Giants grades: Not bad, but not good
New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers (91) sacks New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) in the second half of an NFL football game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
OFFENSE: C
There were some really impressive parts, like the opening touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr., the drive at the end of the first half, and even getting the ball down to the 5-yard line in the final two minutes. But there were also big failures, such as not getting any TDs after the strip-sack takeaway in the third quarter and settling for a field goal with 1:47 left when a touchdown likely would have won the game. Eli Manning completed 24 of 44 passes for 361 yards and two TDs. Had he not scrambled for 10 yards -- the Giants' longest run of the game -- the team would have had just 70 rushing yards on 22 carries.
DEFENSE: C
It's hard to beat them up after yielding only 20 points -- we'll hang one TD on the special teams after the long punt return -- and sacking Tom Brady three times. They also had two takeaways against a team that had just five coming into the game. But it's the turnovers that weren't that will haunt them, particularly the dropped pick by Landon Collins that would have ended the game. Jayron Hosley also had a pick go through his arms on a long pass to Brandon LaFell. Still, for a team that came in ranked last in the NFL in defense, it was a fair showing.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
That punt return by Danny Amendola was a back-breaker. And the Giants had some of their best players lined up to make the plays, too: Dwayne Harris, Orleans Darkwa and Mark Herzlich. Josh Brown kicked four field goals with a long of 53 for the second straight week.
COACHING: C
Steve Spagnuolo dialed up some well-timed blitzes that seemed to rattle Brady and he had the defense in position to make plays (even though they didn't always make them). Ben McAdoo kept pushing the ball down the field with aggression, looking for big plays or penalty flags. Should they have run the ball and used more time off the clock at the end? Possibly. But the decision to pass the ball on first-and-goal resulted in a TD . . . even if it only stood for a few minutes.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
