New York Giants vs. St. Louis Rams: Full Report Card Grades for New York
The New York Giants made it three in a row, picking up their sixth victory of the season—a 37-27 beatdown of the St. Louis Rams.
The offense may have had its greatest day under coordinator Ben McAdoo, as a handful of skill-position players reached significant milestones in the outing. The defense wasn't so bad either, with one unlikely rookie starring in the second-to-last game of the season.
To see how each position unit graded out against the Rams, click through the following slides.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Quarterback Eli Manning had his best game of the entire season against a Rams pass rush that was supposed to slaughter him.
He played with unreal accuracy, completing 25 of his 32 pass attempts (78.1 percent), and it wasn't like he was conservative with his tosses either. Manning took some big shots downfield and averaged 12.2 yards per pass attempt.
Racking up nearly 400 yards passing, Manning enjoyed some luck on his way to a career day. A couple of his near-interceptions fell harmlessly to the turf. Three of his passes went for scores, raising his touchdown total to 29 on the season.
With one game left to play, Manning can set his best statistical season in stone with one more solid outing.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
The toughest player on New York's offense in Week 16 may have been Andre Williams.
Relentlessly, Williams pounded his way into a rough Rams defensive front. Early on, it didn't look good. He found little room to run, and the only highlight that involved him was a missed block on St. Louis' T.J. McDonald, resulting in a sack on Manning.
Then, Williams got free for a well-deserved 45-yard sprint. He took out some frustration on that run, too, bowling over a member of the Rams defensive backfield before picking up even more yardage. He ended up finishing the day with a very respectable 110 yards on 26 carries (4.2 YPC).
It was Williams' second 100-yard day of the season.
Orleans Darkwa got into the mix and performed well in relief of Williams. He only registered four touches, gaining 21 yards, but 12 of them came on the Giants' only rushing touchdown of the game. He also caught two passes for 17 yards.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The receivers were excellent Sunday, as both Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle eclipsed 100 yards.
Randle was the first to blow up, catching a 49-yard bomb on New York's first possession of the game. He had a couple more big catches, but none were as big as his seven-yard touchdown. It was his first score since Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Beckham starred later on, gaining most of his yardage on an 80-yard touchdown bomb. He led the team in receptions (8) and targets (12), as the rookie continues to power the Giants offense. What didn't translate into the stat book was the way he got into the Rams' heads, causing a full-scale brawl at one point.
It's OK, St. Louis, OBJ has frustrated many defenses this season.
The tight ends combined to have a good day. Starter Larry Donnell led the way with 42 yards on four catches, and his backup, Daniel Fells, chipped in with two catches for 20 yards.
Preston Parker brings the total grade down just a shade. After catching three passes for 32 yards, Parker was ejected for losing his cool and throwing a punch during the brawl.
Grade: A-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It's not like the Giants offensive line imposed its will on the Rams defensive front, but the O-line certainly contained it.
The blockers experienced scattered success on the ground. Most of the running backs' yardage came after contact, but at least the offensive line kept the defenders out of the backfield in Week 16. Thanks in large part to Williams' 45-yard run, the Giants mustered a lukewarm average of 3.8 yards per carry.
As far as pass protection, the blockers kept St. Louis' vaunted pass-rushers off Manning's back. The only sack was the result of a missed block by Williams. The Rams only recorded three hits on Manning the entire game.
Manning should take his left tackle, Will Beatty, out to an expensive dinner. When forced to choose between giving up a sack or taking a holding penalty on St. Louis' Robert Quinn, Beatty took the holding call a whopping four times.
Good job, I guess.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
How about the day Kerry Wynn had?
Who would have expected the undrafted rookie to come along so well late in the season? Hardly ever active early in the season, Wynn has become a versatile force along New York's defensive line. In a tremendous display of athleticism, he recorded this impressive trifecta: an interception, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Jason Pierre-Paul also had a disruptive day, registering the Giants' other sack of St. Louis quarterback Shaun Hill. With four tackles (all solo), no D-lineman made more stops than JPP. It's impossible to ignore the late-season push he's made for a new contract in the offseason.
