Well to be frank the Giants did not look good at all last night. The first team offense started off in an all too familiar place, 3rd and long that led to a three and out. The first of several three and outs for the Giants lackluster offense. The defense could do nothing to stop the mediocre Andy Dalton as he had his way on his only drive of the game. There were some bright spots for the Giants but not many. Its important to not put too much stock into the first pre-season game but with that being said it was a little dissapointing.
Offense
Dec 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Giants running back Orleans Darkwa (43) runs in for a touchdown against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Running back Orleans Darkwa played an excellent game last night. He rushed for 52 yards on 9 carries with 1 touchdown. Darkwa ran hard all night, he protected the ball as defenders contacted him, he never stopped churning his legs and he did an excellent job to pick up a blitz in the 3rd quarter as well. He made a strong case to be the 4th back and if he continues to play like that he will force his way onto this roster and into the lineup.
Undrafted rookie Akeem Hunt had a 70 yard kickoff return, bringing the ball all the way out to the Bengals 35 yard line. Hunt did a good job of finding a seem as well as stiff arming a defender to the ground. It looked like he ran out of steam as he was brought down from behind. Hunt also carried the ball 3 times for 18 yards.
Ryan Nassib has a rocket of an arm. He was throwing darts all over the field however he only completed 8 of 18 pass attempts. To his credit several balls were dropped, including a 3rd and 9 pass to Adrien Robinson. Nassib showed good mobility taking off and running 3 times for 18 yards.
The starting offensive line disappointed me. The Giants failed to get any kind of decent yardage on the ground with the starting backs on the field. One play in particular that stands out to me was the second play from scrimmage for the Giants, it looked like an attempted swing screen to Rashad Jennings off the right side of the line. Marshall Newhouse tipped his hand near immediately and Jennings was blown up in the backfield for a 6 yard loss. Despite the starting running backs not doing much on the ground the line did protect Manning and Nassib very well throughout the game.
Defense
4 members of the Giants secondary left with injuries last night. Both rookie safeties Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson suffered leg injuries. Collins had x- rays on his knee and fortunately they came back negative. Thompson has an apparent achilles injury and it did not look good. Trumaine McBride left with a hamstring issue and Jayron Hosley suffered a concussion while making a strong tackle on one of the Bengals running backs.
Kerry Wynn looked very good. He was always around the ball. He played inside as well as outside on the line and seemed to control his blockers very well on most plays.
The Giants pass rush came to life on their second series. Robert Ayers, Cullen Jenkins, and Damontre Moore all got penetration on the Giants first sack. Ayers pushed the pocket to the inside where Moore and Jenkins collapsed onto quarterback Josh Johnson.
Dec 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (99) sacks Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Cooper Taylor had a sack of Johnson as well. He came up from his safety position, took a great angle on the mobile QB and took him down in the backfield before he could turn the corner.
Bennett Jackson played very well. He totaled 6 tackles and was all over the field. He was always around the football. I’m excited to have this guy on the team.
Unai Unga stood out to me as well. He made an exceptional diving play to break up a ball over the middle and had penetration into the backfield on several plays including a run play he snuffed out. Safety Justin Currie showed some good speed but he can definitely take better angles to the football, I was impressed by his play either way.
Cornerback Tevin Wade had the only turnover for the Giants, picking off Keith Wenning late in the 4th quarter. Wade had opportunites earlier in the game to come away with a pick but he could not bring the ball in. Wade was a block away from returning the interception for a touchdown but linebacker Victor Butler did an offal job of trying to block Wenning down the field.
The Giants must continue to develop. Pre-Season week 1 is expected to be sloppy so they get a bit of a pass here. They will need to continue to develop the offensive line, they must stop the run better ( 5 Bengals had 20+ rush yards), and now they must really find several guys to step it up in the secondary.
Next: New York Giants: Can Pass Rush Fix It All?