The New York Giants entered Week 10 knowing that they could not lose to the New York Jets without some serious consequences coming their way, but that’s exactly what they did anyone.
What the consequences for Sunday’s loss will be remain to be seen, but co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch can not be happy with what they saw and where this team is.
Here’s a look at Sunday’s winners and losers:
Winners
Darius Slayton: The rookie shouldered a heavy burden after a career-worst performance in Week 9, but he vowed to return strong against the Jets. And he did with a season-balancing career day. Slayton finished the day with a team-leading nine receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Markus Golden: Golden did have a costly penalty early in the first quarter, but that would be his only blemish on the day. He consistently created pressure and pushed the pocket, forcing Sam Darnold to step up and move around. He also made a few splash plays against the run, which he had not done much of this season, putting a bow on an all-around solid performance.
Dalvin Tomlinson: Tomlinson was a consistent force on Sunday, collapsing the pocket from inside, chasing Sam Darnold around, clogging running lanes and making several key tackles, including a big sack. It was arguably his best game of the season and that’s saying something.
Golden Tate: Tate is a killer with yards after the catch, and he had that in spades on Sunday. In total, he hauled in four receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns, and almost all of that came after the catch.
Others: R.J. McIntosh, Rhett Ellison, Jabrill Peppers and Janoris Jenkins
Losers
DeAndre Baker: Why Baker continues to start is one of the most baffling mysteries facing these Giants. He again found himself in trouble on Sunday by giving too much cushion to receivers, losing track of his assignments in traffic, committing crushing penalties and just appearing completely out of sorts. And after admitting he was confused with the scheme and playbook, his continued struggles fall squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff.
Saquon Barkley: If Barkley says he’s healthy and not hindered by a lingering ankle sprain, you have to assume he’s lying. While the interior offensive line did him no favors, Barkley routinely ran up the back of his blockers and perhaps above all else, has completely lost his ability to pass protect. He finished the day with a career-low one-yard rushing (on 13 carries).
Aldrick Rosas: An All-Pro a season ago, Rosas now finds his job on the line. He’s had persistent issues on both field goals and point after attempts this season, and he missed yet another PAT in Week 10 — his third of the year.
Offensive line: Yes, they were banged up and took another hit when left tackle Nate Solder was lost to a concussion, but there’s no excuse for the consistently poor play. They couldn’t pass protect, they couldn’t run block (especially up the middle) and they committed a number of penalties. It’s hard to overcome those consistent issues.
Others: Deone Bucannon and Cody Latimer
Mixed reviews
Daniel Jones: Jones is one of the most interesting enigmas in football. He had three fumbles on the day, but two of those could be blamed on Barkley, although he still has to learn to hold onto the darn ball better. Meanwhile, he had a big game passing, tossing four touchdowns and going over 300 yards total.
Antoine Bethea: After his best game as a Giant a week ago, Bethea started out rough on Sunday. He missed an early tackles, got tangled up with DeAndre Baker in coverage leading to what would have been a touchdown (Sam Darnold over-threw his WR), but rebounded later with several key tackles and a pass breakup that forced a punt.
Alec Ogletree: Like Bethea, Ogletree had a brutal start to the day, missing several tackles and being beaten in coverage, but he slowly rebounded and strung together a solid performance that was highlighted by a few huge run stuffs.
Others: Leonard Williams, David Mayo and B.J. Hill
