We’ve seen enough of this sorry lot
Grading the Giants’ 34-7 loss to the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday:
Offense
Got any more quarterbacks to trot out there? We’ve seen enough of this sorry lot.
Drew Lock (22 of 39, 210 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) is a turnover waiting to happen, with two more pick-six interceptions and a lost fumble.
The line, at times, invited jail breaks for the Falcons, as Lock was on the run and sacked three times.
Malik Nabers (7 rec., 62 yards) has to stop with these illegal shift penalties. He set the team rookie record for receptions in a season, so that is something, right?
Tremendous job by rookie Tyrone Tracy making a leaping grab in the back of the end zone for a TD to start the second quarter.
RT Evan Neal had three false-start penalties, and he and Greg Van Roten got run over on the right side of the line on the second pick-six, causing a deflected pass.
C John Michael Schmitz had a late holding penalty. A holding penalty on Wan’Dale Robinson in the closing minutes called back a Tracy TD run. Only 234 total yards and 14 first downs. Ugly, ugly, ugly.
Grade: F
Defense
This unit put up a fight early but got worn down and could not get to rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. to make him feel uncomfortable in his first NFL start.
Penix (18 of 27, 202 yards, 1 INT) did not have to do much.
CB Deonte Banks returned after missing three games and on the first play had a pass breakup on Ray-Ray McCloud.
Banks was up to his old tricks with a 30-yard pass interference penalty for mugging Darnell Mooney.
Kayvon Thibodeaux showed some burst chasing down Penix from behind for a 1-yard gain to force a punt. CB Dru Phillips showed his strength hauling down Bijan Robinson after a catch for a 4-yard loss.
Boogie Basham stopped Tyler Allgeier for a 1-yard loss.
Brian Burns had a tackle of Robinson for a 2-yard loss. CB Cor’Dale Flott was alert with a goal-line interception late in the second quarter after Dane Belton separated the ball from TE Kyle Pitts.
Robinson (22-94, 2 TDs) got his yards, but had to work for most of them. Falcons went 8 of 14 on third down.
Grade: D
Special teams
Jamie Gillan’s first punt sailed 51 yards for a fair catch on the Atlanta 10-yard line.
He had a 46-yarder that put the Falcons back on their 14. Was his 21-yard punt in the fourth quarter partially deflected?
If not, it was a mishit. Eric Gray had a 37-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter.
Grade: B
Coaching
Brian Daboll looked like he was going to blow a gasket after a delay of game penalty in the second quarter and again after Lock’s first pick-six.
Daboll wants to call for passes but he did that too often early in the game.
It’s Drew Lock out there, not Josh Allen.
Shane Bowen got his three top cornerbacks back and they did not get beat deep but the coverage remains too soft at times.
Pressure on Penix (zero sacks) was minimal.
Grade: F
