#Giants report card: This is getting ridiculous

Grading the Giants after their 20-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday night.

Offense

This is getting ridiculous. This team cannot score. How about a touchdown, guys? Colt McCoy (19 of 31, 221 yards) does not have enough zip on the ball. He had Evan Engram for a touchdown in the first quarter and did not get enough on the throw. This is hardly all on McCoy, though. The receivers do not make enough plays, pure and simple. Wayne Gallman (9-29) had it going a bit in the first half but then was a forgotten man. McCoy usually had enough time but too often found no one open. Right tackle Cam Fleming was called for a holding penalty trying to stop Olivier Vernon. Darius Slayton had a horrendous drop in the fourth quarter. At least Andrew Thomas did not allow a sack by Myles Garrett until the closing seconds.

Grade: F

Defense

Not terrible work at all against the Browns’ tough ground game (only 106 rushing yards) and Nick Chubb (15-50) and Kareem Hunt (7-21) did not go off. Baker Mayfield had an easy time picking apart the secondary, completing 27 of 32 passes for 297 yards. He probably barely broke a sweat. LB Devante Downs was lost in space allowing TE Austin Hooper to run wide open on a 2-yard TD reception in the second quarter. Jarvis Landry (7-61) got a step on Isaac Yiadom in the end zone. Dexter Lawrence got a big pass deflection with his right hand on fourth down in the fourth quarter and got the only sack of Mayfield. Safeties Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan could not confuse Mayfield in the least and Julian Love and Xavier McKinney filling in for James Bradberry were not strong in coverage.

Grade: C

Special Teams

Dion Lewis started the game off with a rugged 48-yard kickoff return. He later nearly lost another fumble and that is worrisome. If punter Riley Dixon chooses a different target (other than center Nick Gates) on the fake field-goal pass it might have worked. Graham Gano hit field goals of 37 and 39 yards and now has hit 27 consecutive kicks. The coverage units were better than they have been the past three games.

Grade: B

Coaching

Joe Judge not taking points in the first half was troubling. That first-quarter fake field goal thing Judge signaled in? Didn’t like it. Did not have a problem with him going for it on fourth down on the Cleveland 5-yard line. Good move by Judge applying a 15-yard penalty on an extra-point try, which was missed. Freddie Kitchens was the play-caller for Jason Garrett (COVID-19) and did not stick with the run enough in the first half. Whoever is calling the plays or working with the offense has to figure out a way to get more points on the board. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham stayed in a zone in the secondary and it was picked apart time and again.

Grade: D