Points were difficult to come by for the first 40 minutes in this NFC matchup. Both teams were riding losing streaks into this game and neither offense was particularly impressive, but Daniel Jones played the cleaner game at quarterback to help propel the New York Giants to a 25-3 win over the Carolina Panthers.
Neither offense averaged over five yards per play, and only two plays went for over 20 yards. The Panthers have now lost their last four games after starting the season 3-0.
Click here for more PFF tools:
Rankings & Projections | WR/CB Matchup Chart | NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings
New York Giants
Quarterback
The Giants were without their top three receivers, which led to a difficult time moving the ball in the passing game. Nevertheless, Daniel Jones made plays through the air, on the ground and even as a receiver.
DANIEL JONES JUST WENT FULL OBJ. pic.twitter.com/PMTr4MgOyr
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 24, 2021
As a passer, Jones connected with his receivers on 70% of his passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. He got the ball out quickly and let his receivers work, as 58% of the yards came after the catch. Jones scampered for 28 yards on the ground while also making a one-handed grab 16 yards and a first down to help set up a score later in the drive.
Running backs
Without Saquon Barkley, the Giants' run game was nonexistent until the game started to get out of reach. Devontae Booker had more carries than yards for a greater part of the game, but he finished with 14 carries for 51 yards. Booker was stuffed at the one-yard line twice in three plays in the first quarter but later made up for it with a fourth-quarter touchdown. He also caught two passes for 15 yards and a first down.
Wide Receiver/Tight Ends
Down three starters, Dante Pettis was Jones’ go-to man, as they connected on all five targets for 39 yards. Pettis also threw a 16-yard completion to Jones for a first down, and he reciprocated the favor later that drive with a touchdown.
Darius Slayton received the most targets on the team with nine and hauled in five of them for 63 yards. Evan Engram was also efficient, catching six passes for 44 yards.
Player | Receiving grade | Routes run | Targets | aDOT | YPRR |
Dante Pettis | 70.6 | 23 | 5 | 2.6 | 1.7 |
Darius Slayton | 80.5 | 28 | 9 | 14.8 | 2.3 |
Evan Engram | 65.8 | 22 | 7 | 7.3 | 2.0 |
Offensive Line
The Giants' offensive line kept a clean pocket for the majority of the game. Matt Skura was a bright spot up front, as he allowed zero pressures in 36 pass-blocking snaps and earned the highest pass-blocking grade on the team. Will Hernandez was the only liability in pass protection, giving up two sacks and three pressures.
Defensive Line
The New York pass rush lived in the backfield against the struggling Panthers' offensive line. The unit combined to create 10 pressures and five total sacks. Azeez Ojulari led the team with 2.5 sacks, while Leonard Williams generated four pressures and 1.5 sacks.
The defensive line also made an impact in run defense, creating seven defensive stops and three tackles for loss or no gain.
Player | Pass-rush snaps | Sacks | Pressures | Win % |
Leonard Williams | 37 | 1.5 | 5 | 17.9% |
Azeez Ojulari | 30 | 2.5 | 2 | 9.4% |
Dexter Lawrence | 30 | 1.0 | 3 | 12.5% |
Austin Johnson | 22 | 0 | 2 | 4.3% |
Lorenzo Carter | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
Linebackers
Tae Crowder played nearly every defensive snap and finished the game with five tackles and one defensive stop. He was only targeted twice in his 45 coverage snaps and conceded just one reception for seven yards.
Benardrick McKinney played just 11 snaps but got two defensive stops and one tackle for loss.
Secondary
The Giants' secondary made plays throughout the game and combined to allow a season-low 72 receiving yards in coverage. Logan Ryan allowed four receptions — a team-high — and 33 receiving yards but also forced the unit’s only incompletion. James Bradberry allowed one reception for 12 yards while also picking off Darnold in the red zone to help limit them to three points.
Three players graded above 70.0 in coverage in an overall impressive showing.
Player | Coverage grade | Receptions allowed | Yards allowed | INT + FINC | Passer rating allowed |
Xavier McKinney | 67.4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 56.3 |
James Bradberry | 71.5 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 77.1 |
Logan Ryan | 61.5 | 4 | 33 | 1 | 94.2 |
Adoree’ Jackson | 75.5 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 84.7 |
Jabrill Peppers | 56.9 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 68.8 |
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback
Sam Darnold made his return to MetLife Stadium and struggled similarly to when he played for the Jets. The USC product threw for only 111 yards and an interception on 25 pass attempts. He had an average depth of target of only 4.7 yards downfield and completed only two passes beyond 10 yards.
Darnold finished the day with a 58.0 passing grade and a 57.3 passer rating before being benched for backup PJ Walker, who also struggled to move the ball in his limited opportunities.
Sam Darnold from a clean pocket
Comp/Att | Yards | TD:INT | Passer rating | |
Sam Darnold | 11/16 | 76 | 0:1 | 53.1 |
Running backs
Chuba Hubbard had little to no room to work on the ground, as he averaged just 2.3 yards per carry. He ran the ball for 28 yards, with nearly 79% of those yards coming after contact. Hubbard finished second on the team in receiving yards with 28, as well. Fellow running back Royce Freeman also ran the ball three times for 18 yards.
Wide Receiver/Tight Ends
It was a forgettable afternoon for any of the Panthers pass catchers. D.J. Moore led the team with 73 receiving yards, but nearly half the yards came in garbage time. Robby Anderson has struggled all season and only managed three receptions for 14 yards on nine targets. Both Moore and Anderson suffered a drop in this game to add to the team’s woes.
Player | Receiving grade | Targets | Yards | Drops |
Robby Anderson | 47.3 | 9 | 14 | 1 |
D.J. Moore | 63.0 | 10 | 73 | 1 |
Ian Thomas | 47.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Keith Kirkwood | 53.3 | 5 | 16 | 1 |
Tommy Tremble | 61.2 | 3 | 12 | 0 |
Offensive Line
The Panthers' quarterbacks were sacked six times in the game, but none of them were credited against the offensive line. The unit combined to allow seven pressures with no one conceding more than two pressures in the game. The offensive line did allow the pocket to collapse which contributed to the safety early in the game, but only rookie Brady Christensen graded below 60.0 in pass protection.
Defensive Line
Over the past three weeks, the Panthers' pass rush has failed to create consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and that statement remained true against the Giants. Brian Burns created three of the team’s seven pressures. Burns and Derrick Brown each sacked Jones in the game, but no member of the defensive line earned a pass-rush grade above 70.0, upon the first review.
The Panthers' defensive line did, however, combine for 13 defensive stops and six tackles for loss or no gain against the run.
Player | Pass-rush snaps | Sacks | Pressures | Win % |
Haason Reddick | 30 | 0 | 1 | 8.6% |
Brian Burns | 27 | 1 | 3 | 12.9% |
Derrick Brown | 25 | 1 | 2 | 3.7% |
DaQuan Jones | 18 | 0 | 2 | 10.0% |
Linebackers
Without Shaq Thompson, Jermaine Carter and Clay Johnston wer the only linebackers to play significant snaps against the Giants. The two were relatively inefficient, as they combined for eight tackles and one defensive stop. Carter did allow three receptions for 26 yards in coverage.
Secondary
The Panthers' secondary played well in coverage, as nobody allowed more than four receptions or 50 yards in coverage. Despite that, the Panthers gave up six receptions for more than 15 yards in the game. Jeremy Chinn played the best in coverage, allowing four receptions for 14 yards and no first downs to complement a 74.3 coverage grade, upon first review.