Tag: Matt Skura

Xavier McKinney, Dexter Lawrence were highest-graded Giants in Week 9

New York Giants FS Xavier McKinney and DL Dexter Lawrence earned the team’s highest PFF grades in Week 9. The lowest grade will shock you.

The New York Giants defense came up big in Week 9, holding the Las Vegas Raiders to just 16 points while scoring seven of their own. And in the end, it was the defense that sealed the team’s third victory of the season.

The star of the show was safety Xavier McKinney, who recorded seven tackles, two interceptions and one touchdown. Unsurprisingly, he was the Giants’ highest-graded player on Sunday.

In fact, McKinney’s PFF grade of 94.5 was the highest grade of any defender in the NFL on Sunday.

Just behind McKinney on defense were lineman Dexter Lawrence (88.8), linebacker Quincy Roche (75.0) and lineman Leonard Williams (73.3).

Other notable defensive grades include safety Julian Love (70.8), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (63.0) and nose tackle Danny Shelton (39.7).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were cornerback James Bradberry (37.2) and linebacker Tae Crowder (31.9).

Offensively, tight end Kyle Rudolph led the way for the Giants, earning an overall PFF grade of 81.0. Just behind him were running back Devontae Booker (68.4), wide receiver Kenny Golladay (68.0) and left tackle Matt Peart (66.6).

Other notable offensive grades include quarterback Daniel Jones (65.2), tight end Evan Engram (65.0) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (52.9).

The lowest-graded Giants on offensive were guards Matt Skura (51.0) and Will Hernandez (46.8).

Hernandez grading out so low is puzzling.

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Giants defeat Raiders: Winners, losers and those in between

Here are the winners, losers and those in between from the New York Giants’ Week 9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The New York Giants managed to win a slugfest on Sunday, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, 23-16, in a defensive battle that went down to the wire.

In the end, Patrick Graham’s defense did what Jason Garrett’s offense could not do, putting the final nail in the Raiders’ coffin with a sack-fumble by rookie Quincy Roche.

With the win, the Giants improve to 3-6 on the season and will be able to enjoy their bye week significantly more now.

Here’s a quick look at the winners and losers (and those in between) from Week 9.

Giants injury report: Kenny Golladay returns to practice, eight sit out

The New York Giants welcomed WR Kenny Golladay back to practice on Thursday, but eight did not participate – some due to COVID-19 protocols.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field on Thursday under some unusual circumstances.

On Tuesday through Wednesday, the Giants had in excess of 13 positive COVID-19 tests. However, they quickly determined many (see: most) were false positives and that an error had occurred.

The team paused rapid testing, re-tested the entire organization, canceled in-person press conferences and pushed the team’s entire schedule back. When they did finally take the field in East Rutherford, many were absent.

Due to the continued testing, several Giants did not participate in practice due to COVID-19 protocols. Others, including wide receiver John Ross, were added to the injury report for other reasons.

On the positive side of things, wide receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) returned to practice on a limited basis. He has an outside shot to play in Week 9.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: RB Saquon Barkley (ankle/COVID protocol), RB Gary Brightwell (COVID protocol), LB Lorenzo Carter (ankle), DB Nate Ebner (ankle), DB Xavier McKinney (COVID protocol), WR Dante Pettis (shoulder), TE Kyle Rudolph (personal), WR Sterling Shepard (quad)

Limited participant: WR Kenny Golladay (knee), WR John Ross (quad), TE Kaden Smith (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (thumb)

Full participant: OL Matt Skura (cleared COVID protocol)

Giants pause RMT COVID-19 testing after unusual number of false positives

The New York Giants have temporarily paused the Rapid Mesa Test for COVID-19 after an “unusually high number” of false positives.

The New York Giants had a COVID-19 scare earlier this week with 13 members of the organization testing positive on Tuesday. There were additional positive tests on Wednesday.

However, 12 of the 13 who tested positive on Tuesday re-tested negative on Wednesday. Only running backs coach Burton Burns tested positive twice and was promptly isolated from the team.

