QUARTERBACK
-Daniel Jones: 22/41 – 205 yards / 0 TD – 1 INT / 57.5 RAT
In such a tight game (down three with the ball, 3:05 left in the game), Jones let the team down. Another game I would consider “winnable” (whatever that means) was left with NYG heading into the tunnel hanging another loss on the board, the 42nd of his career. Jones, who had done a good job of protecting the football this year, threw a terrible interception on a play where he did not throw to the open target initially. That interception, arguably the biggest gaffe of the game and season, came on a first down play from the CIN 14-yard line. It is one thing to force a throw under pressure to a target who was not even open further downfield. It is another thing to make a decision like that on third down. But first down? 14 yards away from the end zone? After two straight plays of 10+ yard gains? Just an impossible decision to defend for a team desperate for points.
There is no gray area here. There is no “yeah but…”. Everything about this game beyond Jones playing tough as a ball carrier (team-high 56 rushing yards and 6 first downs) can be put on his shoulders. I watched every Jones drop back and over two-thirds of his drop backs were one-read, quick throws or dump offs/screens. About a third of those passes were late or inaccurate. The few opportunities where he had a receiver open 10+ yards downfield? He misfired on all of them. Jones did not make a single thing happen through the air when throwing the ball over ten yards. The stat line is poor. The tape was worse.
RUNNING BACK
-Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 17 att – 50 yards – 1 TD / 6 rec – 57 yards
For the second straight week, the rookie fifth rounder went over the 100-total yard mark. In a poor offensive game, he was the lone bright spot that, on multiple occasions, was the most dangerous player on that side of the ball. I found myself calling for more touches designed for him as the second half progressed because he was the play-maker I trusted the most. Tracy’s touchdown came at the end of a 16-play drive where he ran the ball 8 times for 29 yards and a catch for another 10 yards. He converted two fourth-down runs, one of which was on the NYG side of midfield. Outside of that drive, Tracy carried the ball 9 times. Think about that. Add in the fact he tied for the team lead in receiving yards, caught 100% of his targets (85% on the year), and gained eight first downs are all positives NYG can take forward from a guy who looks like the real deal.
-Eric Gray added 13 yards on 3 carries. He played a mere 18% of the offensive snaps and has clearly taken a (likely permanent) back seat to Tracy on the depth chart.
WIDE RECEIVER
-Darius Slayton was the most sought-after target (11 of them) and he tied for team lead 57 receiving yards on 6 catches. He was mostly thrown to underneath, but the three times Jones tried to connect with him downfield all resulted in incompletions because of poor throws. He did drop a pass on a quick throw where tried to trap the ball into his chest. Slayton is playing good football right now. His releases off the line are crisp and explosive, he is catching more balls in traffic than ever, and he can win on all three levels of the route tree. But man, clean up the drops in an offense that has almost no margin for error due to the self-inflicted wounds. He is tied for the most drops in the NFL.
-Wan’Dale Robinson was the victim of multiple poor Jones throws. He caught 5 passes for 50 yards, but Jones missed him on a deep ball where he had plenty of space and then was late on a 4th-down throw underneath. This stat line would have looked very different had Jones made those two throws and possibly even a third on the failed 4th-and-2 attempt (the throw went to Slayton while Robinson was wide open) which could have easily altered the outcome of the game.
-Last week we spoke about Jalin Hyatt’s lack of involvement in the offense. He caught his first pass of the season, a six-yard gain. That was the last time we saw the ball in his hands. Hyatt did get thrown to a few more times, and while the Jones throws were not where they needed to be, Hyatt did not do his part either. He continues to struggle with any sort of contact with defensive backs.
TIGHT END
-Theo Johnson dominated the playing time with a career-high 70 snaps. He ended with three catches for 30 yards. He was the target on Jones’ interception in the back of the end zone. That is interesting for a few reasons because it isn’t the first time Daboll has designed a deep pass for him and we all know how much the head coach likes him. One thing he did not ever prove on tape was the ability to track and come down with the ball downfield. He caught 6-of-14 deep passes (20+ yards) in college, only one of which was with a defender near him.
-The blocking performance against a physical group of edge defenders and linebackers from this trio was not good. While all three get off the ball and strike well, there is a constant inability to move guys and remain latched on. Blocking tight end is being added to the team need list. That said, I do see positive developments with Johnson there.
