Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants: Full Report Card Grades for New York
The New York Giants are on a roll with three straight wins, the latest being a 30-20 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium in Week 5.
Another clean performance by quarterback Eli Manning allowed the Giants (3-2) to orchestrate a fourth-quarter comeback over the Falcons (2-3).
Although Atlanta led by as much as 10 points at one point in the third quarter, New York thoroughly dominated the second half en route to a 20-point swing.
To get a better grasp of the latest installment on the Giants' current winning streak, you must first break the team down into positional units and assess each individual group's performance.
This slideshow will designate a report card grade for each of the Giants' positional units, based on their production against the Falcons in Week 5.
Quarterback
1 of 10
It wasn't the most dazzling performance from No. 10 in blue.
Yet Eli Manning was solid and efficient, completing 19 of 30 attempts for 200 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he went wire to wire without turning the ball over once (for the second time in three games).
Manning surpassed the 1,000-yard and 10-touchdown marks for the season on Sunday. His two touchdown strikes against the Falcons put his season-long TD-INT ratio over 2:1.
That is a rate Manning only kept up for a full season just in 2008, when he threw only 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in a run-heavy offense that featured two 1,000-yard rushers.
The Giants quarterbacking has been excellent over the last three weeks. The only deduction I can make in Manning's grade is his Week 5 completion rate of 63.3 percent, which sank his season-long rate less than one full percentage point in the opposite direction of the 70 percent goal.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
Rashad Jennings was able to gash the Falcons' defensive front with relative ease in the early goings. In fact, he looked like one of a few Giants alert and ready to start the game at the time of kickoff.
Before injuring his knee (something that is now described optimistically as a sprain but awaits an MRI and further diagnosis on Monday—per Bob Glauber of Newsday), Jennings gained 55 yards on 10 carries—a healthy 5.5 yards per carry. He also caught two passes for 17 yards.
As Jennings' changeup, rookie Andre Williams was not effective. Most of his attempts in the first half went for little or no gain.
However, after Jennings went down, Williams took over the game. The bruising backup finished the game as the leading rusher for the second week in a row, gaining 65 yards on 20 carries.
His play in Week 6 was better exemplified by his three-yard TD plunge late in the third quarter than his game-long YPC average of 3.3. Perhaps the most impressive play of Williams' afternoon was a 14-yard catch for a first down, evidence of his development as an all-around back.
Peyton Hillis also chipped in with Jennings out, delivering when called upon by gaining seven yards on two carries.
Henry Hynoski had a fine day blocking from the fullback position. He saw a satiating amount of snaps against Atlanta and blew several running lanes for the ball-carriers behind him.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
It's hard not to give this unit a perfect grade simply for the effect Odell Beckham Jr. had on the game's outcome.
The rookie's presence was weighty in Atlanta's secondary, breaking the Giants offense wide open in the second half.
He blew the top off the unit on what would have been a sure touchdown had Beckham and his quarterback ever shared a full-participation NFL practice together. A few plays later, he drew a big pass interference penalty.
A little Atlanta grabbing and tugging couldn't stop OBJ from completely turning his man around and hauling in the go-ahead touchdown from 15 yards out early in the fourth quarter.
Beckham's impact went beyond the four catches and 44 yards he produced. It was an all-around veteran outing from a debut performer.
Preston Parker ended up leading the unit in yardage with 61, thanks in large part to a 42-yard haul on a busted Falcons coverage.
Rueben Randle was targeted heavily but only caught four of the team-leading 10 balls thrown his way. One of them, of course, was a well-executed three-yard strike to kick off the game's scoring.
Maybe one of Victor Cruz's three catches for 22 yards was worthy of the highlight reel.
The Giants' tight ends were M.I.A. in Week 5. Larry Donnell was hyped as the next great superstar tight end after last week's three-touchdown performance; he did not catch a single pass in Week 5 against the Falcons.
In fact, the only tight end to catch a pass was third-stringer Adrien Robinson, who turned his sole reception upfield for a gain of five before he was stopped.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It is a sort of thrown-together bunch, but New York's offensive line is looking like one of the league's best units.
Again, the O-line was able to keep Eli Manning upright. The only time a Falcon laid a hand on Manning was when former Giant Osi Umenyiora got around LT Will Beatty and downed a given-up quarterback.
(I will forever think of this moment as a Favre-Strahan-type gesture, only with more convincing acting. I don't care that he was wearing a Falcons jersey and Manning was peeling himself off the turf, it was cool to see him spread his arms wide and soar around MetLife Stadium in his signature celebration once more. Sorry to be the sports conspiracy theorist.)
John Jerry is turning into some type of mauler at right guard. He is a vicious blocker and particularly effective at the second level. The Giants value his play in the running game.
Younger guys LG Weston Richburg and RT Justin Pugh are not liabilities in the least along the line. Neither player stands out as a weak point due to inexperience.
