Giants fall to Chiefs: Winners, losers and those in between
The New York Giants went into a Week 8 game against the Kansas City Chiefs as significant underdogs but managed to keep things close until the end.
There’s no participation trophies in the NFL, however. Close only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades, so there will be no moral celebration in the Giants’ locker-room after surrendering a fourth quarter lead and leaving Arrowhead with a deflating loss.
With the loss, the Giants fall to 2-6 on the season — an all too familiar record — and now prepare for a Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Here’s a look at the winners and losers (and those in between) from Monday Night Football.
Winners
AP Photo/Ed Zurga
Adoree’ Jackson: Jackson’s tackling continues to be a rollercoaster — not just on a weekly basis, but on a play-by-play basis. He shied away from entirely too many despite recording 12 on the night. He also made some impressive ones. He’s an enigma in that area. In coverage, he was as solid as the Giants could have asked. Expect him to grade out well.
Leonard Williams: Despite being double- and triple-teamed all night, Williams managed to have an impact against the run and as a pass rusher. He finished the game with six tackles (two solo), one QB hit, one sack and one pass defensed.
Devontae Booker: With Barkley out, Booker had another strong performance. In total, he gained 125 yards on 20 touches (15 rushes, five receptions). Couldn’t have asked for much more.
John Ross: Ross made an incredible reception while being interfered with and while it would have been nice to see more production late, he finished the game with 72 yards.
Others: James Bradberry, Julian Love, Kadarius Toney
Losers
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Azeez Ojulari: A week after dominating the Carolina Panthers, Ojulari was nearly invisible against the Chiefs. He was routinely dominated one-on-one and was essentially eliminated from the game.
Darius Slayton: With so many receivers out and more going down in-game, where was Slayton? He should have had a big night but instead, he was blanked across the board (did draw one hold for a first down). He also had one drop.
Nate Solder: Perhaps we’re being a little too harsh on Solder by putting him here, but the bar is already low enough for this offensive line. He whiffed on a twist, got called for an ugly penalty and was inconsistent against the rush. He did, however, have a nice pull on a read option.
Will Hernandez: There have been moments this season where Hernandez seems like he’s headed back in the right direction. Monday night was not one of those moments. The entire right side of the Giants’ line struggled and that included Hernandez, who got beat inside too often and was again called for a crushing penalty. To his credit, he did make some solid run blocks.
Others: Billy Price, Austin Johnson, Dexter Lawrence, Riley Dixon
Mixed reviews
Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Daniel Jones: Jones started the game with his ugliest interception of the season. He later failed to toss the ball to Devontae Booker on an read option and it cost the team a first down. He finished the game going 22-of-32 for 222 yards, two touchdowns and that one interception.
Sterling Shepard: Shep’s return to the field didn’t last very long and it was a mixed bag while he was in. He ran a few solid routes and a few bad ones, including one short of the sticks on third down.
Oshane Ximines: With Lorenzo Carter out, Ximines saw increased snaps and was solid. There will be some complaints about a lack of pressure and a few issues against the run, but he made some positive plays (including a PD) as well. A late offside penalty did not help.
Others: Xavier McKinney, Tae Crowder
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