Three players — running back Saquon Barkley, safety Xavier McKinney and guard Matt Skura — missed practice due to COVID-19 protocols. Barkley and McKinney were later placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

On Thursday morning, the Giants pushed back their entire schedule and canceled all in-person press conferences, instead opting to conduct them virtually. That indicated more positive tests possible sprung up.

However, the Giants announced on Thursday afternoon that they have paused the use of the Rapid Mesa Test and instead will only use PCR tests following an “unusually high number” of false positives.

“As a precautionary measure, we canceled in-facility meetings for players this morning and closed our office to non-football staff. Football meetings are being conducted virtually. Players, unless their test results are still being assessed under COVID protocols, will return this afternoon for practice,” the team said in a statement.

“Bio-Reference Laboratories (BRL) is experiencing an unusually high number of false positives using the Rapid Mesa Test at our facility. With the exception of one individual, all of the positive Mesa test results over the last two days have come back negative through PCR testing. The laboratory is working with experts to determine the source of the problem.

“The NFL and BRL are monitoring this situation closely. We are temporarily halting the use of the Rapid Mesa Test and administering PCR tests only.”

The Giants did not clarify who the “one individual” was who continues to test positive, but it can only be one of Burns, Barkley or McKinney. And among the three, it is known that Barkley is fully vaccinated. The status of the other two is unclear.

Giants injury report: Saquon Barkley, seven others miss practice

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley and two others missed practice over COVID-19 protocols; eight in total. Two others were limited.

The New York Giants returned to the practice field in East Rutherford on Wednesday but did so without 10 players.

Three of those players — running back Saquon Barkley, guard Matt Skura and safety Xavier McKinney — missed practice due to COVID-19 protocols. All three tested positive for the virus and are awaiting long-testing results.

They join running backs coach Burton Burns, who also tested positive and will miss Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Barkley, Skura and McKinney, if fully vaccinated (Barkley is), will need to test negative twice over a 24-hour span and show no symptoms in order to be able to play on Sunday.

The Giants’ full Wednesday injury report can be found below (projected due to practice being a walkthrough):

Did not participate: RB Saquon Barkley (ankle/COVID protocol), LB Lorenzo Carter (ankle), DB Nate Ebner (ankle), WR Kenny Golladay (knee), FS Xavier McKinney (COVID protocol), WR Dante Pettis (shoulder), WR Sterling Shepard (quad), OL Matt Skura (COVID protocol)

Limited participant: TE Kaden Smith (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (thumb)

Full participant: N/A

 

John Ross, Logan Ryan were highest-graded Giants in Week 8

WR John Ross and S Logan Ryan earned the New York Giants’ highest offensive and defensive grades in a Week 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The New York Giants whiffed on an upset bid on Monday night, falling the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 20-17. They were undone by poor clock management, untimely penalties and back-breaking mistakes.

But there were some positives (if you care to hear about them), especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Safety and team captain, Logan Ryan, had his best game of the season and it was reflected in the Pro Football Focus grades. Ryan earned a unit-high grade of 79.2 (min. 15 snaps).

Just behind Ryan were cornerbacks James Bradberry (78.5) and Adoree’ Jackson (78.4), and safety Julian Love (69.1).

Other notable defensive grades include cornerback Darnay Holmes (66.0), defensive lineman Leonard Williams (60.7) and linebacker Oshane Ximines (52.7).

The lowest-graded Giants defenders were linebacker Tae Crowder (26.5) and Benardrick McKinney (23.9).

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver John Ross was the top dog with his grade of (90.3). Checking in just below Ross were tight end Kyle Rudolph (76.4), left guard Matt Skura (73.3) and, somehow, center Billy Price (71.1).

Other noteworthy offensive grades include left tackle Matt Peart (68.1), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (60.2), running back Devontae Booker (55.8) and quarterback Daniel Jones (47.3).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were right guard Will Hernandez (41.8) and tight end Kaden Smith (39.5).

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Giants injury report: Daniel Jones and 10 others limited, 3 DNP

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones and 10 other players were limited on Thursday, three more did not participate in practice.

The New York Giants were back on the practice field on Thursday and the good news is that quarterback Daniel Jones took another step forward in his return from a concussion.

