Giants grades vs. Dolphins: Another week filled with bad marks
Dolphins linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel sacks Giants quarterback Daniel Jones during the second half of an NFL game Sunday in Miami Gardens, Fla. Credit: AP/Wilfredo Lee
OFFENSE: F
The Giants have not scored an offensive touchdown since Matt Breida's 8-yard run with 10 minutes left in the third quarter against the 49ers on Sept. 21. It has been a mostly dysfunctional stretch during which the line has not been able to protect the quarterback. The Giants have allowed 18 sacks in their past two games, 16 of Daniel Jones, who left Sunday’s 31-16 loss to the Dolphins with a neck injury after one particularly crushing hit. The defense either directly scored or set up 10 of the 16 points. It did not help, obviously, that running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) missed another game. But at this point, their eventual returns figure to be too late to save the season.
DEFENSE: D
Tricky one here, given that the defense got torn up by the Dolphins’ extreme speed, allowing pass completions of 64 and 69 yards (that went for a touchdown) to Tyreek Hill, a 76-yard rushing score by rookie back De’Von Achane and all manner of other chunk plays. After three quarters, they had allowed 501 of Miami’s eventual 524 total yards. But the defense did produce its first three takeaways of the season — a fumble forced by Xavier McKinney and interceptions by Jason Pinnock and Bobby Okereke. Pinnock returned the former 102 yards for a touchdown, tying Erich Barnes’ 1961 team record, set in a 31-10 victory over the Cowboys.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Graham Gano, who is pretty much the Giants’ offense at this point, missed badly from 55 yards early in the game but later made field goals of 49, 37 and 51 yards. Punter Jamie Gillan did his usual thing, putting three of four punts inside the Miami 20. Eric Gray successfully fielded a punt and did not get benched like he did in his last outing.
COACHING: F
“That’s all on me, I’m the head coach — offense, defense, the kicking game,” Brian Daboll said after Sunday’s loss. Fair enough: That’s an ‘F’ for the head man and his staff, which now is 1-4 this season. Last season, Daboll did not suffer his fourth loss until Thanksgiving. The Giants have been unable to figure out a way to work around their porous, injury-riddled offensive line, have not been able to plug the leak caused by Saquon Barkey’s absence and have not . . . oh, heck, they really are not doing much of anything right these days. The Bills are next. Daboll used to coach there. Ugh.
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
