The New York Giants traveled northeast to take on the undefeated New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football, and as the +16.5 point spread indicated, it was an uphill battle for Big Blue from the jump.
While the Giants did fight hard — something that is becoming a trait — they could not overcome the talent discrepancy that was only further compounded by injuries, falling to the Pats in a game much closer than many anticipated, 35-14.
But not all was negative. Here’s a look at winners, losers and those in between from Week 6.
Winners
Dexter Lawrence: Lawrence is not going to leap out of the box score and steal your eyeballs — that’s not the kind of player he is. However, against a dominating Patriots team, the rookie not only looked like he belonged, but was once again making professionals look like amateurs under the prime-time lights. He has improved each game and the sky is very clearly the limit.
Dalvin Tomlinson: Lawrence may be stealing attention from his other d-line companions, but Tomlinson should not be overlooked. Much like Lawrence, Tomlinson isn’t going to light up a box score, but he’s going to clog lanes, eat up multiple blockers and collapse the pocket. He and D-Law are a tremendous duo and B.J. Hill, who is no slouch himself, makes it a terrific trio.
Markus Golden: Golden is healthy and earning himself a potentially massive free agent deal by making his presence felt every game. He was a factor again on Thursday, generating several pressures, recording 0.5 sacks, recovering a fumble and returning that for what was a huge touchdown at the time.
Others: Will Hernandez, Lorenzo Carter, Alec Ogletree
Losers
Daniel Jones: Going up against the best defense in the league and one of the greatest defensive masterminds in history, it’s no surprise Daniel Jones struggled. Yes, he did drop a few dimes, including a beauty to Golden Tate for a 64-yard touchdown, but Jones looked more like a rookie than a savvy on this day. His three interceptions look worse than they were with the exception of his third — that was just an awful read and a true rookie hiccup.
Grant Haley: Haley had a few nice moments throughout the game, but he was the most-picked on cornerback from the Giants on the night. Tom Brady & Co. targeted him early and often, which was also a theme against the Minnesota Vikings.
Nate Stupar: Stupar’s spot on the roster was essentially guaranteed because of his special teams prowess, so getting driven back into the line of the punter really eliminates value. That mental mistake cost the Giants seven points, which is a substantial amount against a team like the Patriots.
Others: Corey Ballentine
Mixed reviews
Janoris Jenkins: While Jenkins did have one ugly holding penalty thrown against him and gave up a big pass to Julian Edelman late, he otherwise played well and made a substantial impact defensively. He had an interception returned 62 yards, a pass defensed at the goal line (two total) and two tackles. Solid game.
Golden Tate: Some will argue that Tate belong in the positives column, but he very nearly muffed a punt, he dropped a pass and had a second knocked out of his arms — one he should have caught. On the plus side, he hauled in six receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown.
David Mayo: Mayo is going to draw some warranted praise for his performance on Thursday night, but it was far from flawless. He was picked on through the air early and missed a tackle that led to a big gain, but he was also a spark at times, finishing the game with a team-leading 12 tackles.
Jabrill Peppers: Peppers has clearly turned a corner over the last three weeks and he’s rounded his game into almost flawless shape with the exception of one thing… After missing five tackles against the Vikings in Week 5, he missed a handful more against the Patriots, including one that allowed a third-down conversion.
Jon Hilliman: The rookie did better than some may have anticipated, keeping his yards per carry average above 3.0 and running hard, but his second half fumble that immediately led to a Patriots touchdown was killer. It was his second crushing fumble this season.
Others: Deandre Baker, Michael Thomas, Nate Solder