Jones participated with a red jersey (non-contact) and appeared to be relatively healthy. Of course, concussions are fickle and the healing process is not linear.

Although practicing with non-contact indicates Jones has entered Phase 4 of his recovery, he will still need to be cleared by a third-party neurologist before getting a green light on Sunday.

The news was not nearly as positive for left tackle Andrew Thomas (foot), who appeared limited at best. Matt Peart took snaps at left tackle, while Nate Solder took the snaps at right tackle.

The Giants’ full Thursday injury report can be found below:

Did not participate: RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), WR Kenny Golladay (knee), CB Rodarius Williams (knee)

Limited participant: QB Daniel Jones (concussion), OL Ben Bredeson (hand), S Nate Ebner (quad), LB Justin Hilliard (ankle), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), S Logan Ryan (hip), WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring), OL Matt Skura (knee), WR Darius Slayton (hamstring), OL Andrew Thomas (foot), WR Kadarius Toney (ankle)

Full participant: N/A

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Giants injury report: Daniel Jones, Kenny Golladay sit out

New York Giants QB Daniel Jones (concussion) and WR Kenny Golladay (knee) were among several who did not practice on Wednesday (projected).

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Wednesday and expectations were that the injury list would be sizable. Almost painfully populated, in fact.

It was.

But there was one interesting development. While head coach Joe Judge held his daily press conference and stated Daniel Jones remains in concussion protocol, Jones took the field in pads and was seen tossing the ball around.

Some lines were crossed somewhere, and Judge did not appear happy.

Meanwhile, Judge also said that wide receiver Kenny Golladay and running back Saquon Barkley would not practice. The good news is that wide receiver Kadarius Toney did participate.

Finally, linebacker Cam Brown was designated to return to practice.

The Giants’ full Wednesday injury report can be found below (projected due to practice being a walkthrough):

Did not participate: QB Daniel Jones (concussion), RB Saquon Barkley (ankle), WR Kenny Golladay (knee), OT Andrew Thomas (foot) and G Matt Skura (knee), CB Rodarius Williams (knee)

Limited participant: WR Kadarius Toney (ankle), WR Sterling Shepard (hamstring), WR Darius Slayton (hamstring), S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), S Logan Ryan (hip), G Ben Bredeson (hand), S Nate Ebner (quad)

Full participant: N/A

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Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas were highest-graded Giants in Week 4

QB Daniel Jones and LT Andrew Thomas were the highest graded New York Giants in a Week 4 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

The New York Giants picked up their first victory of the 2021 season on Sunday, coming back from a fourth quarter deficit before winning in overtime.

The comeback was led by quarterback Daniel Jones, who, unsurprisingly, was the highest-graded Giant on the day, earning an 84.6 from Pro Football Focus.

Right behind Jones was the team’s second-highest graded player, left tackle Andrew Thomas, who earned a 79.9. He was followed by wide receiver Kenny Golladay (77.7).

Other notable offensive grades include wide receiver John Ross (76.4), running back Saquon Barkley (65.8), left guard Matt Skura (61.0) and right tackle Nate Solder (55.0).

The lowest-graded Giants on offense were tight ends Evan Engram (43.8) and Kaden Smith (35.9).

On the defensive side of the ball, lineman Leonard Williams led the way with a 74.2.

Just behind Williams were defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence (71.3) and Austin Johnson (61.6), and cornerback James Bradberry (61.2). That’s with a 40-snap minimum.

Other notable defensive grades include rookie edge rusher Azeez Ojulari (55.2), cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (53.8) and safety Logan Ryan (44.5).

The lowest-graded Giants on defense were safety Julian Love (34.0) and linebacker Tae Crowder (31.0).

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Giants vs. Saints: 4 biggest storylines for Week 4

The New York Giants face the New Orleans Saints in Week 4. Here are the four biggest storylines to follow for this contest.

The New York Giants (0-3) head down to New Orleans to face the Saints (2-1) in a matchup of NFC hopefuls this Sunday afternoon.

Here are four storylines to follow in Week 4.