PFF takeaways from Week 5 win over Packers
The Giants put together an all around strong effort in their Week 5 win against the Green Bay Packers in London.
The defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense to just 301 total yards, while the Giants' run game was able to hit the 125-yard mark for the fourth time in five games. The Giants have now begun the season 4-1 for the first time since 2009.
Here are Pro Football Focus takeaways from the Giants' big win in London.
*The highest grade on either side of the ball came from wide receiver Darius Slayton. After heading into Week 5 with only one reception on the season, Slayton pulled in six of seven targets for 79 yards, both of which led the team. His performance earned him an elite 89.6 overall grade, including an 87.2 receiving grade, and he finished with a 113.7 passer rating when targeted.
*Sticking with the offense, Andrew Thomas continued his stellar play. Thomas once again did not surrender a sack and received an overall mark of 75.3, including a strong 80.4 pass block grade.
*Right guard Mark Glowinski wasn't too far behind Thomas as he finished with 74.5 overall grade, aided by a 74.3 run block grade.
*Daniel Bellinger had another solid outing, catching two passes for 22 yards and adding a two-yard touchdown run on a double reverse. PFF gave the rookie tight end a 73.8 grade in the passing game.
*Moving over to the defense, Oshane Ximines once again had the highest grade on the unit, a similar theme to the beginning of the season. Ximines finished with two tackles and a sack, which forced the game-clinching fumble of Aaron Rodgers. The young outside linebacker earned 80.6 overall and 77.2 run defense grades.
*Fellow outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux finished with the second-highest grade on the defense with his 75.0. While he didn't register a sack, Thibodeaux did record four total pressures and had a run defense mark of 76.1.
*Jaylon Smith has now received strong marks in each of the two games he's played this season. The veteran linebacker finished with six tackles (two solo) and earned a 73.3 overall grade. While only playing 72 snaps total so far this season, Smith's 81.9 overall grade ranks seventh among all linebackers.
*Prior to suffering an injury, Adoree' Jackson racked up six tackles (four solo) against Green Bay and received an elite 86.6 run defense grade.
*Fellow cornerback Fabian Moreau received a solid 70.3 coverage grade. He now ranks 11th among corners on the season with his 78.0 coverage grade and 14th in overall grade (76.3).
*Outside linebacker Jihad Ward also registered four total pressures, matching Thibodeaux for the team lead. Defensive lineman Nick Williams was next with three pressures, while Dexter Lawrence added two.
*Speaking of Lawrence, he finished fourth on the defense with a 70.6 overall grade. His 89.6 overall mark on the season ranks fifth at his position, while his 89.0 pass rush grade ranks fourth.
*Safety Julian Love led the Giants with seven tackles in Week 5, which also resulted with an elite 86.6 tackling grade, easily the highest on the team.
*Cam Brown received an elite 91.0 special teams grade, the highest on the team.
Brian Daboll finds winning formula for Giants
Graham Gano has played more NFL seasons (13) and in more games (179, including the postseason) than any current Giants player.
Gano has been on teams that won as few as four games (including the 2021 Giants) and on four playoff teams, most notably the 2015 Carolina Panthers, who were 15-1 and advanced to Super Bowl 50.
After so many years, games, teammates and coaches, Gano has an idea why some teams prosper and others plummet.
He sees numerous impressive qualities in the current Giants, who are 4-1 after their comeback 27-22 victory against the Green Bay Packers yesterday in London.
"I think it starts from the top," Gano said. "We have great leadership from the top down, and the group of players that they've brought in are just full of great character guys and guys that come to work every day and work hard. Whether things are going good or bad, nobody's pointing fingers at anyone. Everybody's just coming to work and is focused on getting better at their craft, and in doing so making the team better. I feel like that's the biggest thing: Everybody's got each other's back, excited to be playing football together."
The players are clearly enjoying themselves, not only because of their early success, but with the camaraderie developed by coach Brian Daboll and his staff.
"I think that's the big thing about coach," Gano said. "He lets us be ourselves and everybody is unique. Everybody plays the game for different reasons and has the things that they like to do. And he lets us have fun. And as long as we're doing our job and playing and working to get better, he's going to let us play."
