted five field goals as the Giants have yet to score a touchdown at home through two games. New York out-possessed Dallas by about eleven minutes but still couldn’t pull out a win against Dak Prescott.
There is plenty to take away from the loss; not everything is negative. However, the missed deep shots by Daniel Jones are beyond a hindrance to this team’s ceiling. Here are some of those misses:
Jones’ inconsistency on passes with 20 air yards or more is a problem for the offense. The throws from the far-hash, specifically, give him trouble. Since 2021, Jones has only completed three passes of 20+ air yards from the far-hash, outside the numbers:
2022, Week 16: 33-yard switch release to Richie James (Minnesota).
2022, Week 7: 32-yard opening drive nine to Darius Slayton (Jacksonville).
2021, Week 1: 42-yard nine route (Denver).
The inconsistent arm talent allows defenses to confidently and more successfully employ leverages like the one utilized by Trevon Diggs (7) below:
The Giants receive a free-play—Diggs, who is aligned at 10-yard depth off the No. 1 WR (Slayton), is reading the No. 2 to No.3 releases. The No. 2 is Wan’Dale Robinson. If Robinson went out, Diggs would have cut underneath, and the deep half safety to the field would have expanded outside the numbers to account for Slayton’s vertical. The objective for Diggs is to undercut the quick-out concept from the No. 2/3 and not gain depth off the No. 1 WR’s vertical. Dallas has used and set this trap against Jones and the Giants in the past:
Although I agree Saquon Barkley should still secure this pass, the Cowboys — under a different defensive play caller — set these field-side traps against Jones.
Back to the Slayton underthrow. Upon realizing that Robinson’s release was not out, Diggs mid-points the No. 1 and No. 2 receiver, which leaves plenty of room between the sideline and the redline for a pass. Diggs is about three yards outside the bottom of the numbers when he is dropping back; Slayton has leverage and ample space, but the ball dies in the air, and Diggs is able to intercept the pass.
The defense is rightfully not threatened by Jones’ ability to attack them with his arm. Diggs can give that cushion, mid-point the No. 2 till he’s firm with the safety, and still make a play on the underthrown football with no threat that the quarterback will make the coverage pay for their lack of respect.
Other than these mishaps that, to be frank, were never consistently completed throughout Jones’ career, the much-maligned signal-caller played a good game. He managed the pocket well, understood how to adjust to defensive movement, found answers, and kept drives alive. Two third-down drops in the fourth quarter — one by Slayton and the other by Robinson — effectively ended two Giants’ opportunities.
Jones has a limited ceiling as a quarterback, which isn’t a secret. He was afforded some of the best pockets of his career through the last three weeks. Unfortunately, the Giants only have a win to show for it. Here are some solid play designs and execution from Daboll, Jones, and the offense:
New York was creative with their releases, got Malik Nabers free several times, and their alignments allowed the Giants to move the football throughout the game. The execution was bad when it mattered most. Nevertheless, star wide receiver Malik Nabers was targeted 15 times again. Here are all those targets:
Here’s the All-22 view of Nabers’ wide-open 39-yard catch:
Other offensive plays
The Giants generated nothing on the deck. Dallas sold out to stop the run, aligning frequently with seven defenders in the box, with safeties rotating downward quickly to fit and fill. This was quite possibly the best run of the game for the Giants:
This is more of a hat-tip to Carl Lawson and the Cowboys:
Zimmer’s approach worked with stopping the run but allowed the Giants to nickel and dime their way down the football field. It also helped spring two play-action screens to the running backs; here’s the 19-yard gain to Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The facemask penalty against Daniel Bellinger and the Giants is still comical. I’m uncertain how this phantom call was made:
All hands on deck in protection
Mike Zimmer didn’t blitz much against the Giants’ offensive line. Dallas earned 16 pressures, star pass-rusher Micah Parsons (who was dealing with an ailment) was held to just three. Zimmer did, however, scheme free-rushers at the Giants’ six-man protection. Running back Devin Singletary has performed admirably in pass protection through four weeks, and had this quilty pick up below:
Parsons was a popular man on Thursday. Even though he faced Andrew Thomas through much of the night, the Giants still had running backs releasing in his direction to provide some Fritos for the former Penn State Nittany Lion.
Here is more offensive line appreciation.
Defensive posts
Third-year former fifth-overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux had one of his best games in a while. He recorded five pressures and the lone Giants sack against Dak Prescott:
Here are a few other plays where Thibodeaux has a positive impact for the Giants defense:
It’s been quiet for Brian Burns. He had two pressures in this game and just eleven on the season after the Giants traded the 39th pick to the Panthers and inked Burns to a five-year, $150 million deal that includes $87.5 million guaranteed. Both Burns and Thibodeaux dealt with a lot of chip blocks from the running backs and Jake Ferguson. Still, the Giants need to receive more difference-making pass-rushing plays from Burns. Here is a solid run stop by the 26-year-old:
Dexter Lawrence and Micah McFadden team up for these STOPs against Rico Dowdle, with the first play in the red zone, which prompts me to post this…
McFadden has played well through his three games. He has only missed three tackles and has 11 STOPs at the line of scrimmage. Dexter Lawrence remains dominant in the trenches. He didn’t accumulate statistics on Thursday, but Dallas sure couldn’t keep their hands off him:
Dallas had a few plays that could have warranted a yellow flag against Lawrence. Overall, the Giants defense plugged the run. They only allowed 3.5 yards per carry on the ground, and their nickel defense — with Nick McCloud as the apex — fit the run quickly against the Cowboys:
