The New York Giants exited the preseason on a high note, and many believed those good vibes would carry over into the regular season. Maybe, just maybe, they would finally get off to a solid start and begin competing in the NFC East again.
Those hopes were dashed as they were thrown around like rag dolls by the rival Washington Commanders in a listless 21-6 defeat down in the Nation’s Capital.
Here’s a report card of the essential units from Sunday’s game.
Offense
It all starts and ends with the offensive line, which pretty much sums up the afternoon. Center John Michael Schmitz and right guard Greg Van Roten were torched badly, which led to no push in the running game and a collapsing pocket on passing downs. Left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot) did not play, and it showed.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was not his vintage self and could not overcome the mismatches up front. Where were the deep passes we were promised? Jalin Hyatt didn’t even get on the field. The longest completion went to Malik Nabers for 25 yards.
The Giants were a mess in the red zone. 13 plays and only three points to show for it. Who greenlighted that tackle-eligible play to rookie Marcus Mbow? Dropped passes, lousy execution, and a poor game plan led to the same old results — six points and a loss.
Grade: F
Defense
The Commanders had a lot of new faces on the field and were not quite in sync until the second half. When they did get it together, the Giants were toast, allowing 220 yards rushing and 432 yards of offense overall.
Inside linebacker Micah McFadden going down in the first quarter with a leg injury didn’t help matters, and the speed and discipline simply gave out as the game went on. The new secondary did an admirable job in containing the deep ball. The pass rush did not seem to pester Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels enough to make a significant difference. There is a lot to work on here, but not as much as on offense.
Grade: C-
Special teams
Jamie Gillan was not only the punter, but he kicked off as well. He punted six times with no returns. The kickoffs were a bit different. Washington averaged 28 yards per return. Graham Gano hit both field goal attempts, from 21 and 55 yards. Gunner Olszewski returned three punts for a total of 24 yards, and Wan’Dale Robinson averaged 20.5 yards on two kickoffs. The highlight was the partially blocked punt by rookie linebacker Abdul Carter.
Grade: B
Coaching
Can you give less than an F? For a staff that’s essentially been together for four years, they appeared to be about as disjointed as a staff can get.
The offensive game plan was terrible. They couldn’t run the ball and then chose not to back the defense off with deep shots down the field. They have one of the most explosive players in the NFL in Nabers, and can’t figure out how to maximize his talents. Their run defense remains ineffective, and one player they brought in to help address that, third-round pick Darius Alexander, didn’t suit up for the game.
This group got a reprieve from ownership this offseason and needed to get off to a fast start this year. Perhaps if they stopped wasting roster spots on failed draft picks and replaced them with players who can help, they’d be better off.
Grade: F
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants report card: How we graded Big Blue in Week 1 loss
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
