The John Harbaugh era for the New York Giants kicked off with a bang last night, taking down the division rival Dallas Cowboys 28-20 in a seriously loud MetLife Stadium. While everyone’s still buzzing about the win, the PFF grades just arrived, and some of them will have you scratching your head.
QB Play Under the Microscope
Seriously, can you believe this? Quarterback Jaxson Dart went 23 of 29 for 230 yards, threw for 3 TDs, and had ZERO interceptions, rocking a 134.2 NFL passer rating. Any team would take that, right? Yet PFF slapped him with a 65.8 grade, labeling it “average.” What gives? PFF’s all about degree of difficulty and ball security. They dinged Dart for two “turnover-worthy plays,” which in their book are as bad as an actual pick. Plus, he didn’t have any “big-time” throws. He only lobbed three balls beyond 20 yards, completing one. PFF values those deep, accurate strikes, and Dart wasn’t delivering. He did what was needed to win, for sure, but to really hurt defenses consistently, he’s gotta show that deep threat. When clean, he was amazing, 19 of 22 with all three TDs. But under pressure? He went 4 of 7 for 57 yards, and both TWPs came under heat.
O-Line & Receiving , The Good, The Bad, and The Uneven
The big boys up front had a wild night. The starting offensive line played every snap, didn’t commit a penalty, and allowed zero sacks! You’d think stellar, but PFF saw uneven individual performances. Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and rookie right guard Sisi Mauigoa, in his first NFL game, had clean pass blocking outings. Andrew Thomas played below his usual high standards, allowing two hurries. The “weak links,” John Michael Schmitz and Jon Runyan Jr., were exactly that again with two hurries for Schmitz and two QB hits plus a hurry for Runyan. And run blocking? Uneven. Thomas was dominant, Eluemunor fine, but Schmitz, Runyan Jr., and Mauigoa had a rough go in his run blocking debut. Shoutout to Malachi Fields who put in some serious work with a nice job on 29 run blocking snaps. Over in receiving, tight end Isaiah Likely was the absolute man, snagging all eight balls thrown his way for a great 82.8 grade, including two TDs and two contested catches. He quickly became Dart’s go-to target, even taking 17 slot snaps. His only real blemish was a fumble. Malik Nabers also had a strong return with a 73.0 grade, catching 6 of 9 targets, and Devin Singletary pulled in a 71.7 grade, “keeping catching” everything.
So, the Giants got a massive W to kick off the Harbaugh era, and that’s what truly matters. But these PFF grades are a loud whisper about what needs to improve. Dart’s gotta prove he can air it out deep consistently, and the interior O-line needs to tighten up. It’s super early in the season, and every game is a fresh chance to adjust. Can they clean up those hidden “turnover-worthy” plays and find more consistency across the board next week? You bet we’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply