Tag: Alfred Morris

Giants’ Colt McCoy ready for another start if Daniel Jones can’t go

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones is expected to return in Week 14 but if he can’t, Colt McCoy is ready for a second start.

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Veteran quarterback Colt McCoy picked up the eighth win of his career and his first win in over five years in Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks.

McCoy had to make his first start with Big Blue due to a hamstring injury suffered by Daniel Jones against the Cincinnati Bengals. McCoy came into difficult role, playing almost 3,000 miles away against a top team in the NFC. However, through the adversity seasoned quarterback persevered and picked up a crucial win for the Giants.

It was McCoy’s first start in a year and he really enjoyed getting back on the field and picking up the victory.

“Yeah, that was fun. It had been a long road to get back out on the field. You never know when you’re going to get an opportunity to go play. I would like to tell you that I went home and enjoyed it and was happy,” McCoy told reporters on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, I was just thinking about some of the plays that I wish I could have back. But I think that’s always how it’s been. That’s how it’s always been for me.”

One play that the quarterback would definitely not want to have back was his touchdown pass to Alfred Morris. McCoy and Morris had played two years together in Washington and they had the luxury of reconnecting on Sunday. During this rekindling, the former Texas Longhorns quarterback had the privilege of tossing Morris with his first-ever touchdown reception.

“Yeah, how about that? I had no idea that was the case,” McCoy said. “He kind of double-caught it, too, I don’t know if he told you that. Alfred is a true pro. I had the pleasure of playing with him in Washington for a couple of years, and he looks just the exact same to me right now as he did in Washington.”

McCoy ended up finishing the game with a modest stat line of 105 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He did his job as a true game manager well and he may be called upon to fill this role once again in Week 14 if Jones is unable to play. Should Colt McCoy be called upon, he will be prepared.

“Again, I’m treating this just like I would any other week, and preparing and just getting ready to go. These guys are really good. They’re playing for a lot just like we are, so we have to be ready to go,” McCoy.

The Giants and McCoy both want their starting quarterback, Jones, healthy but if this is not the case McCoy will be ready.

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Cam Fleming, Andrew Thomas were highest-graded Giants in Week 13

Tackles Cam Fleming and Andrew Thomas led the New York Giants in PFF grades in Week 13.

The New York Giants shocked the football world in Week 13, upsetting the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks, 17-12, at Lumen Field.

The victory spoke volumes about head coach Joe Judge and where the Giants are headed, especially when you consider they pulled off the upset without running back Saquon Barkley or quarterback Daniel Jones.

That meant other players had to step up, and step up they did.

With Colt McCoy under center, the Giants’ offensive line had to piece together their best performance of the season. Mission accomplished. Right tackle Cam Fleming and left tackle Andrew Thomas earned the team’s two highest grades courtesy of Pro Football Focus, checking in at 87.5 and 87.1, respectively.

For both Fleming and Thomas, the grades represent their highest of the season. And for Thomas, it was far and away the highest grade of his career.

The two tackles were followed up by running back Alfred Morris (84.2), running back Wayne Gallman (79.2) and offensive lineman Will Hernandez (72.5).

Other offensive grades of note were McCoy (57.1), center Nick Gates (62.2) and tight end Evan Engram (68.4).

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Blake Martinez led the way with a grade of 81.3. Rookie linebacker Carter Coughlin was next up with a 73.6 followed by cornerback James Bradberry (72.2) and safety Logan Ryan (71.8).

Interestingly, despite their huge games, defensive lineman Leonard Williams and safety Jabrill Peppers did not crack the 70 mark, finishing the day with grades of 68.7 and 65.7, respectively.

The lowest-graded Giants in Week 13 were running back Dion Lewis (33.3), offensive lineman Shane Lemieux (42.3) and defensive lineman Austin Johnson (44.9).

Also of note, Lewis graded out almost unrealistically poor in pass protection. He was given a 2.5 (yes, a 2.5).

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6 takeaways from Giants’ Week 13 win over Seahawks

Here are six takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, which improved their record to 5-7.

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The New York Giants defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 17-12, on the road on Sunday in one of the biggest upsets of the 2020 NFL season.

Here are six takeaways from the Week 13 game.

