The New York Giants got the big play they needed in a 69-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Eli Manning to wide out Victor Cruz to tie the game in the second quarter. But then everything fell apart.
From that point on, the Kansas City Chiefs outscored the Giants 24-0, sparked by an 89-yard touchdown on a punt return by Dexter McCluster in the third quarter which proved to be the game clincher. The Chiefs delivered to the Giants what could be a fatal blow for their playoff aspirations, defeating the struggling G-Men 31-7 at Arrowhead Stadium.
New York kept the game early close — mostly behind the stout play of its defense — which kept the Chiefs’ offense from breaking things open. As the game drew on, however, the Giants’ defense could no longer compensate for their offense’s shortcomings.
Overall, it was another ugly performance for a team that had much higher expectations heading into the season. Here’s a look at how New York performed in the loss…
Eli Manning
It’s tough to play well when you’re under duress, so the Giants’ gunslinger has to get some slack there. However, Manning made some mistakes of his own, including a third-quarter interception that seemed to suck the life out of his team. He did manage to avoid getting sacked for a lot of the afternoon, but there were times he held the ball a bit longer in the pocket. This finally resulted in three sacks for the Chiefs and missed opportunities late in the game.
The highlight of the day was the 69-yard connection with Cruz, but that was the only positive in another disappointing game.
Grade: B-
Running Backs
Despite minimal blocking up front, starter David Wilson ran hard and with purpose. He finished with acceptable numbers considering, carrying the football 13 times for 55 yards.
Da’Rel Scott had a few good carries, but his fourth-quarter fumble on a draw play was completely unacceptable. The fumble was charged to Manning because it happened at the exchange, but it was entirely Scott’s fault. Don’t be surprised if Scott loses some playing time because of it.
Grade: C
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
In past weeks, most of the blame for the Giants’ failures rested on the offensive line’s shoulders. But this week, the receivers missed on a number of opportunities to make things happen when the team desperately needed it.
Hakeem Nicks, who was critical of his quarterback a week ago by saying that he couldn’t throw it to himself, was targeted nine times but caught just three passes for 33 yards versus the Chiefs. He was responsible for two drops and another incompletion that he short-armed trying to catch the football with one hand down the sideline.
Rueben Randle did his best with what he was given, but the Chiefs’ pass rush and a strong coverage team kept him quiet for most of the afternoon. Tight end Brandon Myers had a lackluster afternoon as a receiver and blocker.
Victor Cruz was, of course, the lone standout. As has been the case all season, the 26-year-old wide out was a dependable outlet for Manning, catching 10 passes for 164 yards and the aforementioned 69-yard touchdown reception. Cruz now has four receiving touchdowns in four games.
Grade: C+
Offensive Line
Another week, another disappointing performance by the Giants’ offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked all five starters with a negative score. William Beatty — the Giants’ $37.5 million left tackle — kept his streak of bad games going, surrendering four pressures and a sack.
Jim Cordle and James Brewer did not do well as spot starters for injured linemen David Baas and Chris Snee. Tackle Justin Pugh is still struggling to adapt to the NFL, but did okay considering.
Meanwhile, guard Kevin Boothe was the only lineman who excelled in pass protection. That is, save for the sack he and Cordle allowed during what seemed to be some miscommunication between the two. Unfortunately, he looked rather inept in the running game.
As a whole, the Giants allowed three sacks of Eli Manning and countless pressures and hurries. Manning spent the afternoon praying for a second to make a read in the pocket and rarely got it.
Grade: F
Defensive Line
The Giants generated minimal pressure on Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith, and as the game dragged on, their run defense collapsed as well.
Defensive ends Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul are shells of their former selves, with the latter player clearly still feeling the effects of his offseason back surgery. Combined, the pass-rushing duo recorded just one pressure. Fellow defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka was a little better, laying a hit on Smith and forcing him throw a pass away, but he ultimately could not record a sack himself.
The Giants’ defensive tackles were tough against the run once again. They kept the Chiefs’ dangerous running back Jamaal Charles from breaking out for most of the game.
Linval Joseph had a dazzling performance, specifically against the run, and finished the game with three tackles.
Unfortunately, the offense’s inability to convert on third down forced the defense onto the field more often than they could handle. The Chiefs finally broke away in the second half against a worn down defensive unit that could no longer stop the run.
Grade: C
Linebackers
Mark Herzlich had a good first half for the Giants, including a big bat-down of an Alex Smith pass at the line. He was solid against the run — a pleasant sight for a guy the Giants have been waiting to step up his play — but his performance in pass coverage left something to be desired. His lack of speed continues to be a liability covering even the slowest tight ends in the league.
Spencer Paysinger was the star for the Giants’ defense against the Chiefs. His presence against the run was largely responsible for the team’s ability to hold Charles to just 65 rushing yards. Paysinger was in on almost every play.
Keith Rivers and Jacquian Williams also saw some playing time and played okay, but didn’t do anything noteworthy.
Grade: C+
Secondary
Outside of cornerback Prince Amukamara, the Giants’ secondary was unforgettable. Unforgettable in that the Chiefs had no issue picking them apart en route to a 288-yard, three-touchdown day through the air.
Safety Antrel Rolle, who has been vocal about his team’s lack of emotion in recent weeks, was beat in coverage numerous times down the seams by backup tight end Sean McGrath. McGrath led all Chiefs with five receptions for 64 yards and beat Rolle for a five-yard touchdown on an in-route during the first quarter.
Cornerback Aaron Ross spent most of his afternoon covering the Chiefs’ best receiver, Dwayne Bowe. For the Giants, that was a mistake as Bowe exposed Ross’ poor coverage skills all game. He was also beaten by McGrath down the field.
Grade: C
Special Teams
The special teams started out strong thanks to a tipped punt by rookie Damontre Moore. The play provided the Giants with good field position and a much-needed boost of momentum.
Rueben Randle was strong in punt-return duty, averaging 8.8 yards per return. On kick returns, David Wilson had a nice 31-yard return that could’ve been better, but he didn’t think he could break it outside and ran into the coverage team instead.
Kicker Josh Brown continued his struggles kicking field goals, missing from 44 yards out. It was the second week in a row that he missed a field goal.
Punter Steve Weatherford’s flat punts came back to bite him again this week. Through the first four games, his punts have noticeably lacked some hang time and, as a result, the Chiefs’ Dexter McCluster was able to take one return 89 yards for the score.
Weatherford’s net average was 30.8 yards and McCluster’s touchdown was already the second against him this season.
Grade: C-
Louis Musto is a reporter and sports talk host for the Sports Journey Broadcast Network. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. All quotes were acquired first hand or via team press releases unless otherwise noted. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.