Grading the Giants’ 40-0 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Offense
Where to start? Seven sacks allowed. Five fumbles (one lost). Two interceptions (one for a pick-six). A dirty dozen quarterback hits on Daniel Jones. Zero points. What a disaster.
Jones (15 of 28, 104 yards) had a QB rating of 32.4. He had no chance operating behind a pathetic line and was in self-preservation mode all night. He needed to toss the ball out of bounds on his second interception.
Saquon Barkley (12-51) got blasted after a catch and lost the ball to hand the Cowboys six points. The NFL debut of C John Michael Schmitz included a lousy shotgun snap that resulted in a 14-yard loss. RT Evan Neal struggled again. He barely touched Dorance Armstrong on a 5-yard sack in the second quarter and whiffed again on Armstrong’s sack in the third quarter.
WR Isaiah Hodgins picked up 24 yards on a reception, but then was stripped of the ball for a fumble.
Grade: F
Defense
This unit actually was not terrible. Not good, mind you, but not terrible. Dak Prescott (13 of 24, 143 yards) did not have to do any heavy lifting. He was not sacked. A busted coverage handed CeeDee Lamb a 49-yard reception but after that there was nothing deep down the field allowed. Tony Pollard (14-70) ran for two TDs.
There were only three hits on Prescott — two by Dexter Lawrence. Rookie CB Tre Hawkins was called for a 37-yard pass interference penalty vs. Brandin Cooks and later flagged for holding. There was not much pressure at all from edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari. Lamb (4-77) and Cooks (2-22) certainly did not wreck the game. The Cowboys had only 265 total yards.
Grade: C.
Special Teams
What a mess. A breakdown led to a blocked field-goal try in the first quarter, giving the Cowboys six points on the return. Graham Gano later missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt wide left after a low snap by Casey Kreiter was fielded by holder Jamie Gillan.
This was a shockingly shoddy display from a unit that usually is rock-solid. The first punt of the season by Gillan sailed 59 yards and was not returned. His second punt traveled 62 yards. Rookie Eric Gray touched the ball once and produced an 8-yard punt return.
Grade: F
Coaching
This did not look like a team ready to play and execute at a high level and that always falls first and foremost on the head coach. Brian Daboll had to call an emergency timeout late in the first quarter when rookie CB Tre Hawkins ran onto the field — as the 12th defender.
Have to wonder why Daboll kept Jones in the game — he was getting pummeled — nearly until the bitter end. Too much risk in a game that was already lost. Wink Martindale has no answers when it comes to finding ways to sack Dak Prescott.
Grade: F
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