NY Giants Make the Grade in Week 4 Win Over Los Angeles Chargers 

It’s hard not to like how Dart took control of the offense, running an efficient opening drive. But at the end of the day, the offense managed just 250 net yards, raising a question as to whether the Giants had to adjust their game plan after Dart, who was seen stretching out his left hamstring throughout the game, or when the team lost Malik Nabers to a knee injury in the second quarter. 

Of the 250 net yards, 89 came on that first drive, which meant that the Giants only managed 161 yards on their remaining 10 drives. The loss of Nabers hurt, and the Giants will likely feel that the rest of the way. 

A big penalty on center John Michael Schmitz wiped out a huge Dart run that got the Giants deep into Chargers territory in the third quarter. And there were a few plays that even Dart said he wished he had back, in particular a couple of fourth-quarter plays in which he held the ball a tad too long. 

Overall, while not the explosion the Giants put up in their Week 2 overtime loss to the Cowboys, it was as solid a showing by the Giants offense as they come and it resulted in a win, which is all you can ask for. 

Defense: A 

Yes, you read that correctly. Shane Bowen’s group gets a straight “A” for their performance this week, and that’s largely thanks to the pass rush, which went after quarterback Justin Herbert like there’s no tomorrow. 

New York managed 12 quarterback hits and two sacks onHerbert and broke up six possessions while also coming up with two interceptions.

Yes, the Chargers ran the ball well against the Giants–who doesn’t these days?--with Omarion Hampton having a 54-yard touchdown run and Herbert a 24-yarder, both of which accounted for 78 of the Chargers’ 152 rushing yards on the day, but the run defense didn’t hurt the effort.

Extra credit here, by the way, to Dexter Lawrence II, who, after playing a relatively invisible game the first three weeks, looked closer to being the Lawrence of old–even throwing in an interception that he batted down and to himself and tried to run in for a score, only to be stopped short of the goal line.

Special Teams: A

Jamie Gillan put three of his five punts inside the 20 while his coverage team, save for the 11-yard long by Tarheeb Still, did a nice job of limiting the Chargers. Jude McAtamney, who beat Younghoe Koo in the kicking competition this week, nailed all of his PATs and both field goal attempts of 22 and 31 yards.

Coaching: A-

There were the usual handful of curious play calls, but nothing too out of the ordinary. In fact, the coaching did a far better job this week than in the past. 

For one, the offensive game plan was tailored nicely to Dart’s strengths, consisting of a greater emphasis on RPOs, short and quick passes, and select shots down the field. Unfortunately, the kid’s hamstring strain took away the running part of it, but until that point, the plan worked well.

Bowen’s unit did a far better job across the board, starting with holding Chargers tight end Tyler Conklin to one catch for three yards, as the middle of the field was shored up. Kudos to Bowen for leaving Dexter Lawerence in the game more early on, as that likely allowed the big man to get into a flow. 

And how about that pass rush? Pro Football Focus has the Giants down for 27 total pressures (hits, hurries, and sacks), and leading the way was none other than rookie Abdul Carter with nine (followed by Brian Burns with six and Kayvon Thibodeaux with 5)