By: Jake Weiner
The Swish
The New York Giants were not perfect when playing the Miami Dolphins in their week five loss, 31-16 in the Dolphins' favor. There were some ups and downs, and now it is time to talk about it, honestly.
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First, let us talk about how the Giants' actual players and schemes were played and what we took away from the loss. Daniel Jones threw for 119 yards, no touchdowns, by throwing 14/20, on a 70% completion rate. This is not amazing due to the lack of yardage and touchdowns, but there were very few bad throws thrown from Daniel Jones, unlike what we saw versus the Seahawks in week 5. Even though Saquon Barkley was out with a high ankle sprain, that does not take away from how awful the Giants run game was. Matt Breida and rookie Eric Gray had over eight rushing attempts each and under 25 yards rushing each, which is dreadful. That is not entirely their fault since the Giants' offensive line was worse than ever. Before we get to the offensive line and the defense, let us talk about the passing game and what we saw. Darren Waller had a big game by catching eight of eleven passes and went for eighty-six yards despite dropping a huge possible touchdown pass from Jones. Despite only tallying eighteen yards, sophomore Kentucky wideout Wan'Dale Robinson caught 5 of 6 passes, showing great versatility and creating tons of space. Robinson could become a big-time threat for the Giants if Daboll, Kafka, and Daniel Jones decide to use him. The big thing in the receiving game was that no one had above two receptions besides Robinson and Waller, counting rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt, who has shown the most promise out of anyone in the Giants' receiving core.
The Giants’ offensive line was a big issue in the game, and it was due to injuries and a bunch of terrible performances from certain players. Six sacks were allowed, causing the Giants to lose out on 22 yards, and multiple penalties were allowed, especially on Guard Joshua Ezeudu, who suffered back-to-back penalties, forcing the Giants to miss out on a crucial first down. Rookie center John Michael-Schmitz played very well before exiting the game with a shoulder injury, and star left tackle Andrew Thomas missed another game with his lower leg/hamstring injury. This caused linemen like Marcus McKethan and Ben Bredeson to have a shot at proving themselves, which both failed to do. They caused Daniel Jones to be exited from the game after letting up a sack that injured Jones’s neck and then gave up another sack against backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor. To conclude, the offensive line performance by the Giants was awful—end of story.
Next, we have the defense, which, in all honesty, could have been better, considering that the Giants were facing off against the best offensive team in the NFL. The 31 points allowed could be better. Still, if you can only score 13 points and the other team has a ton of chances to score anyway, it does not matter. Jason Pinnock had a sick pick-six, and Kayvon Thibodeaux had a nice sack. Bobby Okereke had a clutch first-half interception but was lost in coverage on the De’Von A’Chane touchdown run. Isaiah Simmons had an excellent seven tackle performance, but rookie corner Tre Hawkins II suffered. He was beaten by Jaylen Waddle numerous times and let up a touchdown reception as well. He needs to improve to be a consistent and reliable starter moving forward. The Giants pass rush was pretty bad, though, and the only reason they got two interceptions was because Tua Tagovailoa made two bad reads, not due to the pressure he was getting. Leonard Williams has practically vanished on the field alongside “Sexy” Dexter Williams, who only amassed one tackle throughout the game.
Let's talk about the upcoming game versus the Buffalo Bills, the Sunday primetime matchup. If the Giants want to succeed or at least put up a fight, many things will have to happen. First, they need Saquon Barkley to play. If he is not ready to play, they have to play aggressively, and Daniel Jones has to take control of the offense and the running game. They cannot pound Eric Gray and Matt Breida because those two are not everyday game-changing backs, unlike Saquon Barkley, who is. The offensive line has to hold their ground, and if Thomas remains out and even Schmitz, then Ezeudu, Bredeson, and the one and only Evan Neal have to act like they are used to this pressure and being starters, even though Neal has been one his whole career. Neal has to show some pride on the field and not commit penalties or allow too many pressures. If the offensive line can hold their ground, then Daniel Jones will have time to make decisions and hopefully run and pass the ball well. Receivers like Jalin Hyatt and Wan'Dale Robinson will hopefully get more involved, and the Giants will test the deep ball against the Bill's secondary since big-time cornerback Davious White was recently diagnosed with a career-ending injury. On the defensive side, the Giants pass rush has to step up their game, and Dexter WIlliams and Kayvon Thibodeaux must have career games. Inside linebackers Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden must contain tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox and running back James Cook in the passing game. Corners Adoree' Jackson and Deonte Banks have to defend Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs to the best of their capabilities, and rookie Tre Hawkins II cannot play like a college corner. Safeties Xavier McKinney must be all over the field making plays, and Jason Pinnock has to keep being the tackle machine he has been this season. Lastly, Brian Daboll has to coach his butt off and ensure the Giants are ready for Sunday night because they will get embarrassed if they are not.