The New York Giants needed a win on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys in order to keep their slim and fading playoff hopes alive, but instead, they collapsed late in the game and extended their losing streak to an embarrassing five games.
There was a lot of optimism to be had in certain areas, but it’s far outweighed by the pessimism in others.
Here’s a look at the winners, loser and those in between from Week 9:
Winners
Leonard Williams: Save for one questionable roughing the passer penalty, Williams had a solid debut for the Giants. He consistently brought pressure and logged a QB hit while also playing relatively well against the run on a night when his defensive teammates did not.
Golden Tate: Tate wasn’t targeted enough on Monday night, but when he was, he was flawless. Not only did the veteran haul in a remarkable one-handed catch, he hauled in all six of his targets for 42 yards,
Cody Latimer: Replacing rookie Darius Slayton, Latimer had himself a night as the team’s kick returner (averaged over 30 yards per return) and added a touchdown reception for good measure.
Antoine Bethea: After eight less than stellar games, Bethea pieced together his best performance as a Giant on Monday night and after getting so much flack, deserves a tip of the cap. He started the game off with an interception, recovered a fumble and made more touchdown-saving tackles than we can even list. Some may blame him for Amari Cooper’s late touchdown, but a second look shows it may have been a Deandre Baker error.
Others: Evan Engram, Riley Dixon, Lorenzo Carter, Jabrill Peppers
Losers
Aldrick Rosas: Is it fair to put Rosas here because of a single mistake? Under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have bothered even pointing it out, but this has become a theme for the 2018 All-Pro. He missed another PAT on Monday night and that point was one the Giants chased until the game got out of hand in the fourth quarter.
Mike Remmers: Although Remmers settled in a bit as the night wore on, he found himself repeatedly victimized by Demarcus Lawrence & Co. early in the game and Daniel Jones took several massive hits as the results of his futility.
Alec Ogletree: Ogletree against the run? Stout. Olgetree in coverage? An absolute liability and a weak link that seems to define this defense in the middle of the field.
Deandre Baker: After being humiliated in Week 1 against the Cowboys, Baker was confident he’d play better the second time around. He did, but that wasn’t really saying much. Once again, the rookie found himself repeatedly picked on and after holding strong early in the game, he collapsed late. At this point, he may be out-thinking himself.
Others: David Mayo, Darius Slayton, Nate Solder
Mixed reviews
Daniel Jones: The rookie is maddening — there’s really no other way to put it. For every impressive play Jones makes, he makes a bone-headed one that generally results in a turnover. Add three more to his resume here in Week 9 — one coming on an ugly interception and two more as the result of a fumble. The Giants simply can not win with their quarterback consistently handing the ball back to the opposition. The rookie excuses are over — Jones has to get a handle on things. Period.
Janoris Jenkins: Jenkins was solid in coverage against the Cowboys, but he certainly stood out as someone who didn’t appear interested in making a tackle. There were several instances where Jenkins seemed to shy away from contact or completely whiff. Was just one of those Jackrabbit hiccups.
Others: Will Hernandez, Corey Ballentine, Kevin Zeitler and Saquon Barkley
