Tag: los angeles rams

Brian Daboll should have vetoed ill-advised call

Grading the Giants’ 26-25 home loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Offense

The good, the bad and the ugly all wrapped up in one game for Tyrod Taylor (27 of 41, 319 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Some huge plays — a 31-yard run in the closing minute was excellent — but too much indecision on botched 2-point conversion flip way behind Saquon Barkley. Taylor’s 80-yard bomb to Darius Slayton (4-106) was in the air a long, long time. Taylor on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter mishandled the snap for a fumble.

As for Barkley (12-39 rushing, 3-19 receiving) it was a rough outing.

What’s with the dropped passes? Rookie Jalin Hyatt failed to haul in a deep pass on the first series but broke free on the sideline for an 18-yard completion on the first TD drive. Wan’Dale Robinson scored on a 24-yard jet sweep. TE Daniel Bellinger was called for a hold late in the first quarter, his fifth penalty of the season. His sixth, a holding call in the fourth quarter, negated a 47-yard completion to Hyatt. Rough stuff.

Ben Bredeson had a costly holding penalty in the fourth quarter. A holding penalty by rookie C John Michael Schmitz took back a 15-yard gain by Taylor. Only 5 of 16 on third down conversions.

Grade: C


It was a rough day on Sunday for Saquon Barkley. Robert Sabo for NY Post

Defense

At times, it seemed as if Matthew Stafford (24 of 34, 317, 1 TD, 2 INTs) was marching up and down the field. Really bad job of tackling by Adoree’ Jackson on what turned into an 80-yard gain by Puka Nacua. CB Cor’Dale Flott was called for holding in the fourth quarter to give the Rams a first down.

Work against the run (23-105) was mostly solid, but Kyren Williams (20-87) ran for three TDs. Nacua (5-118) did damage, as did Demarcus Robinson (6-92), but Cooper Kupp (4-27) was held in check.

Big game for S Dane Belton, filling in after Jason Pinnock was lost to injury. Belton, always around the ball, had two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Jackson forced a fumble on Robinson.

Bobby Okereke had 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Isaiah Simmons had a big third-down sack. Kayvon Thibodeaux (no sacks, no quarterback hits) was quiet again.

Grade: C+

Special Teams

This gets complicated. Gunner Olszewski had a brilliant escape job on his 94-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. He also misplayed a third quarter punt that sailed over his head, hesitating to run after the ball and then getting tripped up for a 3-yard loss, handing Ethan Evans a 70-yard punt.

Good and bad. Mason Crosby hit field goals of 31 and 32 yards but came up way short on a 54-yarder with 30 seconds left to put the Giants into the lead. The 39-year old Crosby also was wide right on an extra point try in the third quarter.


Giants coach Brian Daboll on the sidelines against the Rams.
Giants coach Brian Daboll on the sidelines against the Rams. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

Darnay Holmes was called for a holding penalty on the final punt return. Jamie Gillan showed nice touch on a 39-yard punt that put the Rams back on their 12-yard line.

Grade: C

Coaching

Brian Daboll does not call the plays on offense but he has veto power, so why didn’t he overrule the ill-advised draw play to Barkley that lost two yards before the final field goal miss? That is a game-deciding moment, there.

Daboll won a replay challenge that wiped out a 15-yard completion on the opening Rams series. Two plays later, Daboll won an even bigger replay challenge on what turned out to be a non-catch by Nacua on fourth down.

It looked as if Wink Martindale brought more heat in the second half as the Giants picked up three of their four sacks.

Grade: C

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Giants can’t overcome self-inflicted wounds, fall to Rams, 26-25

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With rookie cornerback Deonte Banks (shoulder) out, Nick McCloud got the start.

Saquon Barkley went into the medical tent in the second quarter but returned the following possession.

Right tackle Tyre Phillips injured his left leg in the first series of the game and left the field to be evaluated. He was replaced by Matt Peart and returned on the Giants’ next possession. Phillips was knocked out of the game for good with a knee injury in the second half.

Safety Jason Pinnock limped off the field in the first quarter with an ankle injury and headed toward the locker room. Dane Belton came in for him. Pinnock was ruled out for the rest of the game in the second quarter.

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New York Giants fall to Los Angeles Rams, 26-25: Here’s how X reacted

The New York Giants hosted the Los Angeles Rams in their Week 17 matchup as the end of the season inches closer.

The Giants turned to Tyrod Taylor with hopes of ending to their two-game losing streak against one of the hottest teams in the NFL with the Rams winning five of their last six games.

In a back-and-forth game, the Giants were able to keep pace with the Rams thanks to three takeaways (two interceptions, one fumble recovery) by Dane Belton.

Unfortunately, this was yet another game where the Giants beat themselves with dropped passes, missed throws, a missed extra point and field goal, and a number of crucial holding penalties that negated big plays.

The Giants dropped to 5-11 heading into the final week of the season with many looking ahead to the 2024 NFL draft.

