Grading the Giants' Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football

OFFENSE

How much did the Giants miss Jaxson Dart? They had just 145 yards after he got hurt, and 33 of them came on a pass from Jameis Winston to Darnell Mooney. They were 3-for-14 on third down after going 9-for-11 against the Cowboys. The run game (52 yards) couldn’t get going. Winston threw several passes behind his receivers, including his interception. Malik Nabers played most of the game with a shoulder injury, but he was barely targeted. Cam Skattebo had a 19-yard catch-and-run but was stifled most of the night. The offensive line surrendered two sacks and far too many pressures. The Giants also were shut out from the end zone after four touchdowns last week. With Dart expected to miss time, the offense must figure out how to get better under Winston.

Grade: F

DEFENSE

The Giants were embarrassed, giving up 481 yards to a team without injured All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua. The pass rush got little pressure on Matthew Stafford (22-for-31, 327 yards, four TDs). The run defense got gashed as Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 164 yards. Davante Adams torched the secondary, whether it was rookie Colton Hood, safety Tyler Nubin or veteran Greg Newsome II guarding him. Jevon Holland’s second interception and two forced fumbles (with one recovery) weren’t enough, and neither was Abdul Carter’s first sack. This was a regression to bad habits and ghosts of poor defenses past.

Grade: D-minus

SPECIAL TEAMS

Dominic Zvada made his first two NFL field goals from 24 and 52 yards, the latter showing off his big leg. Thanks to the offense’s struggles, Jordan Stout got plenty of time with six punts, including a 78-yarder. Three of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line. If special teams is that active, it’s either a good or a bad night. It was a bad one. Special teams did their job. The other two phases didn’t.



Grade: A

COACHING

The Giants’ last first-half drive had questionable play-calling. On third-and-2 from the Rams three-yard line, Harbaugh left fullback Patrick Ricard on the sidelines, and Najee Harris — in his season debut — was stuffed for a three-yard loss. Why was Ricard not on the field? Why not Cam Skattebo? Defensively, the Giants didn’t adjust to slow down Adams or figure out how to make Stafford uncomfortable. The NASCAR pass-rush package stalled, and Nubin was picked on by Stafford as much as Hood in his first NFL start. If last week was a coaching masterclass, this week brought questions that Harbaugh and his staff need to answer.

Grade: D

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.