The New York Giants offense got itself into another jam this week, this time against a New Orleans Saints team that came in with the league’s 30th-ranked run defense and a host of question marks.
But the Giants' inability to run the ball on offense played right into the Saints’ hands. While Big Blue rallied in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled off a comeback, it still wasn't enough, and it’s fair to say it shouldn't have come down to that.
Then again, that’s what happens when the offense becomes one-dimensional, and you put too much on a quarterback with a specific set of skills that, at least in this case, wasn’t enough to drive the team across the finish line.
It’s not all on Jameis Winston, whose status as the starting quarterback moving forward is in jeopardy. But the Giants clearly need to make decisions if they want to keep their season from going completely off the rails.
Let’s dive into this week’s player-by-player grades, some of which are encouraging, and most of which should worry a team trying to protect first place in the NFC East.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston
After this week’s choppy performance, the Jameis Winston era has very likely come to an end.
Despite leading his offense to a second-quarter 10-0 lead, Winston left too much on the field.
Right off the bat, on his third pass, Winston missed Isaiah Likely, who had run an economical short middle route into open space. If Winston throws the ball where it’s supposed to go, Likely is still running. Instead, the throw was behind the tight end, and a missed opportunity became a punt and one of many uninspired moments.
Winston bounced back with an efficient, 12-play touchdown drive that gave the Giants an early 7-0 lead. A field goal drive made it 10-0 at the two-minute warning, but Winston’s teammates let the lead slip to 10-10 by halftime.
A parade of procedure penalties derailed his first possession in the third quarter, and then Winston was intercepted on his next two drives, which contributed mightily to a 34-10 deficit.
Winston was then subbed out for J.J. McCarthy, who led the inspired comeback that will likely send Winston back to a backup role.
One problem with Winston’s game is his lack of mobility and foot speed. He’s pretty much a statue in the pocket and cannot threaten the defense with his feet, which lets defenses tee off and attack the line of scrimmage, knowing exactly where he’s going to be.
His game lacks variety, which makes his offense much easier to defend. It’s one thing if you’re a pocket passer with top-shelf arm talent, but Winston’s talent is only ordinary.
His release is deliberate at best, and his accuracy is inconsistent. Winston finished this week with a pedestrian 14-of-26 for 152 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four sacks.
It’s probably best that he takes the sacks rather than force throws into traffic, but he is what he is, a limited pocket passer with loads of guts and faith in himself. His limitations make him one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, but he’s not a long-term starter.
J.J. McCarthy
The second-half arrival of this talented thrower was fun to watch, with McCarthy showing off the legit arm talent that made him a top-10 pick.
Down three scores in a likely blowout, McCarthy came out slinging and injected late-game excitement with some big-time throws to a variety of receivers.
We liked that he moved the ball around to all of his receivers, while never ignoring the “Big Two” of Nabers and Likely.
McCarthy took over the reins at 11:31 in the fourth quarter, and after throwing an interception on a misread with rookie Malachi Fields, his offense scored two touchdowns and a field goal to get within 7 points.
He finished the game just missing on a game-tying pass in the end zone to Likely. He went 11-of-21 for 243 yards in that short time on the field. Beyond the big arm McCarthy loves to show off, he also showed his foot speed by scrambling for 26 yards that set up his offense on that last-gasp drive.
A lack of touch on several of McCarthy’s throws is a legit red flag, but otherwise we liked how he moved in the pocket, stood tall, and threw the ball with accuracy and snap downfield. There doesn’t seem to be a throw he cannot make or attempt.
If McCarthy isn’t named next week’s starter, we’d be stunned.
Running Backs
Najee Harris
Getting this week’s start, Harris did very little to inspire. Two of his four touches had no chance, but he could have made yards after contact on the other two and didn’t.
Harris pass-blocked reliably, but he didn’t do anything with the ball in his hands. We really don’t like how he tends to run so upright, though considering he had consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons, it clearly works for him. Then again, he had better run blocking in those years, so maybe there’s a tradeoff there?
Cam Skattebo
Getting just six snaps, Skattebo never saw the ball and barely broke a sweat. Although Harbaugh said that Skattebo’s lack of touches weren’t by design, it’s hard to envision the coach seeing the other backs struggle as they did and not wanting to stick to his guns in teaching Skattebo a lesson about accountability.
