Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are six takeaways from the New York Giants’ Week 15 loss to the Cleveland Browns, which dropped their record to 5-9.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=771ZY4XlWn-1079868-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The New York Giants fell to 5-9 on the season with their depressing 20-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday Night Football and their season is on the brink of collapse.
Here are six takeaways from Week 15.
The New York Giants had an opportunity to regain the NFC East lead, but instead, fell to the Cleveland Browns, 20-6.
The New York Giants took the field on Sunday night with an opportunity to regain the lead in the NFC East. The only thing standing in their way? The Cleveland Browns.
Without offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, quarterback Daniel Jones and cornerback James Bradberry, the odds were certainly stacked against New York. And as a result, they were uncharacteristically aggressive.
Unfortunately for Joe Judge & Co., that aggressiveness did not pay off on offense, while the conservative approach on defense basically allowed quarterback Baker Mayfield to have his way with things.
The good news? The Giants are just one game back in the division and will play a meaningful Week 16 game. Who saw that coming in September?
Cornerback James Bradberry was the only members of the New York Giants to earn a spot on the Pro Football Focus Pro Bowl roster.
[jwplayer RqVahnVr-ThvAeFxT]
With Pro Bowl coming to a close, there a few players on the New York Giants who have stood out this year and deserve at the very least some consideration.
Pro Football Focus released their Pro Bowl rosters this week and cornerback James Bradberry was the only Giant selected.
Bradberry has never made the Pro Bowl before and has certainly shined in his first year with Big Blue. While PFF grades are the sole selecting tool behind their roster selections, it’s a little surprising that no other players from the Giants made the list.
Blake Martinez is currently tied for sixth in the NFL with 118 combined tackles and has been a real difference-maker in his first year with the Giants.
Logan Ryan, who may not have been on the roster if rookie Xavier McKinney didn’t get injured, has been another player who has been a real gem for the Giants’ defense. Many now question why he was still available into September when Big Blue signed him.
Entering the week, Ryan led all NFC free safeties in Pro Bowl voting.
Leonard Williams has also had a very strong 2020 campaign, racking up 8.5 sacks to lead the Giants. Williams has silenced many of Dave Gettleman’s critics who believe trading for defensive lineman was a mistake.
Lastly, Graham Gano has been everything the Giants have asked for and more. He has made 26 of 27 field goals this year and ranks near the league lead for field goal percentage.
The Giants, of course, sent Aldrick Rosas to the Pro Bowl in 2018 but due to a down season in 2019 and legal troubles this past offseason, the Giants moved on, signed Gano and haven’t looked back.
With fan voting concluded as of Thursday, December 17, the actual Pro Bowl rosters should be announced in the coming days. The Giants have been lacking Pro Bowl talent in recent memory but this year there are plenty who should be considered.
While there will not actually be a physical Pro Bowl this year, it would still be a tremendous honor for those who get selected. Instead, the game will be a virtual event on EA Sports’ Madden video game.
Hopefully we see more players from the Giants once the Pro Bowl rosters are announced.
[lawrence-related id=661688,661659,661655]
New York Giants DL Leonard Williams has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant Week 13 performance.
The career resurgence of defensive lineman Leonard Williams continued in Week 13 as he recorded 2.5 sacks and five QB hits in the New York Giants’ upset of the Seattle Seahawks.
Williams’ 2.5 sacks gives him a career-high 8.5 on the season and was enough to win the Giants Wire Player of the Game.
But the recognition didn’t end there for Williams. On Wednesday morning, the NFL named him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his remarkable performance.
“That guy is a man, man,” head coach Joe Judge said of Williams after the game. “That dude is a man. There are things about Leo that you may not know by not being in the locker room with him. First off, this guy is a pleasure to be around. This guy smiles all the time. He’s a great teammate, he’s very coachable. You give him something to work on, he’s going to work as hard as he can to master it. He gives us a lot of versatility on the defense because of his skillset.
“And this dude is just a guy that when you see him in your locker room before the game, he makes you feel a little bit better. Obviously, there’s statistics on the field that you see, what you don’t see is what kind of guy he is to coach, what kind of teammate he is away from it. That’s as important if not more important than all the statistics you see on the sheets. This guy helps everyone else raise their level of preparation and play.”
Williams is the first Giants defender to win NFC Defensive Player of the Week since cornerback Janoris Jenkins did it in Week 4 of the 2019 season. He is also the first Giants defensive lineman to earn the honor since Jason Pierre-Paul did it in Week 12 of the 2016 season.
Kicker Graham Gano is the only other Giant to receive a Player of the Week honor this season, winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week following a Week 9 contest against the Washington Football Team.
[lawrence-related id=661128,661126,661111]
The New York Giants defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 17-12, in Week 13 and here’s some of what we learned from that win.
The New York Giants advanced to 5-7 on the season and solidified their hold on the NFC East lead with a surprising 17-12 upset of the NFC West-leading Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday.
Here is what we learned 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).
[vertical-gallery id=660962]
Whose stock is up and whose is down following the New York Giants’ victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13?
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=A6Vg5XM7ck-1062576-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The New York Giants went into Seattle on Sunday an 11-point underdog and were not given a chance by many to defeat the Seahawks.
It’s a good thing the Giants didn’t listen to any of the experts. They not only took the fight to Seattle, but they left town with one of the biggest upsets of the season, picking up their fourth straight win with an impressive 17-12 victory.
In the span of a month, the Giants went from being a 1-7 team that was looking at a top 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to a team that is now 5-7 and holds first place in the NFC East for at least another week and maybe even longer now.
Before the Giants tangle with another opponent in then NFC West next week — the Arizona Cardinals — whose stock was up and down for the Giants in their impressive upset over Seattle?
The New York Giants defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 and DL Leonard Williams earns our Player of the Game.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=VgFClYHN4d-1062597-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
The New York Giants stormed into Washington on Sunday afternoon and beat the brakes off the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks.
The final score of 17-12 does not accurately represent just how physically dominating the Giants were in Week 13, especially on the defensive side of the ball where they completely manhandled Russell Wilson and the high-powered Hawks.
Up and down, side-to-side, the Giants defense played like a team of All-Pros. James Bradberry, Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers, Blake Martinez, Carter Coughlin, Cam Brown, Niko Lalos and so many more deserve a tip of the cap.
In the end, however, it’s veteran defensive lineman Leonard Williams who shined the brightest for the second week in a row.
Williams finished the game with three tackles (two for a loss), five QB hits, and 2.5 sacks.
“That’s a man, man. That dude is a man,” head coach Joe Judge said after the game.
Williams didn’t just dominate the game, he dominated in the biggest and most important spots. On a third-and-10 with under 1:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, Williams split a double-team block on a stunt to the inside and brought quarterback Russell Wilson down.
Yes, Seattle still had a play to run, but the game ended with that sack.
Leonard Williams called GAME. The New York Football Giants just beat the Seattle Seahawks. pic.twitter.com/ROfY0gkrmb
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) December 7, 2020
Remember when general manager Dave Gettleman caught heat for acquiring Williams from the Jets? Pepperidge Farm remembers.
[lawrence-related id=660899,660848]
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.
Instant analysis of the New York Giants’ 17-12 Week 13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=A6Vg5XM7ck-1062576-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on
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.
