Vikings vs. Giants: Live Grades and Analysis for New York

The New York Giants finally got their first win of the season, defeating the Minnesota Vikings at home in an ugly game.

Full game grades and analysis are below.

Final:

Minnesota - 7

New York - 23

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	C+	B-
Run Offense	C+	C-
Pass Defense	B	B+
Run Defense	A+	A
Special Teams	D	C
Coaching	B-	B

Game Analysis for the New York Giants

Pass Offense: Eli Manning didn’t throw an interception! Hooray! He wasn’t great, though, missing on some throws in the first half. He also was hurt by drops courtesy of Hakeem Nicks and even Victor Cruz, who failed to haul in a perfectly thrown pass in the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

Kudos to Peyton Hillis, who had 45 yards receiving and two impressive third-down catch-and-run conversions.

Run Offense: New York managed only 14 yards rushing in the second half, as the offensive line struggled to get any push on the Vikings front seven. Overall, another poor performance that featured too many negative runs and not a single scamper over 10 yards. 

Pass Defense: Josh Freeman was awful and unprepared in his first start as a Viking. The Giants secondary was solid, though, covering the deep pass well and tackling surely on underneath throws.

The pass rush is still uninspiring, but it brought enough pressure to make the jittery Freeman uncomfortable in the pocket. 

Run Defense: A great performance by this unit. The front four was usually in the backfield to meet Adrian Peterson. When it wasn’t, the linebackers and secondary were wrapping up the physical running back, which prevented any lengthy gains. 

Special Teams: On the one hand, the Giants allowed a punt-return touchdown and a long kickoff return. Rueben Randle also fumbled on a punt return. Conversely, New York forced two fumbles, one on a punt return and the other on a kickoff return deep in Vikings territory.

When you factor in Josh Brown’s three field goals and Steve Weatherford’s generally solid punting, it actually wasn’t a terrible performance by this unit. It certainly wasn’t good, though.

Coaching: This was an ugly game, but the Giants played hard and only had one turnover and five penalties. Tom Coughlin and his staff get credit for the effort and limited mistakes, even though the execution was lacking.

First-Half Analysis for the New York Giants

Pass Offense: The short passing game was effective and led to a respectable four third-down conversions in nine chances.

However, multiple drops by Hakeem Nicks and several missed throws by Eli Manning, including a wide-open Nicks in the end zone on the Giants’ first drive, are discouraging.

Run Offense: The Giants are averaging just over three yards per carry, but 50 yards in a half from this unit has to be considered good, considering the injuries. We should see more of Michael Cox in the second half, as Peyton Hillis looks slow and not at all elusive.

Pass Defense: Josh Freeman has been wildly inaccurate, which puts a damper on this unit’s performance. The coverage and tackling have been relatively good, though, and despite not having any sacks, the pass rush has been fairly consistent.

Run Defense: The Vikings only have nine carries, but regardless, this unit has been tremendous. Especially impressive is the front four’s ability to meet Adrian Peterson in the backfield on virtually all of his eight totes.

Special Teams: The funny part about Marcus Sherels’ punt-return touchdown is that Steve Weatherford’s punt was excellent, 50 yards in the air and right against the sideline. It is amazing that Weatherford’s horse-collar tackle attempt on Sherels at the 1-yard line was the first time the returner was touched the entire play.

Josh Brown’s two touchbacks and 35-yard field goal are the only reasons this unit doesn’t get a failing grade.

Coaching: The Giants are clearly hungry for their first win, which is a credit to Coach Coughlin’s ability to motivate his team, even at 0-6. Still, New York continues to make glaring mistakes, with the first-quarter punt-return touchdown the latest miscue.

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