Giants upset Seahawks: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. 

Upset alert! The New York Giants pulled off an incomparable upset on the road over the Seattle Seahawks to improve to 5-7 and squeeze a tighter hold on their division.

What’s even more impressive? They were without quarterback Daniel Jones (hamstring), which meant veteran Colt McCoy got the start and won his first game since October 27th, 2014.

After being shutout in the first half, the running game came alive and Patrick Graham’s defense pitched a near perfect performance yet again as the Giants became the first team in the NFC East to beat an opponent with a winning record this year.

With today’s win, the Giants have now won four games in a row for the first time since 2016.

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants Week 13 upset over the Seahawks.

Giants defeat Seahawks, 17-12: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 17-12 Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.

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The New York Giants headed into their Week 13 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks 10.5-point underdogs and given very little chance after it was announced that Daniel Jones (hamstring) would be inactive.

That put veteran backup Colt McCoy under center as a starter for just the eighth time since 2012, and the Giants’ defense on the spot. McCoy did what he could and the defense absolutely balled out. The special teams, unfortunately, let the Giants down again in what suddenly became a very winnable game, as most Giants games have been this season.

This one was more than winnable. The Giants looked like a first-place team as they stepped up and bit the NFC West leaders on the road with a 17-12 victory, their fourth in a row. The win ensures they will remain in first place in the NFC East for at least one more week as Philadelphia lost to Green Bay and Washington, who plays Pittsburgh on Monday, cannot pass them with a win.

One thing was never in jeopardy and that was the point spread. The Seahawks never had more than a five-point lead in the game. That is when they did have the lead.

The Seahawks opened the game with a nine-play drive that stalled inside the 20 after back-to-back defended passes by cornerback Isaac Yiadom and safety Jabrill Peppers. Seattle took an early 3-0 lead on a 31-yard field goal by Jason Myers.  The Giants responded with an unimpressive three-and-out then rookie linebacker Tae Crowder sacked Russell Wilson on third down to force a punt.

The Giants’ offense picked up the pace on their second possession driving down to the Seattle 16 on 11 plays but ended abruptly when McCoy’s pass to tight end Evan Engram slipped through Engram’s fingers as he was hit and into the hands of Seahawks cornerback Quandre Diggs, who returned it 32 yards to the Seattle 36.

After two teams traded punts, Giants rookie defensive end Niko Lalos recovered a Wilson fumble on third down on the Giants’ 48 with a little over six minutes remaining in the first half. The Giants could do nothing, went three and out and punted again.

Seattle scored before the half when Riley Dixon had a punt blocked in the end zone for a safety to give the Seahawks a 5-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Giants finally found their legs on offense so to speak. On their second possession in the third quarter, they drove 80 yards on four plays, buoyed by Wayne Gallman’s 60-yard scamper down the right sideline. to the Seahawks’ 17. Two plays later Alfred Morris scored his first NFL touchdown since 2018 to give the Giants a 6-5 lead. McCoy then lobbed a pass to Sterling Shepard for the two-point conversion and an 8-5 lead for Big Blue.

After the Giants stopped Wilson and the Seahawks on fourth down near midfield, the running game got rolling again. This time Gallman and Morris led the Giants on another scoring drive ending with McCoy hitting Morris for a six-yard touchdown to give the Giants a 14-5 lead. Graham Gano missed the PAT, his first miss of the season.

With 11:21 remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson threw the football into traffic and the ricochet landed in the arms of Giants rookie cornerback Darnay Holmes at the Seahawks’ 39. Four plays later, Gano’s 48-yard field goal extended the Giants’ lead to 17-5 with just under ten minutes to play.

Seattle bounced back with 6:09 remaining when Wilson hit running back Chris Carson for a 28-yard scoring strike to narrow the score to 17-12. The Seahawks would get one last shot to win the game when the Giants punted with 1:48 remaining. The defense once again made stand to preserve the lead and the win. From front to back they played lights out in this game.

