NY Giants Report Card: Break Out the Dunce Caps After 34-24 Loss to 49ers

The Giants were good on third downs and in the red zone, and there were zero turnovers to speak of, which is the good news. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart finished as the team leader in rushing yardage (56 on eight carries, one touchdown) and was 24-of-33 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. 

But–and we’re reluctant to point this out–most of those pass attempts were of the stick route concepts that reminded one of the Jason Garrett-Daniel Jones days. 

That’s not Dart’s fault, but at the end of the day, there were points left on the field.

Defense: F

Need to get your offense right? Go up against the Giants' defense, who these days seem to be the best cure for struggling units. For the third straight week (and fourth time this season), the unit allowed 30+ points. 

We’ll get to the coaching decisions in a moment, but there were some players who, as the game wore on, looked less and less interested. 

Deonte Banks, for instance, on the 18-yard Brian Robinson touchdown run, just ran alongside the ball carrier rather than attempting to make a tackle. 

And speaking of the run, throw another 159 yards on top of the pile for a unit ranked 30th overall and 32nd in yards per rushing attempt against (5.73).

Awful.

Special Teams: D

Jamie Gillan delivered a faulty kickoff to start the second half, and the 49ers converted that short field into a 33-yard field goal. 

And speaking of field goals, Graham Gano missed a 45-yard attempt wide left, albeit due to the snap being a bit off. But still, he’s got to make those attempts. 

As for the coverage units, the 49ers averaged 30.7 yards on kickoff returns, fueled by a 41-yard return by Brian Robinson. 

Punt coverage wasn’t that much better, as the 49ers finished with an 11.3 average. 

On the flip side, the Giants had zero punt return yards (Gunner Olszewski had one fair catch, and another punt was downed), and the kickoff returns, featuring Jalin Hyatt for his first-ever NFL special teams snaps, averaged 27.3 yards, as the 49ers beat the Giants in the field position battle.

Coaching: F

Once again, head coach Brian Daboll’s team looked overmatched, save for very few exceptions. There was the decision to kick the field goal in the third quarter, despite being on the 49ers' 3-yard line, which Daboll went for, rather than put his faith in his offense to hit paydirt from three yards out.

And while we appreciate Jaxson Dart’s competitiveness, at some point Daboll has to save the kid from himself by not letting him take crushing blows in garbage time.

Now for the offensive game plan? We had flashbacks to the Daniel Jones days, when the Giants turned him into a game manager and had him run a lot of stick route concepts, failing to take many deep shots, even when they were there for the taking.

But the biggest problem was Shane Bowen, who simply shouldn’t be allowed back in the building on Monday morning. 

For the third week in a row, his unit allowed 30+ points. The pass rush lacks creativity — did anyone spot many stunts or exotic blitzes designed to test the 49ers? Wouldn’t it behoove them with that pass rush to at least try it?

Lastly, they had no answers for the run defense again. Some may point to the injuries, but if the coaches want us to believe in “next man up,” they have to be better.