It wasn’t pretty, but the Atlanta Falcons avoided going 0-3 with their 17-14 win over the New York Giants in Week 3.
Neither offense averaged more than six yards per play, and only five total plays went for more than 20 yards — Atlanta was responsible for four of them. The Giants fall to 0-3 on the season and enter Week 4 with an embarrassingly average offense and bottom-five defense.
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Atlanta Falcons
Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan was underwhelming despite the winning effort and relatively impressive box score. He completed 27-of-36 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns but will likely finish PFF’s grading process with a sub-70.0 grade and zero big-time throws. He also took three sacks and lost a fumble.
Running Backs
Both Mike Davis and Cordarrelle Patterson struggled to find open holes against the Giants’ front seven. Davis led the team with 50 yards on 12 carries, and Patterson totaled just 20 yards and zero missed tackles forced on his seven carries.
However, Patterson did lead the team in receiving yards with 82. More than 90% of his receiving yards came after the catch, and he broke two tackles on his six receptions.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
The Falcons’ receiving corps turned in a forgettable performance against New York. Star wide receiver Calvin Ridley reeled in just eight receptions for 61 yards on 11 targets, and rookie tight end Kyle Pitts recorded only two receptions for 35 yards. Julio Jones’ presence is sorely missed in Atlanta.
Offensive Line
Chris Lindstrom was the only Falcons offensive lineman with a 60.0-plus PFF run-blocking grade on PFF's first review of the game film. The Giants’ defensive line had their way with Atlanta’s front five in the run game.
Matt Hennessy and Jake Matthews were the only two Falcons offensive linemen without multiple pressures allowed in pass protection.
Defensive Line
Even though he was trucked by Daniel Jones on a successful Giants two-point conversion, Grady Jarrett was still — by far — the Falcons' most impressive defensive lineman. He earned an 80.0-plus PFF run-defense grade and recorded four total pressures on first review. Dante Fowler Jr. also found some success, with multiple pressures and a 75.0-plus PFF run-defense grade.
Linebackers
Deion Jones and Foyesade Oluokun both played more than 65 defensive snaps on Sunday. Jones was the more impressive of the two and put up some highlight plays in coverage, but Oluokun still turned in a strong performance and one of the highest PFF run-defenses grades on the team.
Secondary
There’s not a lot of reason for optimism with the Falcons’ secondary. T.J. Green, a 2016 second-round pick out of Clemson, played all 70 defensive snaps and gave up more than 100 yards in coverage. No Falcons defensive back with more than 25 snaps played in the game earned a PFF coverage grade above 70.0 on first review.
New York Giants
Quarterbacks
Continuing what is becoming a season-long theme for the Giants, Daniel Jones was good but not great in the team’s loss to Atlanta. He completed 24-of-35 passes for 266 yards with one big-time throw and one turnover-worthy play. His biggest highlight was trucking Grady Jarrett on his way to the end zone on a successful two-point conversion.
Running Backs
The Giants’ offensive line is a legitimate concern. Saquon Barkley had little to no room to work on the ground, as he managed just 51 yards on his 16 carries. Fellow Giants backs Elijhaa Penny and Gary Brightwell turned three combined carries into 10 yards.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
New York’s receiving corps struggled to create consistent separation downfield even while going against an underwhelming Falcons secondary. Prized free-agent signing Kenny Golladay led the team with 64 receiving yards on four catches. Collin Johnson (51) and Barkley were the only other Giants pass-catchers with more than 40 yards receiving.
Offensive Line
Andrew Thomas and Billy Price were both bright spots for the Giants in pass protection, but none of the Giants’ offensive linemen earned PFF run-blocking grades above 70.0. Nate Solder was a liability at right tackle and guards Ben Bredeson and Will Hernandez allowed multiple pressures on the interior.
Defensive Line
Giants rookie Azeez Ojulari recorded a few highlight plays as a pass-rusher but failed to make all that positive of an impact in run defense. Fellow edge defender Lorenzo Carter was a bit more of a liability with his 40.0 PFF run-defense grade (on first review). Carter also failed to record a single pressure in the game.
Linebackers
Tae Crowder had a career game against Atlanta. The 2020 seventh-rounder played 60 defensive snaps and recorded 11 combined tackles. He also allowed just two receptions from four targets for seven yards and recorded a forced incompletion in coverage.
Secondary
Julian Love, James Bradberry and Logan Ryan all recorded forced incompletions against Atlanta. Bradberry allowed a team-high 60 yards and four first downs in coverage, driving his PFF coverage grade below 50.0 on first review.
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