Notes

  • Seattle was 5-0 this season at home and had been averaging 31.0 points per game through the first 12 weeks, which was third in the NFL. They were fifth in yards per game (391). Seattle fell short all of those averages, scoring only 12 points and gaining just 327 total yards in this game
  • The Giants entered the game averaging 142 yards per game on the ground over their last eight games. They racked up a season-high 190 yards against the Seahawks’ third-ranked rush defense.
  • Wilson started the day as the second-most sacked quarterback in the league  (35) and the Giants added to that total to 40 with five sacks, 2.5 by Leonard Williams.

Antonio Gibson’s hot start to his career puts him in some elite company

With 11 touchdowns through his first 11 games, Antonio Gibson is putting up numbers achieved only by Hall-of-Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, and Ezekiel Elliot.

LaDainian Tomlinson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Antonio Gibson.

Those are the only three players in NFL history to have more than 10 rushing touchdowns through the first 12 weeks of their rookie season. Pretty impressive, no?

When you consider the fact that Tomlinson, a Hall of Famer, was drafted No. 5 overall in the 2001 draft, and Elliott was taken No. 4 overall in 2016, I’d say that Washington’s rookie is outperforming expectations. Gibson was taken No. 66 overall in 2020; in the famous words of LeBron James, he ‘shouldn’t even be here.’

Except, the rookie has made it incredibly clear this season that he absolutely belongs in the NFL as a running back. There were questions about his viability coming out of college, with many wondering if he would be able to adapt to an RB role after playing with such position-fluidity at Memphis. He famously had a total of 33 carries (!) as an RB in college, but Washington trusted that they could complete the conversion.

Right they were. So far, through 11 games of his career, Gibson has 11 touchdowns — two shy of Alfred Morris’ franchise rookie record — to go along with 645 rushing yards, and 233 receiving yards. It’s clear that Washington found someone who can be their feature back for years to come, and with coach Ron Rivera’s recent comparisons between Gibson and the great Arian Foster, there’s a sense that the ceiling for this rookie is a bit unrealized at the moment. He continues to learn, he continues to grow, and he impresses us week after week.

We’ve yet to find a limit for what he can do, but at this point, we’re just going to enjoy every step of the ride.

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Giants defeat Eagles, 27-17: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 27-17 Week 10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium.

The New York Giants entered their Week 10 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles hoping they could break their skein against their hated rivals of 12 losses in 13 games since 2013.

They played an error-free game for the second week in a row and voila! — another win. They are now 3-7 on the season and right in the thick of the NFC East race, or crawl, if you will.

Daniel Jones had an 80-yard run that ended in a face plant inside the 10-yard-line in the last meeting. He wanted to right that wrong this time around and wasted no time in doing so. He kept the ball on an RPO and raced 34 yards to pay dirt to give the Giants a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening drive.

The Giants scored on their second possession, too — a 13-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown dive by running back Wayne Gallman.

The Giants took that 14-3 lead into the tunnel, buoyed by 111 yards rushing and a solid defensive effort. But that wouldn’t last long. Philly scored on the first possession of the second half when Giant killer Boston Scott ran 56 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles narrowed the Giants’ lead to three on Miles Sanders’ successful run on the ensuing two-point attempt.

No worries, however. Philadelphia’s defense couldn’t capitalize on the momentum as Jones drove the Giants 75 yards on six quick plays to extend the lead back to ten points. Wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate both made leaping grabs to push the Giants downfield. Gallman would then power his way in from one yard out for the score.

The Eagles came right back and scored on a 75-yard drive of their own but Leonard Williams snuffed out the two-point try by sacking Carson Wentz. A holding penalty on rookie left tackle Andrew Thomas canceled out another Jones touchdown run, forcing the Giants to settle for a field goal that made the score 24-17 midway through the fourth period.

Graham Gano’s 44-yard field goal with 3:06 remaining gave the Giants a 27-17 lead. The defense took over from there and the skein was finally broken.

Notes

  • Wide receiver Darius Slayton left the field during the Giants’ opening drive with a shoulder issue but returned in the second quarter. He ended up leading the Giants with five receptions for 93 yards, including a big 40-yarder in the fourth quarter.
  • Saquon who? The “thunder and lighting” (lol) combo of Gallman and Alfred Morris clicked again. Jones led the Giants with 64 yards rushing. The Giants rushed for 151 yards on 36 attempts. It was the sixth time in the last seven games they’ve rushed for over 100 yards.
  • Jones surpassed Fran Tarkenton’s single-season franchise mark for rushing by a quarterback (306 yards in 1967). Jones ended the game with 384 yards rushing for the season with six games remaining.
  • After the 34-yard run (per @NFLResearch), Jones was averaging 8.6 yards per carry this season. The only quarterback to average 8.6+ yards per carry over a full season in the history of the NFL was Tarkenton in 1962 (minimum 40 attempts).
  • Leonard Williams continues to play at a top level. He had five hits on Wentz in the game.

The NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9

Every week, there are players whose performances don’t get the praise they deserve. Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9.

Every NFL season features a certain number of players who come out of nowhere to surprise and entertain at a level we did not expect. Perhaps they’re veterans for whom everything finally clicks. Perhaps they’re rookies who show that the NFL curve can be navigated at a quicker pace by some more than others.

Whatever the circumstances, there were several players who either expanded their 2019 performances, or came into the NFL as first-year players in 2020 and showed that they didn’t need a preseason to ball out at a professional level.

Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 9.

Giants defeat Washington: Winners, losers and those in between

The New York Giants defeated the Washington Football Team in Week 9. Here are the winners, losers and those in between from this matchup.

How sweep* it is.

Although they made it interesting in the end, the New York Giants finished off their season series against the Washington Football Team with a 23-20 road victory.

The Giants picked up their second win of the season (both coming versus Washington) by forcing five takeaways and committing no turnovers on offense to improve to 2-7.

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the Giants’ Week 9 victory over Washington.

Giants defeat Washington, 23-20: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 23-20 Week 9 victory over the Washington Football Team at FedEx Field.

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The New York Giants came into their Week 9 showdown with the Washington Football Team looking to build on their strong performances over the past month, which included a 20-19 win over Washington in Week 6.

The point spread, favoring Washington, had dipped to 2.5 points down from 3.5 points earlier in the week in anticipation of the Giants continuing their four-game winning streak over the WFT. The over/under was astutely set at 43.5 points predicting another tight defensive game. The Giants won the first meeting on a fumble return for a touchdown by linebacker Tae Crowder.

This time around it looked like the Giants would waltz to an easy win, but that hasn’t been their modus operandi this season. Only one of their games has been decided by ten or more points.

The Giants had a commanding 20-3 lead at halftime and led 23-10 with a little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter. But like many of their games this season, the Giants could not seem to distance themselves from Washington, allowing the WFT to get back in the ballgame in the fourth quarter on a 68-yard catch and run by WFT wideout Terry McLaurin on a pass from Alex Smith.

The Giants’ secondary misses several tackles on the play, which narrowed the score to 23-20.

Smith relieved Kyle Allen, who left the game in the first half after getting leg-whipped (accidentally) by Giants’ safety Jabrill Peppers. Smith passed for 325 yards but threw two interceptions on the WFT’s final two drives — one to Peppers and the other to Logan Ryan.

With the 23-20 victory, the Giants improved to 2-7 but remained in last place in the NFC East. Daniel Jones (23/34, 212 yards passing, 1 TD 0 INT) did not turn the football over in this game. It is only the second time in his 22-game NFL career that he’s played a clean game. The other was last year’s win in Week 16 at Washington.

Jones is now 4-0 against Washington. Considering he only has five wins in his career (Tampa Bay is the other), that’s pretty amazing.

Notes

  • The Giants rushed for a season-high 166 yards, led by Wayne Gallman (68 yards) and Alfred Morris (67).
  • Tight end Evan Engram made a nice fingertip catch for a touchdown but dropped an easy first down in the third quarter and was called for a pick that led to a stalled crucial drive in the fourth quarter. His erratic play has to be inching him closer to the door after the season.
  • Rookie UDFA wide receiver Austin Mack filled in for the absent Golden Tate, who did not travel with the team. He had four grabs for 72 yards including a 50-yarder.
  • PK Graham Gano hit three more field goals (38, 48, and 42 yards) extending his consecutive streak to 18 kicks.
  • Ryan had another strong game with six total tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. Peppers also excelled with six total tackles, three passes defended, an interception, and fumble recovery.
  • Defensive tackle Leonard Williams recorded his team-leading fifth sack.

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