New York Giants Week 16 Report Card: The Same Sorry Song

The Giants were embarrassed yet again by an opponent that they should have at least been able to keep pace with.

Dec 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons linebacker JD Bertrand (40) tackles New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Here are our grades for the New York Giants’ 34-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

. Offense. W16: Offense. F. Terrible. Just flat out terrible.

Head coach Brian Daboll decided to go back to Drew Lock this week despite Tom Boyle showing last week against a good Ravens team that he could play with anticipation. 

Well, so much for that idea. Lock, who did at least get the Giants on the board in the second quarter, during which point they temporarily held the lead, threw two Pick-6s, one of which he threw late and the other a batted ball in which he didn’t get enough height on it. Both were backbreakers. 

On the Giants' final drive, the offense was flagged FIVE TIMES, including a holding flag against receiver Wan’Dale Robinson that negated a 5-yard touchdown run by Tyrone Tracy, Jr in garbage time. 

To put that total in perspective, those five penalties represented 50% of what the Giants finished the day with. If that's not bad enough, three of those five penalties were false starts, two of which were by right tackle Evan Neal. Inexcusable. 

The Giants finished 33.3% on third-down conversions (3-of-9) and managed 234 yards of offense on 55 plays, a 4.3 yards per play average that wasn’t good enough. 

Speaking of not good enough, the Giants averaged 4.5 yards per pass attempt–so much for trying to stretch the field. Their longest plays of the day were a pair of 21-yard pass completions, one to Darius Slayton and the other to Malik Nabers, both coming in the fourth quarter with the Falcons defense in prevent mode. 

The right side of the offensive line–guard Greg Van Roten and tackle Evan Neal–often played like a swinging gate, and their inability to hold their ground caused the second Pick-6.

The bottom line? The Giants don’t have a viable option at quarterback. They need to think about a position switch for Evan Neal, and the coaching needs a makeover, given the repeated mistakes this unit puts on tape weekly. 

The defense had its moments, but still didn't make enough plays. . . Defense. W16: Defense . D

There are zero sacks, only two quarterback pressures, and a lot of leaking on the edges. Deonte Banks cost his team a 30-yard pass interference penalty that set up a score.  And Atlanta finished 8-of-14 on third down. 

Otherwise, there was a sprinkling of good plays here and there, such as Dru Phillips, returning from a multi-week absence due to a shoulder injury, dragging down running back Bijan Robinson and Brian Burns and Boogie Basham, each recording a tackle for a loss. Overall, though, it wasn’t enough.

W16: Special Teams. B-. It was a quiet ad uneventful day from this group, which is a good thing.. . Special Teams

A quiet game for this much-maligned unit, and that’s a good thing all things considered. Jamie Gillan put three of his five punts inside the 20 and netted 40.8 yards. There were no field goal attempts for Graham Gano, but he made his lone PAT. Not much from Ihmir Smith-Marsette on punt returns other than for one 6-yard return. Same for kickoff returner Eric Gray, whose lone return went for 37 yards.

Did Giants put another nail in head coach Brian Daboll's coffin?. . Coaching. W16: Coaching. F

Head coach Brian Daboll might as well record “It’s not good enough” and play it every time he’s asked a question after a loss because that’s what it’s come to. 

Daboll either doesn’t have the answers–and if he did, one would think he would have implemented the fixes by now–or he is biting his tongue. Either way, the lack of answers continues to rile up the fans who demand (and deserve) accountability.

What’s especially disappointing is that the Giants were banged up last year and had questions about their roster. Yet, they could still win three times as many games as they have this season despite the roster starting predominantly healthy at the beginning of the year. 

This year? There have been many times when this team has not looked competitive.

What’s also disappointing is that the same mistakes seem to be made week after week. Do you mean to tell us that the coaches can’t seem to get through to the offense in Week 16 of the season to avoid these illegal shift penalties they keep drawing? 

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