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The New York Giants were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams, 17-9, in what turned out to be an unexpected defensive battle in Week 4.
The Giants had a shot to tie the game with under 1:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, but second-year quarterback Daniel Jones tossed a game-sealing interception instead.
With the loss, the Giants fell to 0-4 on the season, but there are reasons for optimism despite what some would have you believe.
Linebacker Blake Martinez, who signed with the team as a free agent in March, is certainly one of those. He’s been the team’s highest-graded defender in three of their first four games, including this past Sunday when he earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 77.4.
If you were to lower the snap count threshold however, Martinez would have checked in second on defense. Defensive lineman Austin Johnson took just 13 snaps on Sunday, but maximized each, recording two tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. On the day, he earned an overall grade of 93.1.
Leonard Williams, Markus Golden, Kyler Fackrell and James Bradberry also each graded out above 71.0.
On the offensive side of the ball, right tackle Cam Fleming led the way for the Giants, earning a surprising grade of 74.8. He was the only Giant on offense to grade out above 70.0.
Wide receiver Damion Ratley earned the second-highest offensive grade with a 66.5, while Jones checked in with a 60.7 (73.3 rushing grade, which led the team).
The two lowest grades on the team went to linebacker Devante Downs (45.1, including a 28.7 tackling grade) and linebacker Lorenzo Carter (47.8). The lowest offensive grade belonged to wide receiver C.J. Board (48.2).