The New York Giants lost in a blowout fashion on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers.
It was a game that many in the Giants fans would like to forget as nothing really went right for the team. The final score was 36-9, and much of the game was not even close. The 49ers were able to pick apart the team methodically.
Here’s how this defeat affected the stock of various people inside the Giants organization.
Stock up for the New York Giants
We will start with the very few who actually boosted their status on Sunday.
James Bradberry, CB
The newly signed cornerback once again proved why he is receiving cornerback one money. While he digressed slightly from his league-best week two performance (allowing a few receptions), Bradberry still was able to record three pass deflections and be a tough matchup outside. He is continuing to prove why he is one of the better cornerbacks in the league, and much of this is coming from little to no help from the rest of the secondary.
Blake Martinez, LB
Blake Martinez, another newly signed player, was once again active all over the field. He recorded nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. This makes him tied for sixth in the league with 30 total tackles, tied for fifth with five tackles for loss, and tied for 14th with two sacks. He has been another player who has received minimal help from his linebacker teammates but has continued to show out and demonstrate why the Giants signed him.
Logan Ryan, DB
While Logan Ryan played no-where near perfect on Sunday, he once again continued to improve and acclimate himself into this new defense. It is one that he has only had about four weeks to learn. However, he has quickly become one of the better players on this defense, and this showed in week three, where he recorded seven tackles, two pass deflections, and one QB hit.
Dalvin Tomlinson, DT
Dalvin Tomlinson was New York’s highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus in week three’s defeat. His five tackles, two tackles for loss, two QB hits, four QB pressures, and three run stops earned him a grade of 86.4. Tomlinson, now in his fourth year, has continued to develop his game. He is now an elite run stopper and also getting better with his pass-rush, which has lagged behind for some time.
Stock Down
This is heavy.Â
There was a lot that went wrong on Sunday, so we might as well just dive right in.
Daniel Jones, QB
The number one player that will be receiving most of the blame is Daniel Jones. On Sunday, Daniel Jones suffered his twelfth loss in just fifteen starts. Jones also recorded his 35th and 36th turnover of his small career. This also marked the sixth turnover committed by Jones this season. Taking care of the ball has clearly been an issue for the sophomore quarterback, and if he is unable to solve this issue, his long-term career with the Giants could be in jeopardy.
Evan Engram, TE
A player that was involved in both of Daniel Jones’ turnovers was Evan Engram. He has constantly been off sync with Jones, and it has resulted in three turnovers so far this season. Engram will need to improve and do what the Giants hoped for him when they picked him in the first round. If not, he may be thrown to the waste side in another rebuild attempt that could happen this offseason.
Offensive Line
The entire offensive line is also a group that should take much of the burden for practically all the losses this season. The unit once again got no push in the run game (Giants’ running backs only rushed for 10 yards) and did not prosper in the passing game as well. Jones was sacked twice and pressured constantly. The pass blocking has been so bad that Daniel Jones has been pressured on over 40-percent of his dropbacks, third-highest in the league.
Darnay Holmes, CB
Moving on to the defensive side of the ball, rookie cornerback had the worst game of his season on Sunday against practically a practice squad offense. The UCLA product was constantly burnt and committed a costly third-and-22 penalty to give San Fran the first down. He proved on Sunday that he is not ready to be an NFL cornerback quite yet.
Devonte Downs, LB
Another player who showed that he should not be out on the field for more than a couple of plays was Devonte Downs. Due to a depleted linebacker core, Downs saw his second career start on Sunday. In this start, he was a constant liability in the run game and did no better in terms of pass coverage. The Giants hoped he could be the linebacker two for this season, but as of now, it is clear that Downs does not have what it takes.
Joe Judge, Head Coach
The final person to blame for the embarrassing week three loss is the head coach, Joe Judge. Even though he clearly does not have the weapons, Judge still recorded the third straight loss of his head coaching career. It is a job that is predicated on winning, and Judge has yet to do this thus far. Things were looking good for him after weeks one and two, but after a blowout loss to a heavily injured team, Judge’s hire will be receiving some backlash. It is important not to jump ship too quickly, as a proper rebuild takes time, but if Judge can not make this team competitive, New York sports fans may get antsy after multiple straight years of losing.