Giants Team Grades: G-Men's Fast Start Dooms Eagles, 28-23
The New York Football Giants (5-3) had dropped their previous four games to the Philadelphia Eagles (4-4). During that time, the Birds had Sam Bradford and Nick Foles at quarterback, and this season Carson Wentz has burst onto the scene. But unlike with his predecessors, the New York defense was strong enough to give Wentz a baptism by fire at MetLife Stadium. The G-Men intercepted the rookie twice in the first quarter, and Eagles' coach Doug Pederson poured gasoline on the fire, as the Giants outlasted the Birds 28-23 at MetLife Stadium.
OFFENSE: B
Putting up 28 points usually gets this unit a better grade. But New York had the benefit of twice scoring on a short field with a couple of early turnovers. Odell Beckham had two touchdowns on only four catches, as he was targeted 10 times by Eli Manning. The Manning-OBJ combination was not particularly efficient on the day. The rushing attack was lethargic again (2.3 yards per carry), but it had an effective moment or two. Paul Perkins and Rashad Jennings split 22 carries, and Perkins had a nice 14-yard run.
Sterling Shepard came out of the witness protection program to catch a 32-yard touchdown that ended up being the game winner. The offense lost veteran receiver Victor Cruz to an ankle injury, but Manning found Roger Lewis for the rookie's second career touchdown (on 3 catches) in the second quarter. The unit also lost their best lineman, Justin Pugh, to a knee injury, and they had to utilize Canadian-import Brett Jones at guard. Tight end Larry Donnell may have lost his job with rookie Jerrell Adams being more noticeable in the offense this week.
DEFENSE: B+
The biggest story of the afternoon were the back-to-back interceptions by Landon Collins and Andrew Adams. Without those picks, the Giants do not win the game. The defense did not allow a Wentz touchdown pass and held him to a 57.4-percent completion percentage on the afternoon. Darren Sproles was not lethal either because of the defense as he had just 57 rushing yards and three catches.
Once again, the Giants had no answer for tight end Zach Ertz. He caught eight passes on eight targets from Wentz for 97 yards. Unfortunately for the Eagles, their wide receivers are wildly inconsistent. Jordan Matthews had six catches, but Doriel Green-Beckham had none and Nelson Agholor dropped a potential late-game first down.
Olivier Vernon had a sack, as did Collins who downed Wentz as the first half ended. Rookie cornerback Eli Apple missed tackles, lined up off sides and was benched. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had his troops prepared, as the Wentz read-option was totally ineffective.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
It was not the best game of Brad Wing's career. He punted seven times for a 46.0 yard average. But Wing had only one punt downed within the 20-yard line, and he duffed a punt late in the game. Wing outkicked his coverage, as Sproles had a 66-yard punt return that would have been a TD but for Keenan Robinson's hustle. Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a field goal, maybe next time he'll try to retrieve the ball, instead of celebrating.
Robbie Gould did not attempt a field goal and made four of four extra points. He had only two of five kickoffs returned, so thankfully the Giants have gotten past the Josh Brown debacle on the field. Dwayne Harris had no business trying to return a kickoff in the end zone, and that resulted in starting field position at the Philadelphia 10-yard line.
COACHING: A
Ben McAdoo is not perfect, but he has a great feel for his team. Getting the Giants to 5-3 and beating the curse of the Eagles was imperative for the rookie head coach, and he did just that. The rushing attack was not effective, but the play-calling still acknowledged the importance of having a run-pass mix.
Fans may complain about the defense giving up big plays, but Steve Spagnuolo took away the strengths of the Eagles. The Wentz read-option was totally negated, and Philadelphia's rushing attack was not a game-changer. Yes, the defense could have done a better job with Zach Ertz and with two running plays, but that was the fault of personnel, not coaching.
McAdoo was handed a bag of garbage, having to deal with the Josh Brown situation, and he dealt with it professionally. In the meantime, he came out of his first bye week and passed a division test with flying colors. On this day, McAdoo clearly outcoached his counterpart, Doug Pederson, who struggled with a challenge and fourth-down play calls.
The Giants try to keep their winning ways alive, as they host the Cincinnati Bengals at the New Jersey Meadowlands on "Monday Night Football" next week.
Post Author: Curt Macysyn.