Tyrone Tracy
We support elevating Tracy to the offense’s third-down role, where he seems like a natural fit, especially since he’s committed to the blitz pickup responsibility that is so important.
He rewarded his coaches’ faith by scoring two touchdowns this week, a 17-yard catch-and-run and a 5-yard inside run against contact.
We don’t think Tracy is a bell cow, but he’s definitely got the goods to be a rotation piece and third-down receiver on this team.
Devin Singletary
Getting a uniform after several weeks on the sidelines, this reliable veteran flashed on a fourth-quarter 19-yard catch-and-run checkdown. He also got three first-half touches for minimal yardage, plus what appeared to be garbage-time touches in the fourth quarter, including a 9-yard run.
Receivers
Malik Nabers
Reeling off his third straight uber-productive game (112, 121, and 165 receiving yards in the past three weeks) for a guy who says he’s still not 100% just yet, Nabers seems to be getting better week by week.
Talk about being economical: his 12 catches this week came on just 15 targets. He had zero drops and some big-time yards after contact as he competed like crazy.
He could have done more if the O-line had pass-blocked better. With opposing defenses trying their darndest to keep things in front of them, plenty of room opens up in the intermediate areas for players like Nabers to attack.
His big gains this week were 46, 27, and 18 yards, which kept the chains moving. He was reliable, tough, and physical.
We’re still waiting on the word “explosive” to come to mind when we watch him. There seems to be another gear missing, but the way he’s playing without it is pretty darned impressive.
The one blip on his record this week was the rather lackadaisical approach he took on one of Winston’s interceptions. We would have liked Nabers to be a little more proactive by sticking a hand in there for at least a chance to break up the pass, but other than that, it was another solid showing by the Giants’ top receiver.
Malachi Fields
The rookie seemed to be the culprit on the J.J. McCarthy interception; Fields went right, the ball went left. A handful of throws in Fields’ direction on the boundary were also tightly covered, one nearly becoming another interception.
Fields isn’t a separation guy; he’s a contested, positional kind of receiver. The Giants really need to figure out how to use him best. We think he’s more effective in the middle of the field, where his physicality can thrive.
We haven’t seen him run anything deep against press coverage, as the quarterbacks don’t like throwing the ball to well-covered receivers. Fields has to earn that trust with some tough catches.
His two receptions for 19 yards this week came on an uneconomical 8 targets, an ugly percentage. The rookie’s blocking continues to be hit-and-miss, which isn’t good enough.
Darnell Mooney
Getting his weekly “hospital” ball from Jameis Winston, Mooney had a chance at a tough catch in the middle of the field on each target but came down with neither, finishing with no catches on two targets.
Mooney did get to show off his speed on an early end-around that went for 20 yards. He left the game with a neck injury.
Charlie Jones
Getting onto the field in the fourth quarter, quasi-garbage time, Jones did well to come down with both of his targets. The tougher catch came on a deep ball where he was well covered, but Jones battled the defensive back and came down with the deflected ball for a big 49-yard gain.
This play really got the offense going, which is what chunk plays do for an offense: they gut the defense and knock some of the energy out of them. Jones made another nice catch, this time on a low throw, for a 9-yard gain late.
Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely
Continuing his attack on the Giants’ tight end receiving records, Likely caught six passes for 99 yards this week, while watching several Jameis Winston throws get buried in the turf or become INTs or near-INTs.
Winston’s throw on the opening drive was well behind Likely, who had lots of open turf in front of him, and it killed the early momentum. It was as disappointing a throw as we saw all day.
And yet, Likely kept producing, with his best catch probably the leaping 24-yard grab against contact in the end zone that highlighted just how versatile he is as a receiver.
His hands and body control are so good that he should be used on fade patterns in the end zone, but that’s only a small part of his game. His intelligence is constantly bleeding through.
He finds open spaces in different places every week. He never seems to run the same pattern week to week, which makes him very difficult to defend. His blocking could be better, but in space he’s very reliable.
