It has been a topsy-turvy opening three weeks for the New York Giants. The Giants were boat-raced by Dallas 40-0 in the season opener, pulled off the largest comeback in franchise history to defeat Arizona in Week 2, and then fought the 49ers hard for three quarters in Week 3 before the wheels fell off in the fourth quarter.
No team has seen the extreme highs and brutal lows New York has through three weeks. Daniel Jones's second-half performance against Arizona was any NFL player's best individual half performance this season. Conversely, the quarterback's Week 1 performance (both halves) against Dallas is a contender for worst.
How good are the Giants? How bad are the Giants? We don't know the answer to either of those questions, but we do know this team can compete when they execute properly. With that said, we take a look at some of the good and some of the bad for Brian Daboll's men in this piece:
Positive: Dexter Lawrence
The Giants defense has struggled to start the season, and that has completely overshadowed how dominant Dexter Lawrence has been in 2023. Lawrence, who received a four-year, $90 million extension last offseason, was the anchor of Big Blue's 2022 season and was graded by PFF as the second-best defensive lineman (one spot ahead of Aaron Donald), only trailing Chris Jones.
He's been just as good through three football games this fall. Lawrence is one of just five NFL defensive linemen to receive an elite (90 or higher) grade from PFF. Sexy Dexy's 91.0 grade is third for d-lineman, only behind Jalen Carter and Chris Jones. His grade is also the 13th best for all defensive players.
Despite having zero sacks, Lawrence has lived in opposing backfields. Big Blue's star has 13 pressures (five more than the next closest Giant), 10 tackles, nine stops, nine hurries, five assists, and four QB hits while serving as New York's primary nose guard this fall. Nobody on the Giants defense plays harder or more physically than Lawrence, who has set the tone for the rest of the Giants defense.
Positive: NY Giants rookies
The Giants rookie class has performed admirably in 2023. After a solid summer, first-round pick cornerback Deonte Banks has been strong to start the season. PFF has Banks as the highest-graded Giants cornerback (of corners with at least 30 snaps). He has allowed just 71 yards through three games. His fellow outside starting partner, sixth-round pick Tre Hawkins, has allowed just 54 yards and played with extreme physicality.
On the offensive side, John Michael Schmitz has been awesome outside of his poor snap against Dallas. The rookie center had a 100 percent pass block win rate in the Week 2 win, and he has been the anchor of the interior offensive line. It's been great to see the rookie center play so well considering the struggles for the OL as a whole.
Jalin Hyatt, the Giants third-round pick, has the third most receiving yards on Big Blue and averages the most yards per reception (44.5). His catch to open the second half in Arizona was the game's turning point, and his second catch was a big play that helped complete the Giants comeback. Hyatt's 44.5 yards per catch is the highest among NFL wideouts, with at least two catches.
Positive: Giants running game
The Giants had one of the NFL's premiere rush attacks last season. That is not quite the case in 2023, but that's not on the running backs. New York had led for just 19 seconds in 2023, which has forced Mike Kafka to run predominately passing plays. Jones has taken 182 snaps this fall, 129 of which have been pass plays. Jones has also taken 13 of New York's 54 rushing attempts, which leaves just 41 attempts by running backs through three games.
Despite the limited volume, Big Blue has 264 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, with an average of 4.9 yards per attempt. New York is just one of six teams that do not have a fumble in the running game. The G-Men are also one of just five NFL teams with two rushers with more than 100 yards on the ground this season.
New York has one of the league's best ground attacks, and it would be nice for them them to get an early lead so they can rely on their offense's biggest strength. Saquon Barkley is a magician with the ball in his hands. He's trying to overcome a high-ankle sprain against the Cardinals in Week 2, but there's a chance we see him take on the Seahawks on Monday night.
Negative: NY's defense has struggled
The Giants defense appeared to be the strength of the team entering 2023, but the unit has looked rough through 12 quarters. Wink Martindale's defense is giving up 361.7 yards per game, ninth-worst in football, 138 rushing yards per game, fourth-worst in the NFL, and 32.7 points per game, third worst in football.
Only four players on New York's roster have PFF grades over 70, the bottom range of the starter tier. All four players are defensive linemen (Lawrence, Leonard Williams, DJ Davidson, and Jordon Riley). The Giants defense has been disappointing in the three vital defensive areas: sacks, tackling, and run defense.
Big Blue has just two sacks, the second-worst least in football, and has missed 29 tackles this season, including 16 against San Francisco. New York's two inside linebackers, Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden, have combined for 37 tackles but missed 11, a brutal 22.9 percent missed tackle rate. The missed tackles can't continue to happen and Martindale needs to stress this in practice.
Negative: Slow starts to game for the Giants
New York averages two points per game in the first half, by far the worst in football. The Giants have yet to score a touchdown in the first half of the season. The Bengals are the only other team that has yet to reach the end zone in the first half.
The Giants did not score in the first half in either Week 1 or Week 2 and netted just two field goals in Week 3. All three of New York's roster units deserve blame for the first-half struggles. There's just no excuse for all of these sloppy starts.
The Giants offense has been inept, struggling in the passing and running games. The defense cannot get off the field and has allowed numerous third and long conversions, including two against San Francisco on basic screenplays. On the first drive of New York's season, Graham Gano's field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a touchdown.
All three units have struggled, putting extra pressure on the others. New York must grab leads earlier in games like last season to maximize success. If they continue to have to come from behind or chase teams, it will be a recipe for disaster the rest of the way.