NY Giants Week 3 Report Card — Back to the Corner

If you thought last week’s offensive explosion was a mirage, well, sadly, you were correct. The Giants' offense went right back to being the same lethargic version put on display in a Week 1 loss to the Commanders, the Giants scoring just nine points in this one (one touchdown, but a missed PAT), to make this week the 14th time out of their last 20 that they were held to under 20 points.

The problems were plenty (and familiar), starting with the red zone–or dead zone, as we like to call it, when it comes to this team. The Giants were 1-of-3 inside the 20, and are now 2-10 in the red zone for the season. That’s the kind of production (or lack thereof) that costs people jobs.

Russell Wilson went from Week 2 Stud to Week 3 dud–and yes, this was with Andrew Thomas back in the lineup for the first half, Wilson finishing 7-of-13 in that half. 

The lone bright spot for the Giants' offense? Rookie Cam Skattebo, who is like a controlled whirlwind out there. Skattebo finished with 60 yards on 10 carries (6.0 avg.) with a long of 13, which was a touchdown run. 

The Giants' running game, which had been asleep the first two weeks, finally showed signs of life, the unit finishing with 130 yards on 27 carries for a 4.8 yards per carry average.

Defense: C-

The Giants' defense kept the game close, but ultimately, there was only so much it could do to hold the game in check when the offense wasn't living up to its part of the deal. That said, there was good and bad in this week’s showing.

The good? Brian Burns continues to be the best player on the unit, and it’s not even close. He recorded six tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and two pass breakups. Thankfully, a second-half knee injury from which he was slow to get up didn’t stop “Spida-man” from doing his thing.

The bad? Dropped interceptions, three big chunk plays allowed in the passing game of 20+ yards, missed tackles, and a rough night, especially for slot cornerback Dru Phillips. Oh, might as well throw in another relatively quiet night by Dexter Lawrence, who was good for one tackle and two quarterback hits.

Special Teams: B-

What is it with kickers on this team? Graham Gano injured his groin during pregame warmups, leaving Jamie Gillan to handle the kicking duties, that is, until he had a PAT blocked.

Gano returned to the game in the fourth quarter after being initially ruled out. He made a 25-yard field goal in desperation time, but he was clearly in pain doing so.

Speaking of Gillan, it would be great if he could pin opponents inside their 10-yard line more often, right? 

Coaching: F

Want to know what else costs people jobs? How about the inability to scheme open receiver Malik Nabers, who was held to just two receptions on seven pass targets for 13 yards? If the Rams can find ways to scheme Puka Nacua open, shouldn’t the Giants be able to do the same with Nabers, regardless of the coverage thrown at them?

And why not have Wilson roll around the pocket more if he’s going to be under pressure, as was especially the case in the second half? Let him move around so he can see the field better. Could doing so be any worse than what we’ve seen so far?

As for the defense, at the risk of being repetitive, this unit should be far more productive than it has been these last three weeks.

Lastly, will Daboll make the change to Jaxson Dart? Sure, the Giants wanted for the kid to sit the entire year, but with the season pretty much circling the drain and no hope of that changing in the next week when the undefeated Chargers come to town, might as well throw in the towel and acknowledge that Wilson isn’t the answer, short- or long-term.

They might as well let Dart cut his teeth now–we all saw how the defenses played a bit more tentatively when Dart was in there, so who knows? Maybe he can help ignite a spark.