OFFENSIVE LINE
-The Giants offensive line remains unchanged for six straight weeks. I cannot express how rare that is and how much of a difference it can make. No other line has done it league wide this season.
-Andrew Thomas suffered a right foot injury (more on that below) and it led to some ugly football in the second half. However, even prior to that, he was getting beat early by Trey Hendrickson, one of the most underrated defensive ends in football. He allowed two sacks and a QB hit in addition to being flagged for illegally moving downfield on what would have been a 56-yard gain for the Giants. That is a risk to RPO play calls, but that is still on Thomas, the guy on this line the offense needs to play well, or else.
-The other two weak links, notably in pass protection, were center John Michael Schmitz and Jon Runyan. They combined for 5 pressures and two QB hits. Runyan was especially a weak point in the running game. The trait NYG needs to improve the most up front (that I do not see) is moving defenders off the point. While pass protection is most important and has mightily improved, this is a recurring struggle Runyan has been showing.
-The right side played a solid, yet unspectacular game. Greg Van Roten allowed a pressure and a TFL while Jermaine Eluemunor whiffed on the CIN linebackers twice in the run game. He remains rock solid in pass protection.
EDGE
-With Kayvon Thibodeaux out with a wrist injury that will sideline him for a month, there has never been a bigger opportunity for 2025 free agent Azeez Ojulari. He had one of the best games of his career, finishing with five pressures (1 QB hit) and 2 sacks. He should have had a third sack, but he did not finish the play, thinking he jarred the ball loose from Joe Burrow and relinquishing his grasp of the CIN quarterback. Shades of Mathias Kiwanuka and Vince Young. Ojulari started off his free agency campaign as well as anyone could have imagined – torching fellow former Georgia Bulldog Amarius Mims, their first-round rookie tackle.
-Brian Burns had an equally impactful performance. He had a sack and four pressures in addition to 8 tackles, one of which was for a loss that came on a huge 3rd-and-3 play. Burns’ effort is good for the defense as a whole. When your highest-paid player run around with that kind of juice, there is a trickle-down effect.
-Boogie Basham saw his first action of the season, breaking up a pass and adding a pressure.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
-With NYG dominating the time of possession for the second straight week, Dexter Lawrence was fortunately able to play 85% of the snaps, the highest portion since December of 2022. He came up with the biggest defensive play of the day, a third-down sack on third-and-goal at the end of the third quarter. It was a play after a touchdown was taken off the board because of a CIN holding penalty, and despite the fact CIN took a 10-7 lead following the sack, NYG gained momentum as a result of Lawrence’s seventh takedown of the year, second most in the NFL.
-The rest of the rotation failed to make a standout contribution. I feel it is still an alarming weakness on the NYG roster. Elijah Chatman shows the occasional hustle play but he is giving up so much ground in the running game. Rakeem Nunez-Roches did hit Burrow once as a pass rusher but each week I am simply wanting more from him. He needs to make a play behind the line of scrimmage at some point with all of the attention Lawrence demands. DJ Davidson had a TFL but was a non-factor on each of his 12 pass-rush attempts and he missed two tackles. His reaction speed is poor.
LINEBACKER
-Both linebackers, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, forced a fumble and finished with 5 tackles. McFadden also recovered a fumble on a separate play. The Bengals running game was contained most of the day, minus the two long touchdown runs. Re-watching these two linebackers, I remain confident in their ability to do their part at the very least. The concern I continue to have is their ability to impact the defense via coverage. McFadden allowed all five targets in his direction to be completed.
-Isaiah Simmons played just 11 snaps, 9 of which were spent in coverage. He did well there, limiting a potential match-up problem Mike Gesicki to zero catches.
CORNERBACK
-The predominant strategy was putting Deonte Banks on Tee Higgins while having Cor’Dale Flott match up against Ja’Marr Chase with help. We’ve seen this over the years with different schemes and coaches. For the most part, it worked. They did combine for 149 yards on 12 catches but they were kept out of the end zone and had just one explosive play each. Burrow looked Chase’s way a few times, but Flott was often right in his hip pocket. The negative on these two is the fact they did not break up any of the seven balls thrown their way. Banks missed a tackle but also filled a rush lane hard with a physical brand.
