Giants Country

New York Giants Week 12 Report Card: Falling Way Short

A look at the New York Giants Week 12 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.

Patricia Traina

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Fading fast? The New York Giants 28-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving means Big Blue is now 1-4 in its last four games, including before the bye. Moreover, most of the formula the Giants relied on to win games in the first half of the season seems to have lost its potency.

Teams have figured out how to stop running back Saquon Barkley. The defense's third-down and goal-line proficiency has also eroded. And it's as if all of a sudden, the Giants, once the king of the fourth-quarter comebacks this season, no longer have an identity.

That all showed up in the loss against Dallas. Yes, the Giants were a MASH unit due to injuries, but the opportunities were there to be grabbed, and the Giants just couldn't do it.

Here are the grades from that turkey of a game.

Offense: D

If last week wasn't a wake-up call that teams have figured out how to shut down the Giants running game, maybe this week will do the trick. Saquon Barkley was held to 39 yards on 11 carries. Not good.

Also not good was the poor pass by Daniel Jones that hit Barkley in the hands only to fall to the ground on fourth down. If Barkley catches that ball--and by the way, the Giants only had ten men on the field for that all-important down--he likely runs to daylight.

Want more? How about the penalty on Tyre Phillips that negated a touchdown catch by Isaiah Hodgins? Or the missed opportunities by the offense to cash in on Cowboys turnover--two picks by the defense yielded just three points. Or what about the fact that the Giants only managed to convert three of 11 third-down attempts, not to mention they were in third-and-long on a handful of those?

Safe to say the Giants offense has seen better days.

Defense: C-

The Giants doubled their season interception total with their makeshift secondary, but they also had few answers to deal with CeeDee Lamb (106 yards on six receptions) or tight end Dalton Schultz (two touchdown receptions). The Giants had nine quarterback hits but nary a sack among them as the pass rush continues to lag.

Unlike the Giants offense, Dallas went 7-for-11 on third down, many of their third downs being manageable. The run defense yielded 169 yards on 39 carries, with Zeke Elliott recording 92 rushing yards.

Cornerback Darnay Holmes was flagged for two penalties, illegal contact, and holding. And the Giants, despite recording nine quarterback hits, barely came close to turning those hits into sacks, though credit rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux, who had five of those nine hits, for coming close to dropping Prescott for a sack.

Special Teams: B-

Jamie Gillan's net average reads 38.3, and a big reason why, despite his placing one ball inside the 20 and forcing two touchbacks, was Nick McCloud's failure to down a perfectly placed punt at the 1-yard line, instead allowing it to roll into the end zone.

Richie James did well to hold onto his lone punt return attempt, which went for three yards. The Giants didn't get any chances to return kickoffs, as all five went for touchbacks. So much for flipping the field.

The good news is that Graham Gano, who had a forgettable showing last week due to illness, was back to his old self. He nailed field goals of 57 and 47 yards, the 57-yarder tying a team-high.

Coaching: B

The coaches did their best with their MASH unit, but it wasn't enough. Why did the offense lag on that late fourth-quarter drive down two scores? Where was the sense of urgency? On the flip side, the Giants showed a little more urgency toward the end of the first half when they added a field goal to increase their lead.

Want more good news? While Dallas was stuffing Sauqon Barkley's runs like a Thanksgiving turkey, the Giants leaned more on 21-personnel, which saw two running backs on the field. Gary Brightwell finished with 31 rushing yards (just eight fewer than Barkley) on five carries, a 6.2 average.

Wink Martindale stayed true to his roots and was aggressive in an attempt to protect his makeshift secondary, and the plan worked as quarterback Dak Prescott looked jittery in the first half and made mistakes. But the Cowboys quickly adjusted in the second half, and that was pretty much all she wrote. 

 

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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