Here is how X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to the loss.
















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New York Giants vs. Rams Week 17 inactives: Who’s in, who’s out?

The New York Giants (5-10) and Los Angeles Rams (8-7) square off on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in Week 17.

Both teams have officially announced their inactives for the game. Below is a full list:

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union

  • CB Deonte Banks (shoulder)
  • WR Parris Campbell
  • S Gervarrius Owens
  • LB Benton Whitley
  • OL Sean Harlow
  • WR Dennis Houston
  • DT Timmy Horne

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

  • CB Tre Tomlinson (hamstring)
  • OL Alaric Jackson (thigh)
  • RB Zach Evans
  • LB Ochaun Mathis
  • DL Earnest Brown IV

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5 biggest storylines for Week 17

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants are abandoning the Tommy DeVito experiment — for now. Head coach Brian Daboll announced that Tyrod Taylor would be taking over the starting job after he added some much-needed spark during last week’s loss to the Eagles.

“He’s, to start with, a really good person,” Daboll told reporters on Friday. “Obviously, he’s been through a lot in his career, his 13 years in the NFL. He’s the model of a true professional, how he takes care of himself, how he prepares, how he is with his teammates. That’s why he’s been in the league for so long.

“So, I think all the stuff that he does, whether it’s (being) in really early, lifting in the weight room, how he is in the meetings, how he is with guys in the huddle, it’s kind of been built over the years, but I really think that’s who he is as a person and how he was raised. Incredible human being.”

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New York Giants are down to 5.5-point underdogs vs. Rams in Week 17

The New York Giants (5-10)  are currently 5.5-point underdogs for their Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams (8-7) at MetLife Stadium this coming Sunday afternoon.

That is down a full point from the beginning of the week.

The over/under, which opened at 42.0 total points, has risen slightly to 43.5. The money line is currently Rams -250, Giants +200 as per BetMGM.

The Giants are coming off their second consecutive loss after a three-game winning streak. They fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles, 33-25, at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday.

The Giants are currently ranked 13th in the NFC in have been eliminated from the playoff picture.

The Rams, who began the season with a 3-6 record, have won five of their last six games, including a 30-22 victory over the New Orleans Saints this past Thursday night.

The Rams currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC, which would qualify them to play in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs.

Both teams have been true when it comes to the point spread this season. The Giants are 5-10 and the Rams are 8-7.

10 of the Giants’ 15 games have gone under this season while eight of the Ramss’ games have gone over.

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Matthew Stafford the latest opposing player to praise Wink Martindale

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has spent his entire coaching career on the defensive side of the ball. Beginning with coaching college at Defiance in 1986 to his current position under Brian Daboll, he knows the ins and outs of how to make a defense work.

Maybe we haven’t seen that as much in New York as we’d like, but he’s had a lot of youth under him the last two seasons. That’s not an excuse, it is a fact. We have seen glimpses of what this defense is capable of this season, but the consistency isn’t there yet.

Still, Martindale is a formidable opponent. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford even went so far as to say that Wink is “as challenging a coordinator as there is to go against.”

Stafford is a 15-year veteran quarterback who spent 12 years trying to revive a failing Detroit Lions organization before being traded to the Rams after the 2021 season. Since joining the Rams, Stafford has elevated the level of play on the field and led the team to a Super Bowl victory in his first season there. It was the Rams’ second-ever Super Bowl win.

There’s been a lot of drama around Wink and Daboll this season — do they get along or not, are they on the same page, etc? But the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter if they get along and it doesn’t matter if they like each other. What matters is their ability to work together. That’s been shaky at times this season, but it doesn’t mean they are ready to part ways.

The Giants are in for a lot of changes this offseason, but front-office consistency matters. Consistent coaching schemes matter. There are a lot of reasons this season went the way it did, but right now the focus is on the Rams and shutting down Stafford & Co.

It won’t be an easy task, but maybe this ‘challenging’ coordinator has something up his sleeve for Sunday.

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New York Giants’ Deonte Banks, Wan’Dale Robinson questionable vs. Rams

The New York Giants closed out their practice slate on Friday afternoon, wrapping up their third session (one being a walkthrough) in three days.

Once again, head coach Brian Daboll said that everyone would practice even though that has not been the case this week. This time, however, he was correct.

“Everybody will practice, then we’ll see where we’re at after practice,” he told reporters.

Considering how many injuries were listed this week, the Giants provided a relatively short final report.

Full injury reports for both the Giants and Rams can be found below:

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Out: N/A

Doubtful: TE Lawrence Cager (groin)

Questionable: CB Deonte Banks (shoulder), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (quad)

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Out: CB Tre Tomlinson (hamstring)

Doubtful: N/A

Questionable: WR Puka Nacua (hip), LB Ernest Jones (illness), OL Joe Noteboom (foot)

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New York Giants DC Wink Martindale offers up his NFL MVP prediction

The 2023 NFL regular season will come to a close in less than two weeks and the postseason will commence. In February, the league will then determine the winners of their various awards, including the honor of Most Valuable Player.