New York's defensive line didn't contain Tre Mason—who gained 5.8 yards per attempt and scored a 10-yard touchdown—but the Rams couldn't commit to the run since they trailed the entire game. The D-line also got caught on a couple of reverses to Tavon Austin.
Grade: A-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Jameel McClain reclaimed the starring role among New York's linebackers. In recent weeks, rookie Devon Kennard has been the most talked-about 'backer, but that wasn't the case in Week 16.
McClain was violent, perhaps extra motivated by a dirty-playing Rams team. He blitzed well, laying two huge hits on Hill. The mean man in the middle finished the game with a team-leading seven tackles (six solo).
Kennard, on the other hand, was quiet. He made four stops, but not one of them was in the backfield. Most fans thought he'd get the better of Mason, but the opposite turned out to be true.
Right behind McClain was Mark Herzlich with six tackles. Herzlich was also right behind St. Louis' Lance Kendricks on Hill's 23-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter—whoops!
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
New York's only subpar performers were the members of the secondary. Things might have been different if Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie's interceptions stood, but both takeaways were called back due to penalties.
Instead, the standout play was a 47-yard touchdown from Hill to Chris Givens. The coverage was nonexistent, as DRC let Givens pass him by, and the safety help was nowhere to be found. Stevie Brown, who turned to the center of the field, away from Givens, was most likely to blame.
Overall, Hill had a pretty easy day passing against New York's secondary. He completed 75 percent of his passes for nearly 300 yards. Kenny Britt was his favorite weapon, as the former Tennessee Titan racked up 103 yards on nine catches.
No defensive back recorded a pass breakup besides slot cornerback Mike Harris, who had just one and also recorded a tackle for a loss.
Grade: C+
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Giants were able to control the pace of the entire game because they took such a big lead (10-0 before the Rams offense even stepped onto the field). They did this by making a big play on special teams, as rookie Nat Berhe pounced on a loose kickoff.
Steve Weatherford had a good day punting the ball, averaging over 50 yards per punt. He was only called upon to kick three times, though, and the punt coverage was pretty bad. The Rams' Austin averaged more than 20 yards per return.
The kicking game had its ups and downs. Josh Brown made three of his four attempts, including a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter. His only failed attempt, however, featured an egregious lapse in protection, as Daren Bates leaped over the line to block the kick.
Grade: B-
Coaching
9 of 10
The Giants weren't very disciplined early in the game. The Rams started playing dirty after Beckham's first touchdown, and New York regressed to St. Louis' level. The brawl on the sideline was a disgusting display of poor sportsmanship for both teams.
Although the Giants cleaned up their act in the second half, they ended up the more penalized team with 12 infractions for a total of 149 yards. That's some unbelievably undisciplined play.
Still, as bad as the Giants were in that department, McAdoo's offense saved the coaching staff with a great game plan and solid play-calling. Who would have thought the Giants would rack up 37 points against St. Louis' stingy defense? Can you believe the Rams' relentless pass rush was completely neutralized by New York's awful offensive line?
Head coach Tom Coughlin is making a convincing case for his retention, keeping his team motivated even though making the playoffs has not been a possibility for over a month. His play of the game was a first-half challenge, which reversed a Donnell reception originally called incomplete on the field.
Grade: B+
Overall
10 of 10
Here are the Giants' full report card grades for Week 16:
| Position | Grade |
| QB | A |
| RB | A- |
| WR/TE | A- |
| OL | B+ |
| DL | A- |
| LB | A- |
| DB | C+ |
| ST | B- |
| Coach | B+ |
Statistics courtesy of NFL.com box score and play-by-play.
Kevin Boilard writes about the New York Giants at Bleacher Report.
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