New York Giants: 3 interesting findings from the loss to 49ers

The New York Giants’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers exposed a lot of weaknesses that previously might have been strengths. The talent on the roster remains in serious question, as three years after general manager Dave Gettleman took over, the organization is continuously taking steps backward. At this point in time, a majority of the fan base is calling for Gettleman to be fired, and rightfully so considering the Giants’ inability to show positive momentum. Starting off the season with some fight is always enticing, but backing up two weeks of deserve losses with blowout level statistics is not how things should be going in the third year of a rebuild.

Three findings from the New York Giants’ loss to the 49ers:

1.) Kaden Smith’s rep count decreased exponentially

Starting tight end, Evan Engram has been a disaster so far this season, showing an inability to create separation and win his match-ups. His blocking has always been porous, but his receiving has now fallen off a cliff as well.

Through three games, Engram has only 96 yards and zero touchdowns to show. Alternatively, utilizing Kaden Smith in a more comprehensive role makes sense.

Smith, who is a 6-foot-5 and 252-pound tight end, is not only a superior blocker but also has capable hands in the receiving game. He has only been targeted seven times in the passing game, totaling 29 yards. Oddly, his offensive snaps were reduced from 48% to 31% in week three compared to week two. The Giants continue to force the ball to Engram despite his deficiencies.

2.) The offense showed zero creativity

Through three games, Jason Garrett has orchestrated about as vanilla an offense as you can find in the NFL. Zone blocking schemes and short routes, the Giants’ offense hasn’t taken any shots downfield with consistency and has squeezed their game within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Garrett’s refusal to insert more creative play calls into their system has hurt the team’s production significantly.

While the players didn’t have much time to learn the playbook due to COVID-19 restrictions, the general route tree has been disappointing for their receivers.

Considering the running backs totaled just 17 yards on 10 carries against San Francisco, something needs to change, and it starts with the playcalling. The one time they tried to get creative and toss the ball to Evan Engram on a sweep, he dropped it and turned the ball over. If the New York Giants continue on this path, they will not only be one of the worst scoring teams in the league, but they will also be picking in the top five for the second straight year.

3.) Darnay Holmes is a liability in coverage

One of the more promising draft picks this off-season was fourth-round pick Darnay Holmes. He was always projected as a nickel corner in the NFL, despite never playing the position in college. This made the learning curve a bit more tumultuous, and rookie struggles were always anticipated. Through three games, though, he has allowed a 60% completion percentage and missed 27.3% of his tackles.

Holmes has a long way to go before he can be considered a starting level slot corner, but he has the tenacity and physical frame for the job. The 2020 season was always going to be a building one, so Holmes struggling is not too much of an issue. However, the expectations for him were so lofty that he’s falling under the disappointing category.