Chris Manhertz
Despite some inconsistency blocking down on defenders, Manhertz had a solid blocking game overall.
Thomas Fidone II
Getting his first extended playing time as a pro, Fidone had a week to forget. If he wasn’t getting his number called for a false start, he was missing run blocks on the edge and running pass patterns into traffic with zero planning. The coaches also sent him in motion on numerous snaps to little avail.
If there was a positive, it was that he got his feet wet, which is something to build on. He seemed to know his assignments, but he couldn’t execute them as the defense’s speed and athleticism seemed to overmatch him.
Plenty of plodding tight ends make it in the NFL, but the prerequisite is an ability to hold up physically at the point of attack. We have yet to see Fidone do that.
Patrick Ricard
No one on this team is more frustrated than this proven veteran blocking fullback, who has become part of one of the worst run-blocking offenses in the league.
When Ricard could identify his man, he put him on his back, but it wasn’t often enough.
Offensive Line
Andrew Thomas
Thomas left the game with 9:31 left in the fourth quarter after gutting out another game while fighting through various lower-body injuries.
He was first announced as being evaluated for a concussion after the spotter had pulled him as a precaution when he was slow to rise, the reason being due to his painful groin injury.
After that, the coaches decided to spare Thomas more agony by keeping him on the sideline.
In the game, Thomas kept himself between his quarterback and defensive end Chase Young most of the day, but he rarely sustained a pass block long enough to be considered a true win.
Thomas is really struggling out there and would probably benefit from sitting out next week’s game, then getting the bye that follows which would give him a little over three weeks to let his injuries calm down.
Yes we know that would mean J.C. Davis against Will Anderson, but there's no rule that says the Giants can't send help the rookie's way if they decide to go that route.
Marcus Mbow
Stepping in for the injured Jermaine Eluemunor (calf), Mbow had a fine pass-blocking game and a run-blocking game to forget.
Sustaining a run block seems to be beyond this youngster’s ability right now, but the pass-blocking game is much more advanced and starter-quality. We can’t say the same for run-blocking, though.
J.C. Davis
Taking snaps for Andrew Thomas at left tackle and finishing the game with a clean pass-blocking sheet, Davis did everything the coaches asked and got very little help.
Davis was quick in his setup; his footwork, ability to bend his knees and low-power his man, and angling were all top shelf while playing against the talented Chase Young.
Davis kept his edge clean as a whistle while stepping into a difficult situation cold. He did not look or play like a rookie, which is encouraging.
Jon Runyan
Continuing his season-long struggles with run blocking, Runyan is another who cannot sustain blocks, with his man constantly getting into the play.
The O-line’s run-blocking is a total mess right now. It isn’t just individual members; the entire unit seems unsure of itself.
Runyan is easy to critique because he rarely wins a battle in the scrum. For instance, his man pushed him into the backfield on a first-quarter run that became a 6-yard loss. His pass-blocking also sprang some leaks.
Francis Mauigoa
This big rookie continues his struggles with some serious pass-blocking issues and not enough run-blocking wins to make a difference.
The youngster was beaten by several stunts this week, a handful of inside blitzes surprised him, and he lost a couple of one-on-ones with poor technique.
Everything seems to be happening too fast for this kid right now, and the blitzing schemes that are all the rage are really slowing his mental processing.
The rookie had a hand in at least three of this week’s six sacks, and that needs to improve.
Bryan Hudson
Though we like what Hudson is doing with his individual blocking right now (his blocks are consistently the cleanest of the entire O-line), it seems to us that he’s not doing enough to help out his two struggling guards.
Hudson is the newest of the team’s O-line starters, but he’s playing the position that typically makes the calls and keeps things organized.
The last word you would use to describe this group’s run-blocking effort is “organized.” “Disjointed” is the more accurate word.
For instance, on the Runyan run-block mess that became a 6-yard loss, Hudson might have seen the bad angle and helped Runyan close his gap better. Instead, the center went on his merry way downfield to block a linebacker while the running back was being swarmed in the backfield.
Hudson may be an improvement physically over the ball, but there has to be an instinctive feel for what’s happening out there and how to fix it on the fly. He’s essentially a rookie starter at the position, but he needs to be doing more.
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