The grades are in for the Giants’ disappointing Week 4 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. Despite several chances to reach the end zone, New York fell short of the win, losing 20-15.
Pro Football Focus chose its top-five graded Giants–choices with which we don’t necessarily agree. Let’s run down the list.
1. QB Daniel Jones - 80.9
Jones finished 29 of 40 for 281 yards and one interception for an 81.4 rating after finishing 13 of 15 for 142 yards in the first half. His numbers would suggest that he played “okay,” but in reality, the high grade he received is questionable.
Jones was frequently off-target with his throws, often underthrowing open receivers. He even had one of those “free play” snaps after a defensive end jumped offside, but he badly underthrew an open Darius Slayton, who managed to get deep. The ball was intercepted, so the Giants took the 5-yard penalty, but the poor throw lost the opportunity for a rare big play.
With the Cowboys stopping the running game, it was on Jones to get it done, and he did not. The closest Jones got to the end zone came on a 4th-and-goal from the 3-yard line early on, but head coach Brian Daboll’s decision to take the points via a field goal was very telling.
Overall, Jones wasn't horrible nor the sole reason the Giants lost the game, but it’s fair to say he didn’t make the plays necessary to win it, either.
2. ILB Micah McFadden - 78.4
Despite the back injury he sustained during last week’s game, McFadden is moving up in the ranks. Last week, he also made the PFF top-5 list but sat two spots below at No. 4.
His eight tackles led the team and were instrumental in stifling the Cowboys' rushing attack, but he was again good for another missed tackle (he has three in three games played this season after posting 25 last year).
This week’s missed tackle came on the Cowboy’s first touchdown, a 15-yard screen pass. McFadden drew what should have been a holding penalty, but the officials picked up the flag, and the score was good.
Missed tackle aside–and yes, it was a big one–McFadden played another solid game.
3. Safety Jason Pinnock - 77.6
Jason Pinnock, who is in a contract year, was also on last week’s list and, like McFadden, moved up two spots. The safety totaled four tackles, two of which were solo this week.
The third-year Giants vet demonstrated his impressive agility at the line of scrimmage. He’s quick, isn’t afraid to engage, and constantly puts himself in a position to make plays.
With this week’s game plan much less aggressive blitz-wise, Pinnock was left in intermediate coverages moving forward to close on the short passing game. He responded with four sure, hard hits on all these coverages, but otherwise, he didn’t get the ball thrown his way or get to attack the line of scrimmage much.
The Giants' secondary is young this year, with new additions like CB Dru Phillips and safety Tyler Nubin. Pinnock has done a nice job stepping up and taking the lead this season.
4. OT Andrew Thomas - 75.6
The offensive line has been doing a much better job of protecting Jones this season, and left tackle Andrew Thomas, in particular, is delivering.
This week, he received a little chip help from a tight end against Micah Parsons, which helped to slow down the linebacker. It wasn’t too long before Thomas was left on his own to deal with Parsons, and he was more than up to the task, putting forth a much cleaner sheet this week than he did last week.
Thomas’s run blocking still isn’t where it needs to be, as he allowed Parsons to knife inside of him for a big loss in the backfield, and his double teams were largely ineffective. But pass blocking was definitely up to snuff this week.
5. WR Malik Nabers - 72.5
Nabers is the only athlete from last week’s list who moved down in the top five. The receiver couldn’t make it to the end zone this week but still helped the team move the ball.
The rookie was targeted on 15 of Jones' 40 total pass attempts and caught a career-high 12 receptions for 115 yards.
Nabers also caught a wide-open 39-yard pass during the first quarter, a catch on which he broke free of a double-team effort. This is his longest catch yet and New York’s longest completion of the season. Nabers might have had more yardage if the ball had been there a little faster.
Nabers fought hard but took several hard hits throughout the game. He left the game with about 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, diagnosed with a concussion for the rookie. Still, he has become this team’s offense and is electrifying to watch.
