The Denver Broncos offense thoroughly dominated the NY Giants throughout Sunday’s game, and a Daniel Jones third quarter fumble proved costly in season-opening loss
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — If the NY Giants are going to compete this season, they will need the defense to be opportunistic, and Daniel Jones to protect the football on offense, but neither of those things came close to fruition in a 27-13 loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday.
For much of Sunday’s game, the Broncos were able to dictate to the Giants‘ defense, with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater having plenty of time in the pocket, and when he didn’t, he was able to make some circus type throws.
Bridgewater hit nine different receivers, with ease, on short and intermediate routes, before making enough clutch throws to move the chains and keep New York’s defense on the field as the NY Giants offered little resistance.
The NY Giants’ defense allowed three fourth down conversions, the Broncos to convert on 54 percent of their third down tries, and struggled to get off the field throughout the game.
When Patrick Graham’s defense could get off the field — they allowed points on four of Denver’s six possessions, the NY Giants’ offense often sputtered, going three-and-out on three of four possessions in the first half.
It’s difficult to win when the defense can’t get off the field and the offense can’t move or protect the football, which is exactly what the NY Giants tried to and failed to overcome against the Broncos.
By the time Melvin Gordon broke loose for a 70-yard touchdown with 4:37 remaining, the game might not have been out of hand, but it had certainly felt like it for much of the second half.
Here are key takeaways from the NY Giants loss to the Denver Broncos:
New year … Same Daniel Jones concerns
Daniel Jones needs to prove this season that he can eliminate turnovers, protect the football, and be far more effective than he has through his first two seasons, winning just eight games combined so far in his career.
It might be a new season, but the same concerns continue to dog Jones.
With the NY Giants trailing 17-7 with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter, and the Broncos previously punching in a touchdown after running 31 of the game’s previous 35 offensive plays, Jones took off scrambling towards the end zone when he was met by a pair of Broncos … and fumbled the ball.
Making his 28th career start, Jones lost his 24th fumble on the 30th fumble of his career. At this stage of his career, Jones needs to understand situationally and where he is on the field, to give himself up on that situation and protect the football.
Denver converted Jones’ fumble into a 36-yard field goal, but more damaging was that the turnover brought a promising drive ton a halt and gave the Broncos another opportunity to extend their lead.
Time and again Sunday, across the sideline, Teddy Bridgewater evaded pressure and made big-time throws to sustain drives, but Jones’ untimely mistake turned out to be a costly one.
Broncos took advantage of mismatches as end of half aggressiveness pays off
When the Broncos’ offense lined up, coming out of a timeout, on 4th down and 2 from the Giants’ 49-yard line, it was easy to assume that Vic Fangio was trying to draw New York’s defense offsides … Instead, Teddy Bridgewater hit Courtland Sutton in a mismatch against Logan Ryan for a 14-yard gain, a first down, and Denver’s march was on.
Following Bridgewater’s gutty fourth down conversion, the Broncos systematically picked apart the NY Giants’ defense on a five-play blitzkrieg that culminated 27 seconds later with a Bridgwater touchdown pass to Tim Patrick to give Denver a 10-7 lead heading into the half.
Along the way, Denver managed to isolate Sutton against Julian Love, Jerry Jeudy in open space, and opened a soft spot in the Giants’ zone for Patrick to catch Bridgewater’s touchdown pass after first rolling Bridgewater to his left.
The final possession of the first half was a chess match, one the NY Giants badly lost.
Denver went on to possess the ball for nearly an hour of real time, from the end of the first half to their first possession of the second, running 24 plays and scoring 14 points over that stretch.
NY Giants pass rush still a major concern
The NY Giants defense failed generate any pressure whatsoever on Teddy Bridgewater in the first half, and the Broncos’ quarterback systematically hit on strike after strike on short and intermediate throws over the middle.
Bridgewater opened seven-for-nine passing, as the NY Giants’ defense offered little resistance. The Giants’ edge rushers barely breathed on Bridgewater, as the linebackers and secondary left the middle of the field exposed.
Later, on the Broncos’ first possession of the second half, Bridgewater was pressured out of the pocket by Leonard Williams, given chase near the sideline by Azeez Ojulari, but somehow threw across his body into coverage and hit K.J. Hamler for a 10-yard gain and a first down.
Azeez Ojulari picked up his first career sack, on the Broncos’ first possession of the third quarter, and as the fourth quarter got underway Logan Ryan and Leonard Williams combined for a sack, but those plays were more of the outliers for the NY Giants’ front-seven than the norm.
The combination of giving Broncos receivers space and not generating consistent pressure, made life Easton Bridgewater who efficiently completed 28-of-36 passes for 264 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
The NY Giants’ offense funnels through Sterling Shepard
Sunday, Sterling Shepard was the most efficient player on the field for the NY Giants’ offense, and that may wind up being the case for a bit.
As Kenny Golladay was a virtual nonfactor, catching four passes for just 64 yards, and first-round rookie Kadarius Toney’s only contribution was a six-yard loss on one of the more bizarre play calls you’ll see in the first quarter, Shepard continued to be Jones’ favorite target.
In addition to tiptoeing down the sideline for a touchdown, after beating Broncos first-round pick Patrick Surtain in the first half, Shepard hauled in seven passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
After a summer where Golladay, Toney and Jones were rarely on the field together during training camp, and running back Saquon Barkley continues to build back towards full strength and effectiveness, Shepard could continue to be the focal point of the NY Giants’ aerial attack.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com.