The schedule makers did the New York Giants no favors this season, front-loading them with tough opponents in the first half of the season for the second year in a row. The Pittsburgh Steelers, with one of the NFL’s best defensive lines in the NFL, weren’t exactly what the doctor ordered for a Giants offense that is hurting at both tackle positions and chronically anemic in getting the ball downfield and putting points on the board. The death watch was on for Daniel Jones’ tenure as Giants’ starting quarterback after capital offense performances against Cincinnati and Philadelphia. On the other hand, this week’s game was a potential stay of execution in that it was on the road, where Jones paradoxically has his best games.
What did we learn from the Giants’ 26-18 loss to the Steelers?
The Giants don’t have much of a secondary
We are now almost halfway through the season, and the Giants as a team have exactly one interception…by sixth round draftee linebacker Darius Muasau in Week 1 on a Sam Darnold throw that was tipped and floated like a wounded duck.
Takeaways aren’t everything, though, as long as your defensive backs are contesting passes and sometimes breaking them up. Tonight there was little of that to be seen. Deonte Banks did hustle, unlike his embarrassing efforts covering CeeDee Lamb on a TD pass in the Dallas game and his spectator’s view of teammates’ attempt to tackle Jalen Hurts last week. Still, his ball skills are non-existent. On what should have been a George Pickens TD (had he gotten his second foot down), Banks was there but made little attempt to prevent the catch. Later, coming up on a Najee Harris run, Banks dove at his feet rather than trying to take him on high and watched as Harris hurdled him to pick up more yards. Banks got to watch the second half from the bench after a tongue-lashing by Brian Daboll as Greg Stroman Jr. replaced him.
Meanwhile, previously reliable Dru Phillips was beaten for a long touchdown and gave up seven receptions on seven targets for 125 yards, Nick McCloud gave up four receptions on four targets and 70 yards, and safeties Tyler Nubin and Jason Pinnock seemed out of position all night and really made no plays. The Giants played a lot of two-high safety, middle of the field open defense tonight, but by the fourth quarter Russell Wilson was routinely making big plays against this group.
Tyrone Tracy is RB1
Look, we know the Giants aren’t going to the playoffs, but there’s room for one good thing that came out of the evening. The Giants weren’t supposed to be able to run the ball against the Steelers’ fierce defensive line. They did manage to open some holes, though, and Tyrone Tracy took full advantage, running 20 times for 145 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown.
Tracy has clearly emerged as RB1, and with good reason. He rarely goes down on first contact, manages to make defenders miss to gain at least a couple more yards, and has shown the breakaway ability that the best backs have. The Giants did a decent job run blocking, and Tracy took advantage. Unfortunately on his final play his head hit the ground as he was tackled and sustained a concussion.
Daniel Jones’ small mistakes limit the offense
Jones wasn’t bad tonight. As always, he was tough as nails. He was 24 for 38 for 264 yards, with no interceptions, and he even went downfield a few times tonight. One was a beautiful completion to Darius Slayton. On the final drive Jones hit Theo Johnson down the middle into a tight window to get them to midfield. Another was almost a touchdown to Malik Nabers, but Nabers could not get both feet down in bounds.
The Pittsburgh defense was always going to be a tough assignment, and the offensive line without Andrew Thomas continues to be weak on the left edge. Still, Jones had chances to win this game and couldn’t make the perfect play at the right time. On one play, a drive stalled when Jones had Slayton open for a hole shot on third down but waited too long to throw the ball, leading Slayton into Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was able to jar the ball loose. Anticipatory throwing has always been a Jones weakness. He completed several other passes but behind or at the feet of his receivers, preventing them from turning them into big plays. And then on that final drive, under pressure, he threw too high for Singletary, resulting in an interception that sealed the loss. Jones has what Matt Waldman calls “general accuracy,” i.e., he throws balls that can be caught but are not in the ideal location for the receiver to do anything with them after the catch.
Worse yet, though, Theo Johnson was wide open over the middle on the play:
The Giants need another defensive tackle
Pittsburgh ran for 167 yards against the Giants tonight. Last week Saquon Barkley accumulated a similar number of yards against them. Granted, some of it was on the outside, where Azeez Ojulari continues to have trouble setting the edge despite his positive contributions to the pass rush.
Inside, though, the Steelers gashed the Giants’ tackles all night, routinely picking up more than half the yardage needed to move the chains on first down. Bobby Okereke had probably his best game of the season, with what could have been a crucial strip and fumble recovery late in the game, plus seven tackles and seven assists. He probably had that many, though, because Harris and the Steelers’ other running back, Jaylen Warren, were routinely getting to the second level.
Maybe Mike Kafka should call the plays
I’m no offensive guru, but Brian Daboll’s play calling this year has me scratching my head. Last week he hardly ran the ball in the first half. This week he started the game with three consecutive running plays against a defense that is stout against the run. Through the entire first half, Daboll seemed to be trying to avoid asking Daniel Jones to win the game. You never get the sense from this offense that it is trying to attack the opposing defense. And perhaps it’s just me, but I don’t see creativity in the play designs. I don’t see the intermediate dig routes. Wan’Dale Robinson seems resigned to just getting the ball 4 yards past the line of scrimmage. Last year I remember his running wheel routes and otherwise getting open in space.
Part of the problem tonight was the offensive line. Yes, Chris Hubbard was overmatched at left tackle, and Jermaine Eluemunor had his hands full with T.J. Watt on the right side. What bothered me the most, though, was the lack of discipline. Here was the tally of offensive penalties before the game was even over (there were two others after this):
Holding and false starts are part of the game. Against a defensive line like Pittsburgh’s it’s understandable. But all the illegal formations, ineligible man downfield calls, illegal shifts, and delays of game are maddening. I don’t think that’s all Daboll’s fault, but as the guy designing and presumably leading the practice reps of these plays, he has to bear some responsibility.
And don’t get me started on the execution of that 2-point conversion attempt. WTF?