-Andru Phillips was back at nickel, and it immediately made a difference for the entire defense. He is an impactful presence for this defense already. He added 5 tackles, one for a loss.
SAFETY
-Tyler Nubin had another solid game, finishing with 8 tackles but a poor angle led to a missed tackle on the long Chase Brown touchdown that put the game out of reach. That was the glaring mistake I saw out of him but otherwise he continued his fantastic level of play. The fact Xavier McKinney is heading toward an All-Pro season does not seem as bad with Nubin providing consistent and reliable play.
-Jason Pinnock looked silly on the long Burrow touchdown run. He was completely fooled by the routes and did not stay home despite the man scheme that left that side of the field wide open. A 3rd-and-18 resulting in a touchdown, a running touchdown nonetheless, is an awful mistake by the safety. He also got beat on a different third-and-long for 29 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS
-K Greg Joseph: 0/2 (missed 47, 45).
He is now 2 for 5 from 40+.
-Matt Haack: 4 punts / 46.8 avg – 43.5 net.
Signed to the active roster because of an injury to starter Jamie Gillan.
3 STUDS
-RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., ED Azeez Ojulari, ED Brian Burns
3 DUDS
-QB Daniel Jones, OT Andrew Thomas, S Jason Pinnock
3 THOUGHTS ON CIN
(1) Wide Receiver Tee Higgins is a guy I like a lot, always have. I had a first-round grade on him coming out of Clemson in 2020. He was in the same class as Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. The first receiver taken from that class? Henry Ruggs III, current inmate at the Stewart Conservation Camp. The elite ball skills at his size with strength and toughness were the traits that drew me in. Watching how well he has developed as a route runner gets him near that #1 status. You know what? If NYG can figure out how to get their hands on a real QB next season (rookie or not) – a duo of Nabers and big-ticket signing Tee Higgins makes a lot of sense both on the field and considering the cap economics. Keep that thought in the back of your head.
(2) The Bengals do the same thing every year. They start off TERRIBLE. They play some back-and-forth football for a while, and then they end up as one of the best teams in football barring health issues. Since Zac Taylor was hired in 2019, CIN is 7-14-1 in the month of September. I look at it two ways. When you have one of the best quarterbacks in the league, you can use the first few weeks to find your bearings. It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when things turn around. In addition, it allows coaches to experiment with personnel packages and players within certain roles early on. It can open doors and allow players to truly develop. CIN takes their time with younger players (unless injuries pile up) and it is a key path to their success.
(3) I picked CIN to make the Super Bowl in 2024. I am going to hold onto that prediction because of Burrow, but I do think this defense holds the cards. Burrow will get his. But they rank 26th in points allowed this year and running quarterbacks have given them massive problems. I am curious to see how they fix that in the coming months.
3 CLOSING THOUGHTS
(1) The Andrew Thomas injury concerns me. At the time of this writing, we do not have an update on the foot injury. Whether it is good or bad, there is concern about his ankle/foot issues becoming a chronic thing that will eventually catch up to him. If it happens in 5-6 years, fine. But now? Just too soon. We saw how important he was a year ago. For the record, I’m not sure what I want at left tackle if he goes down. Joshua Ezeudu is a terrible option. Jermaine Eluemunor HAS played there plenty of games over his career, but I would hate to create a question at right tackle in addition to the blind side. Evan Neal? Remember him? Is he really not even option B? or C?
(2) Such is life led by a quarterback who simply plays inconsistent football. You’re on top of the world after a win in Seattle with turnovers a distant memory, thinking “we could easily be 4-1” just to come crashing back down to earth wondering how it is possible Daniel Jones has a 27/30 TD:INT ratio at home, a 1-14 record in Prime Time, and has not thrown a touchdown at MetLife Stadium since December of 2022. And some still call his contract a “bargain.”
(3) The positive NYG fans can continue to lean on is the impact we are seeing from this rookie class in addition to the experience they’re getting. As frustrating as it can be to see losses like the ones we have seen to CIN, DAL, and WAS – there is something positive brewing. Tracy looks like a real keeper at running back and the defensive backs are proving to be credible threats every game they’re on the field. And then there is Nabers. NYG is…a quarterback away…from being a contender. A real one.