I would say the starting center transition from David Baas to J.D. Walton was seamless, but it wouldn't do Walton's play any justice.
As a unit, Big Blue's big men up front paved the way for a third consecutive 100-yard game on the ground.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Although this unit ended up winning the game for the Giants, I think the D-line's performance early in the game was the main reason for the team's flat start.
The Giants couldn't get a stop on defense in the first half. The Falcons were setting the pace, due in partial part to a New York defensive front that was being outmaneuvered by a ragtag Atlanta O-line.
Things shifted in the second half, as Jason Pierre-Paul came alive. The end was all of a sudden a totally disruptive force, throwing Falcons rookie Jake Matthews aside on some plays like he wasn't even there.
JPP didn't record a sack, but he was a menace in pursuit, collecting five tackles and laying two hits on the Atlanta QB. He was also disruptive when failing to break through the protection, batting down a Matt Ryan pass attempt.
Overall, Ryan eluded the Giants' rush well. The only time anybody reached him was when Johnathan Hankins sacked him on fourth down to pretty much seal the game.
The D-line did not allow many gaping holes to open. The Falcons abandoned the run in the second half and became the second consecutive offense to rush for less than 100 yards against the Giants defense.
Although a revitalized rush brought the Giants back, the unit's grade suffers slightly due to a lethargic start.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
I'm giving the linebackers the benefit of the doubt here—that they're the ones least responsible for the lack of energy to begin the game.
After all, in between the Falcons' long gains, the Giants' linebackers were the ones making big plays. On the goal line, they were exceptional. Jacquian Williams, who finished the game with a team-leading 14 tackles (10 solo), made a heady stop on a shovel pass that surely saved a score.
Jameel McClain was strong in the middle linebacker spot. He registered seven tackles (four solo), two PD and a QB hit. He continues to be an invaluable substitute for Jon Beason with the Giants' defensive co-captain still out.
Mark Herzlich got into the action with two tackles (one solo). Spencer Paysinger registered one tackle and injured his hamstring on special teams.
As one goes down, however, another is coming back. Devon Kennard played quite a few special teams snaps. This is a unit that, when Beason and Kennard are both 100 percent healthy, should become the league's most feared 4-3 linebackers.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
The defensive backs were going up against a supreme talent in Julio Jones, but the Giants secondary can no longer hype itself as an elite unit if it struggles to slow down elite receivers.
Jones, like Calvin Johnson in Week 1, found New York's soft spots right away. Jones made a lot of tough grabs—some well-covered, some contested—and had nearly racked up 100 yards by halftime.
Of the Giants' starting cornerbacks, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was the only one who experienced any success in coverage against Jones. Roddy White, on the other hand, was kept in check by the Giants' D-backfield.
The secondary did not come away with any lasting turnovers. Quintin Demps fumbled away his interception return, and, even if he hadn't, a penalty on Prince Amukamara would have wiped it out.
The worst play by a member of the secondary was a missed tackle by Antrel Rolle that would have stopped the Falcons shy of first-down yardage and forced them to punt. Instead, the undowned runner, Antone Smith, was loose for a 74-yard score.
Ultimately, the secondary kept Jones out of the end zone and presented Ryan with few big-play options. A win, in my book.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Special teams can provide a spark in the silliest ways.
For example, the one time the Giants stuck Odell Beckham Jr. back to return a punt, it really had nothing to do with his expertise as a return man. Rather, it had everything to do with riling up the crowd. They used special teams as a platform to rev the engine of their brand-new sports car.
One of the reasons New York found itself in need of an OBJ pick-me-up, however, was Preston Parker's fumbled kick return. That gave Atlanta a short field and practically surrendered the Giants' first lead of the game.
So, the return units had their ups and downs.
Conversely, the kicking units were pretty much perfect. Josh Brown was 3-of-3, including a 49- and a 50-yarder. He hasn't missed any of his seven attempts so far this season. As for punting, Steve Weatherford punted an average of 57.7 yards—a good distance when facing a return threat like Devin Hester.
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
The coaching staff gets a flawless grade for this one.
Tim Coughlin may not have had his team ready for the start of the game, but whatever he said to his team during halftime must have worked because the Giants were fired up late in the game.
After the Falcons went up 20-10 in the third quarter, New York rallied and scored 20 unanswered points to win the game.
Perry Fewell was creative and was able to unleash Jason Pierre-Paul in the game's closing quarters. He brought a couple blitzes and had his team playing a dependable caliber of defense on the goal line.
Ben McAdoo keeps finding things that work. He utilized two rookies heavily—three, if you count LG Weston Richburg—to pound Atlanta into submission with RB Andre Williams and tear the Falcons' top off with WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Grade: A
Overall
10 of 10
Here's the Giants' Week 5 overall report card:
| Pos. | Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | A |
| WR/TE | A- |
| OL | A |
| DL | B |
| LB | A |
| DB | B |
| ST | A- |
| Coach | A |
Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants for Bleacher Report.
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