New York Giants Week 5 Report Card: Outclassed

The New York Giants were no match for the Dallas Cowboys, who topped them 44-20. And this week's grades reflect that accordingly.

Grading the New York Giants' various units after their 44-20 loss to Dallas.

Passing Offense: C

Jones finished 5 of 13 for 98 yards before being knocked out of the game with a concussion. Before he left, he never really looked comfortable playing behind another offensive line combination. This one saw Nate Solder at left tackle for Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart at right tackle, and Wes Martin rotating snaps with Matt Skura at left guard.

The offensive line, which missed left tackle Andrew Thomas this week, ended up allowing seven quarterback hits despite keeping the Cowboys off the scoresheet in the sack column. Rookie Kadarius Toney was electrifying and might very well have topped 200 yards receiving as he had no trouble beating man coverage.

Alas, he lost his cool and ended up being kicked out of the game. And why, oh why did Mike Glennon decide to throw at red-hot Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs deep down the field? Diggs got the last laugh, producing his sixth interception of the still-young season.

Rushing Offense: C

Saquon Barkley exited early with a regular ankle sprain, which is good news for his long-term prognosis. Devontae Booker stepped in and ran hard, gaining 42 yards on 16 carries. He also finished the job, getting the big fourth-and-goal touchdown from the 1-yard line with some power rushing.

Daniel Jones better find a middle ground between being smart and aggressive because every time he tries lowering his head and shoulder to push the pile, he’s asking for trouble. Sadly, this week he got it when he was dinged trying to punch it into the end zone on a 3rd-and-1 before Booker finished off the job.

Run Defense: F

The Giants had no answers for the outside zone runs the Cowboys seemed to exploit with ease, as Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 185 of Dallas’ 201 rushing yards. The Cowboys finished with a very healthy 5.2 rushing yards-per-carry, barely having to deal with long-yardage situations and the Giants only managed to record one tackle for a loss against the Cowboys. Not good.

Saquon Barkley is tackled against Dallas / Matthew Emmons - USA Today Sports

Passing Defense: D

Things looked promising early on when Lorenzo Carter batted and then picked off a Dak Prescott pass, but the Giants pass defense continues to look disorganized and ineffective out there. New York seems to be having at least two coverage breakdowns per game where the deep help never arrives on the scene.

And cornerback James Bradberry, a legitimate lockdown corner last year, still hasn’t looked like his old self as he was burned on CeeDee lamb’s 49-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Bradberry was also flagged for pass interference against Lamb and dropped an interception.

The Giants are also struggling at the other cornerback position. They moved Adoree’ Jackson down in the slot a bit more this week and put rookie Rodarius Williams out there on the island, but sadly, he struggled, getting burned badly by Amari Cooper for a touchdown. The Giants pass rush managed two sacks and five quarterback hits, but it just wasn’t enough.

Special Teams: B-

Graham Gano missed his second field goal attempt in his last four tries, this one a 54-yarder, but he made two 51-yard attempts later in the game. Riley Dixon continues to underwhelm, finishing with a 36.5 net average that included a 17-yard return by CeeDee Lamb off an ugly-looking punt. C.J. Board handled all the return duties, as expected. He didn’t do much on the punt return team, only getting one opportunity, but he did have a nice 33-yard return on kickoffs.

Coaching: D

Why activate Andrew Thomas and not play him? According to head coach Joe Judge, the plan was to deploy Thomas only in an emergency. Okay, fine, but then why activate Korey Cunningham and not another cornerback when it is becoming painfully evident that Rodarius Williams struggles on the outside?

Patrick Graham has disappeared from the head coaching discussion, and rightfully so as he continues to search for answers for a unit that last year was so good, but this year seems to have lost its way. As the injuries piled up, Jason Garrett made do with what he had, but why does Kyle Rudolph continue to be ignored in the red zone?

Getting back to Judge, how surprising is it after how much he preached to his team about playing smart and disciplined ball that three of its five penalties this week were related to discipline? Moreover, what's he going to do about it in the coming week?

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More from Giants Country

• Giants RB Saquon Barkley Exits Cowboys Game with An Ankle Injury
• Giants Week 5 Inactive Report: Offensive Tackle Andrew Thomas Active
• Giants QB Daniel Jones Exits Game For Head Injury Evaluation
• Giants Receiver Kenny Golladay Suffers Knee Injury
• Giants Schooled by Cowboys 44-20 in a Potentially Costly Game
• New York Giants Fall to Dallas Cowboys, 44-20: Instant Reaction 
• Giants Head Coach Joe Judge: Kadarius Toney's Actions Won't Be Accepted

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