There have been several standouts this season but New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has it narrowed down to two — one of whom he will face this coming Sunday.

“I think that (Matthew) Stafford is playing at a Hall of Fame-type level,” Martindale told reporters on Thursday. “He’s a great football player, but I think that he and (Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson) should be up for the MVP candidate.”

As of right now, the Ravens lead the AFC and have already clinched a playoff berth. Unless something drastic happens, they’ll likely be the top seed in the conference and secure a Wild Card Week bye. Jackson is a dual-threat quarterback who has amassed over 3,300 yards passing and nearly 800 yards on the ground in 2023.

Stafford, whom the Giants will get a good look at on Sunday, is a pocket passer currently ranked 8th in the NFL with over 3,600 passing yards. Not much of a ground threat, Stafford uses his arm to get down the field. What gives him an edge over other quarterbacks is the consistency in his play and his ability to spread the love between his receivers.

This year’s MVP race is different because there’s not really one single player who stands out above the rest. Patrick Mahomes has been okay, Aaron Rodgers played all of four snaps, Tom Brady is retired, and no one else has stepped in to steal the show.

Wink has faced a multitude of quarterbacks over the years, and as a defensive guy, he can certainly tell you which quarterbacks are good and which are easier to prepare for. Stafford and Jackson are very different quarterbacks, but both are future Hall of Famers and both are having MVP-like seasons.

The MVP race should be fun to watch this year and it will be interesting to see who ends up with the prestigious award.

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6 keys to victory in Week 17

This Sunday, the New York Giants return to East Rutherford to host the Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium.

The Tommy DeVito trial is over and Tyrod Taylor has returned as starting quarterback with Daniel Jones’ season ended several weeks ago. After winning three in a row, the Giants dropped their last two and ended any thought of a postseason run.

Still, the season isn’t over and the Giants don’t want to end on a sour note. The Rams present a challenge the Giants haven’t seen yet this season with a veteran quarterback, a breakout rookie wide receiver, and a sophomore running back who is second in the league in rushing.

That said, there are six keys to the Giants earning a win at home in Week 17.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Protecting the quarterback has been one of the keys almost every single week for a reason. The Giants lead the league in sacks allowed with 77, and the 425 sack yards are third-worst. It’s truly no wonder that the offense has struggled this season — it’s hard to be successful when the line can’t block or pass protect.

If the Giants want a shot at beating the Rams, they have to protect Taylor. Period.

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The Rams have the fourth-best rush defense in the NFL. The Giants’ ground game is based around a single player, and while Saquon Barkley is a dynamic threat, he’s not enough this week.

Taylor has to find his wide receivers and he has to get them accurate passes to move the ball down the field. The run game absolutely has its place, but the Giants’ ability to pass the ball will dictate the outcome of this game.

Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

Special teams are probably the Rams’ biggest weakness.

Mason Crosby joined the Giants to take over kicking duties and is a solid veteran who is capable of making kicks from almost anywhere on the field. Jamie Gillan is questionable on Sunday, but as long as the special teams crew is consistent and doesn’t make silly mistakes, they can help the Giants win the field position battle.

The Giants have one of the worst offenses in the NFL, so if special teams plays set up the offense with a short field, the likelihood of scoring points goes up.

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It’s no secret that Matthew Stafford is a pocket passer. He’s not a fan of running the ball and has recorded just 66 rushing yards this season. But the Rams’ organization knows this and Stafford is very well protected. He’s been sacked just 26 times this season, making him the third-best-protected quarterback in the league.

This key won’t be an easy one for the Giants’ defense, but the more pressure they can get on Stafford, the more likely he is to throw the ball away. He will scramble if he has to, but it’s not his first choice. Keep him under fire.

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

It’s not just Cooper Kupp anymore. In fact, he’s not even the top guy this year. Stafford has a selection of receivers to choose from and the Giants defense must be prepared for all of them. Puka Nacua is the top guy this year, which is a byproduct of teams doubling down on Kupp. Nacua is a rookie so no one knew what to expect from him this season.

But now we do. He’s an explosive, dynamic receiver who is incredibly talented. It’s not just about him and Kupp either, though. Tutu Atwell, Tyler Higbee, Demarcus Robinson and even running back Kyren Williams have all been targeted by Stafford.

Wink Martindale needs to have his defense prepared for any of them.

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As a rookie, Kyren Williams was underwhelming with just 35 carries for 139 yards. This year, though, Williams is the second-ranked running back in the NFL, behind only Christian McCaffrey. He’s easily as big a threat as Barkley in that he can play anywhere on the field. He’s going to get the ball on Sunday, a lot.

The Giants have to figure out a way to keep him somewhat contained or it’s going to be a long game on Sunday.

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