What we learned from PFF grades, snap counts for Giants vs. Commanders

Another day, another MetLife loss for the New York Giants. Not really, though, because the culprits were mostly different this time. Still, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Let’s see who was on the field and how they did in the eyes of Pro Football Focus.

Offense

PFF grades

• Tight end Chris Manhertz played only 16 snaps, but he scored a touchdown on only his second target of the year. That alone is memorable because Giants passing TDs at MetLife are an endangered species, but it was also only Manhertz’s third TD in a nine-year career, and as the picture above makes clear, it was a damn good catch. He also blocked well, his day job, on both passing and rushing downs. Put it all together and PFF graded him 93.9. It was TE day at MetLife, with Theo Johnson also making a beautiful catch for a 35-yard TD; his overall grade was only 67.4, though, because of another drop. The forgotten man, Daniel Bellinger, graded low overall because of poor run blocking but did well pass blocking; he wasn’t targeted but did play 14 snaps, his most in the past month.
• Daniel Jones statistically had his best game of the season (91.5), even though he had zero passing yards at the half. He received elite grades in both passing and rushing, and really he performed heroically, taking hits, willing himself into the end zone for a TD after being hit by two defenders, and passing for two others to lead a second half comeback. Jones was blitzed on 31% of his dropbacks, and although he graded 90.3 when kept clean, he was also above average even when pressured, including one of his two TD passes.
• It may be a surprise in a game in which the Giants almost exclusively ran the ball in the first half (and effectively so), but Tyrone Tracy graded slightly below average (55.1) and Devin Singletary only a bit better (63.2).
• Greg Van Roten had his third consecutive above average pass blocking game (77.1), allowing no pressures of any kind. The rest of the offensive line was below average. Overall the pass block scores weren’t awful: John Michael Schmitz (56.8, 1 hurry), Chris Hubbard (56.0, 1 sack, 1 hit, 1 hurry, but the sack was disastrous), Jermaine Eluemunor (51.5, 1 hit, 1 hurry), and Jon Runyan (46.8,2 hurries).
• Malik Nabers (72.0) led the wide receivers with nine catches in 10 targets but for only 59 yards. Darius Slayton (64.9) and Wan’Dale Robinson (58.6) were just OK, though Robinson was robbed of a TD by a ticky-tacky pass interference call on Slayton.

Snap counts

• As always, Jones and the offensive line starters played the entire game. Evan Neal did get one snap in a jumbo package.
• Nabers and Slayton played most of the snaps and Robinson about 70% of them, as the Giants went 11 personnel-heavy again though not as much as last week. Jalin Hyatt returned from his cracked rib and got four snaps, and even Ihmir Smith-Marsette saw the field on offense instead of just special teams.
• As always Theo Johnson played most tight end snaps, with Manhertz playing a few series. Bellinger also got a few series, more than he’d been seeing recently.
• Tracy continued to be the lead running back, with Devin Singletary only playing a few series.

Defense

PFF grades

Courtesy of Pro Football Focus

• The PFF defense grades sort of do and sort of don’t tell the story of the game. A number of the starters graded above average overall, but none rose to elite (> 80). The most telling stat line was for Washington QB Jayden Daniels, who was blitzed by Shane Bowen on 52% of dropbacks but had virtually the same (elite) PFF grade, completion rate, yards, and TDs when blitzed vs. not blitzed.
• Dexter Lawrence was above average (77.5) but had fairly little impact, with only a single hurry. The other IDLs were all barely average or below average.
• On the edge, the same can be said: Little impact. All of them average or below average. Daniels was never sacked, was only hit twice (by Azeez Ojulari), and was only hurried six times. Brian Burns did knock down one pass.
• Off-ball linebackers, same story: Bobby Okereke (71.9) was a bit above average, while Micah McFadden was average (62.2).
• The secondary is where things get puzzling. Tyler Nubin (41.7) had his second consecutive poor game, with three missed tackles and 70 receiving yards against on two completions in three targets, one a 28-yard play to Austin Ekeler and the other a 42-yarder to Olamide Zaccheaus. His 44 YAC was by far his highest of the season. On the other hand, Dru Phillips (74.7) graded above average overall. His grade was higher than Nubin’s because he only missed one tackle (but it was on the same play as one of Nubin’s), and because although receivers caught each of the five passes thrown his way, they totaled only 45 yards. Still, one of them came at 0:20 of the second quarter, a pass to Dyami Brown in the flat that he took for 24 yards to get the Commanders into scoring position. Which brings us to Deonte Banks. On the very next play, Banks let Terry McLaurin get past him when keeping the play in front of him and preventing him from reaching the end zone might have forced Washington to kick a field goal. Instead, Banks performed his patented follow-behind-the-receiver-but-don’t-put-a-hand-up-to-contest-the-catch defense to let McLaurin score just before the half, arguably the key play of the game. Banks later let McLaurin score again on a short goal line slant, though after the game Phillips took the blame, saying he was supposed to switch with Banks. How Banks wound up with only a 50.9 coverage downgrade from average, I’m not sure.

Snap counts

• In the secondary, Nubin and Banks played every snap, and Jason Pinnock and Cor-Dale Flott played most of them, while Dru Phillips saw the field about 75% of the time. Nick McCloud and Adoree’ Jackson were relegated to spot duty.
• Bobby Okereke played every snap but one and Micah McFadden about 80% of snaps, with Isaiah Simmons only playing a cameo role.
• On the edge, Azeez Ojulari and Brian Burns were on the field for most plays, but were spelled occasionally by Tomon Fox.
• In the interior, Dexter Lawrence and Rakeem Nunez-Roches played about 80% of snaps. Behind them, Armon Watts slightly got the nod over Isaiah Chatman, but D.J. Davidson played more than either of them.