Surprising Results Found Among PFF's Best and Worst Graded Giants from Week 4 Win

After a highly disappointing performance in Week 3, cornerback Dru Phillips answered the bell and came back to his elite form against the Chargers’ top-level passing offense. He finished as the highest graded Giants player in 48 defensive snaps and was stellar in coverage, allowing two catches for just 10 yards on his seven targets.

Phillips also generated one of two interceptions for the Giants' defense on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and was a beneficiary of the incredible pass-rushing efforts created by the front seven, led by the team’s trio of outside linebackers. 

While Brian Burns was the most productive player in the backfield with seven pressures and a sack to add to his five total on the year, it was the rookie Abdul Carter who shone the brightest and displayed the full potential that the Giants saw in him leading up to the draft. 

Carter, who played in two fewer snaps, posted the Giants’ best pass-rushing grade at 92.1, which also led the position league-wide. He played mostly on the edge this time after seeing some inside work last Sunday, and created a team-high eight pressures, including five quarterback hits and a 26.5% pressure rate. 

All together with Kayvon Thibodeaux’s contributions of five pressures as well, the Giants trio of edge rushers finally gave the league a performance that vindicated all the talk about their upside as a unit during the offseason and took advantage of a weaker Chargers offensive line that was dealing with injuries at multiple spots. 

We would be remiss if we just ignored the interesting day that defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence had as well. 

Lawrence helped the Giants build their lead in the first half and eventually ushered in the victory with his serviceable run defense and an interception at the line of scrimmage that he nearly took to the house for a touchdown before it was stopped short by a couple of yards. 

On the offensive side of the ball, it was another solid afternoon for rookie running back Cam Skattebo, who served in the starting rushing duties again with Tyrone Tracy Jr. sidelined. Skattebo led the Giants' ground attack with a season-high 26 carries for 79 yards and a long run of 16 yards, and he tallied 65 of those yards after contact. 

Andrew Thomas earned a larger workload against the Chargers after being limited to under 25 snaps in the loss to Kansas City and showed positive flashes on the pass protection front. Thomas held down the blindside and gave up zero pressures for the second consecutive game to finish second on the team in that category.

Bottom Graded Giants Players

The focal point of the Giants' win against the Chargers was undoubtedly the regular-season debut of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, but he still wasn’t the highest graded player when the contest was said and done. 

Dart had 28 dropbacks in his first NFL start, yet completed just 13 of his 20 pass attempts (65.5%) for 111 yards and one touchdown with his arm. The bulk of his work came with his legs, where he added 10 carries for 54 yards and his second touchdown on the day, netting an average of 5.4 yards per attempt that led the team. 

Still, at times, Dart was risky with his decision-making in the open field as he tried to shed tacklers with his throwing arm, and he had one fumble that was recovered by left tackle Andrew Thomas. Those issues likely had an impact on his final grade, which was modest despite the huge win he earned in his first regular-season game under center. 

In terms of Jon Runyan and John Michael Schmitz, the two interior offensive linemen weren’t bad in pass protection and allowed just one combined pressure. Their dismal grades instead stemmed from their efforts, or lack thereof, in creating openings for the running operation to thrive to its fullest extent. 

Defensively, the Giants weren’t hurt by Bobby Okereke’s presence. Still, his effectiveness was impacted by a missed tackle and just one stop to his name, which is less than expected for a veteran piece who is instrumental in racking up tackles in the trenches. 

As he has progressed through the first quarter of the season, Paulson Adebo has been a notable contributor to the Giants’ secondary, which limited the Chargers' offense to just 203 yards and one touchdown. 

He allowed four catches on nine targets, however, for 44 yards, and had a dropped interception for which he is being held responsible in his grading. 

Jevon Holland, who saw slightly fewer reps on the field due to an injury he sustained during the game, finished third lowest in coverage by allowing one catch for nine yards on his lone target as the primary defender. 

Holland also recorded a missed tackle as that issue continues to loom over the secondary despite seeing some improvements in that area.