The New York Giants pushed the Detroit Lions to the limit in their 34-27 overtime loss on Sunday. Again, the Giants blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Shane Bowen’s defense harassed Jared Goff for much of the game, but their inability to consistently fit the run and stop explosive plays bit them in the rear end once again.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 219 yards on just 15 carries with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. Missed tackles continue to hurt the Giants’ defense. The Giants established a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter on a nine-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a Jameis Winston receiving touchdown. But, three plays into the Lions’ subsequent drive, Gibbs found a crease and out-ranthe Giants’ safeties for a 49-yard touchdown.
Gibbs’ explosiveness was on display all game, and he showcased it on the first play of overtime as well. He rushed for a 69-yard touchdown to open overtime while Dexter Lawrence was on the bench; after the game, though, Mike Kafka stated that Lawrence was “nicked up.” The Giants’ offense would drive down the field on 12 plays, but Winston was sacked by Aidan Hutchinson on fourth-and-five to secure a Lions’ victory.
This was a very exciting game with over 1,000 total yards of offense. New York was competitive, energized, and the offensive play-calling was exceptional for most of the game. Mike Kafka deserves a lot of credit for the effort and the preparation, but the end result is a similar one – another loss for a New York Giants team that significantly struggles to finish games. Here are the grades.
Quarterback Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston can sling the football – that’s for sure. He is incredibly fun to watch; plus, apparently, he can receive the football and make a defender look silly for a touchdown. Winston converted half of the offense’s third downs (8 of 16) and kept the game alive in overtime with a fourth-down rushing conversion. He finished the game 18 of 36 for 366 passing yards with one interception and a 33-yard touchdown reception. Winston delivered 10+ explosive receptions to his receivers. He was active in the pocket and gave the Giants a chance to win the football game. A valiant and exciting effort for the Giants’ signal caller, but it fell short.
Grade: A
Running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary
The Giants were able to establish a solid rushing attack with their running back by committee: Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. Tyrone Tracy Jr. rushed the football 20 times for just 62 yards but had a few key runs, and was an asset in the passing attack underneath. Kafka dialed up a few screen-plays and Winston found Tracy Jr. once on a busted coverage that went for 42 yards. Tracy Jr. finished with three catches for 68 yards. Devin Singletary finished with 14 carries for 47 yards.
Grade: B+
Wide receivers Wan’Dale Robinson, Gunner Olszewski, Isaiah Hodgins, Darius Slayton
Wan’Dale Robinson was the catalyst for the Giants’ offense. He had 106 yards in the first quarter. Robinson finished with nine catches for a career high 156 yards with one touchdown on a trick play – something the Giants executed well on Sunday. Gunner Olszewski threw a touchdown pass to Winston on another tick play and he drew a defensive pass interference against Rock Ya-Sin. Isaiah Hodgins only secured two of six targets, but one was for a touchdown, and the other was a 30-yard heave by Winston on third down. Hodgins finished with 42 yards.
Lions’ defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard attempted to impose his will in press man against the Giants’ receivers, but New York was determined and precise with their routes, while quarterback Jameis Winston delivered the football in a timely fashion. Darius Slayton only had one catch for 23 yards and played a more part-time role after returning to the lineup post-hamstring injury.
Grade: A
Tight ends Daniel Bellinger, Theo Johnson
The tight ends were quiet in the first half but made their presence felt early in the second quarter. Daniel Bellinger was narrowly missed by Jameis Winston on what may have been a miscommunication, but Winston found Theo Johnson for 24 yards on the very next play. Theo Johnson has really come along over the last four weeks. He ended the game with three catches on five targets for 77 yards, including very impressive hands catches along the sideline in tight coverage. Bellinger, however, missed his two targets on catchable throws.
Grade: B
NY Giants offensive line
The Detroit Lions had 31 sacks entering the game. Winston was sacked once in the game – on the final play; the offensive line was impressive. The Lions did pressure Winston, but the veteran quarterback was able to get rid of the football and make the Lions pay when they did bring extra bodies. New York’s pass protection continues to be positive and allows the Giants’ signal caller to make plays. There was room on the ground for the backs as well; Kafka ran a lot of power and counter against Detroit and the offensive line executed well.
Grade: A
NY Giants defensive line
The Giants’ defense dictated early to the vaunted Lions offense. Rookie Darius Alexander had his breakout performance, earning two sacks; one was a bull-rush to half-man transition, with a smooth dip outside and into the pocket; the second was caused by Dexter Lawrence’s interior pressure. The Giants were respectable against the Lions’ rushing attack until Jahmyr Gibbs’ 49 yard rush off the back of quality blocking up front.
Gibbs continued to slash through the Giants’ defensive front. He finished with 219 yards on the ground, including multiple explosive runs. The early pressure from Alexander, Lawrence, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who also had a sack, was valuable and allowed the Giants to compete till the end. Still, the inability to play together as a defense down the stretch of games continues to plague Shane Bowen’s unit. Gibbs’ 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime came without Dexter Lawrence on the field. The line isn’t fully culpable for the Giants’ struggles against the run, but they’re partially to blame
Grade: B
EDGEs Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Chauncey Gholston
Brian Burns continued to be Brian Burns. Even in a 2-9 season, he consistently hustles and makes impact plays that put the defense into an advantageous situation. He is an excellent player and, perhaps, even a better leader. Abdul Carter had a few pressures and impressive rushes, as well as some solid plays against the run, but he still leaves a little bit to be desired when it comes to finishing. Chauncey Gholston saw the field more with Kayvon Thibodeaux sidelined and he had a few nice plays against the run.
Grade: B
Linebackers Zaire Barnes, Swayze Bozeman, Bobby Okereke
The Giants were already thin at linebacker and they lost Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles in the first half. Zaire Barnes did make an impressive tackle for a loss on David Montgomery on the goal line after Flannigan-Fowles left the game. Barnes also did a solid job in coverage against Gibbs to force field goals.
Swayze Bozeman saw a lot of snaps as well. The breakdowns against Gibbs didn’t reflect well on the linebackers or the safeties, or the defensive line for that matter. Gibbs was untouched on multiple runs. This has been a problem for the Giants all season, and that issue is exacerbated by the multiple injuries suffered by this unit. The one constant, Bobby Okereke, does what he needs to do, but is far from perfect and still seems a step slower than what we’re used to seeing.
Grade: D+
Cornerbacks Dru Phillips, Korie Black, Nic Jones, Cor’Dale Flott
The Giants were down both Paulson Adebo and Tae Banks, but their coverage held up early against the Lions receivers. The coverage allowed Alexander to earn two sacks, and Goff was forced to check down through the first half; still, the Giants’ questionable tackling would rear its ugly head in the game, especially on St. Brown’s screen third-down touchdown in the first half.
Dru Phillips responded well to his benching last week with several impactful tackles behind or near the line of scrimmage – multiple ones against Jahmyr Gibbs in space. Korie Black and Nic Jones saw snaps on defense and the cornerback group, overall, did well in coverage, forcing Goff to be more precise with his ball placement. Cor’Dale Flott had a big pass defensed on third down that led to a punt after Jameis Winston’s interception early in the fourth quarter. However, Amon’Ra St. Brown finished with nine catches for 149 yards on 13 targets. The middle of the field was vulnerable, but it could have been worse from this injured group.
Grade: B-
Safeties Jevon Holland, Dane Belton
Jared Goff struggled to find open receivers downfield early; I have to imagine the safeties were doing a good job in coverage, off the television screen. The run fits were solid early until Gibbs’ 49-yard rush that left Jevon Holland stumbling. Holland was caught with his feet flat, and Dane Belton eventually forced Gibbs out of bounds. Belton also took a defensive pass interference penalty against St. Brown in the first half.
Gibbs abused both Belton and Holland early in the fourth quarter on his 49-yard rush that went for six and seized the momentum from the Giants after Jameis Winston’s receiving touchdown. Gibbs did this a few more times in the game as his athletes far out-matched the safeties. Holland did intercept a pass that was tipped off St. Brown’s fingers, giving the Giants five interceptions on the season.
Grade: C
NY Giants punter, kicker, special teams
Jamie Gillan botched his first punt but received a fortunate bounce that rolled 44 yards. This has happened entirely too much this season. Gillan’s second punt went just 40 yards from deep inside the Giants’ own territory. Gillan was underwhelming, to be kind, albeit he did pin the Lions back inside the 10-yard line midway through the third quarter.
Eric Gray, who was activated off Injured Reserve this week, also dropped a kickoff, which ended up giving the Giants bad field position, starting the drive at the 19-yard line with just over two minutes left in the first half.
The Giants’ kickoff coverage team surrendered a 44-yard return to Khalif Raymond with 38 seconds left in the first half, which allowed the Lions to kick a field goal. New York started six drives inside their own 20 yard line; Detroit’s punter, who is rarely used but was today due to solid defensive play, was an asset for the Lions.
Grade: D
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