Giants’ feeble tackling efforts, lack of fight becoming alarming trends in 2023

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Deebo Samuel #19 of the San Francisco 49ers gets tackled by the New York Giants during the fourth quarter in the game at Levi's Stadium on September 21, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Dan Duggan
Sep 23, 2023

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Brian Daboll sounded like a coach who didn’t get much sleep on a cross-country flight after a rough loss during his customary postgame video call on Friday morning.

“I’d say really in all three phases, we’ve got to do a better job — everybody,” the subdued Giants coach said in one of his many brief answers after Thursday night’s 30-12 loss to the 49ers.

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Here’s a final review of that painful loss before the Giants set their sights on a crucial Week 4 matchup with the Seahawks on Oct. 2:

Tackling woes

The most alarming deficiency through the first three games is the Giants’ inability to tackle. The 49ers were uniquely qualified to exploit that weakness, with running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle arguably ranking as the most difficult players to tackle at their positions.

So maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise the Giants missed 16 tackles Thursday night. But it was still discouraging to witness the pathetic display.

There were some plays, like when McCaffrey juked linebacker Micah McFadden in the hole, that the credit goes to the 49ers’ playmakers. But there were far too many instances when the Giants demonstrated a lack of technique or desire when trying to bring down a San Francisco ballcarrier.

The tackling in the secondary was particularly horrendous. Rookie cornerbacks Deonte Banks and Tre Hawkins have a long way to go in run support, with a whiff by Hawkins on a perimeter run springing a 15-yard gain by backup running back Elijah Mitchell on a touchdown drive late in the second quarter.

More concerning is the inability of the safeties to tackle. For all of Jason Pinnock’s athleticism, he has only been effective while blitzing off the edge this season. His open-field tackling has been a clear downgrade from the sure-tackling Julian Love. But the most disappointing showing has come from Xavier McKinney.

Playing for a potentially lucrative second contract, McKinney’s tackling effort has been dreadful. He was trucked at the goal line by Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs on a 23-yard touchdown run in Week 2, and he didn’t provide any more resistance on Thursday night. McKinney has fallen into a bad habit of trying to strip the ball before securing the tackle, which has allowed ballcarriers to pick up additional yards at the end of runs.

“I’d say it’s just overall not where we need to be,” Daboll said of the team’s tackling. “So we’ll continue to work at it. That’s an area that’s got to get better.”

CBA rules only allow one padded practice per week during the regular season, so Daboll can’t crank up the physicality during this extended break before next Monday’s matchup with the Seahawks. The time to drill tackling is during training camp, but the Giants only wore full pads in seven of their 19 camp practices, which was three less than last summer. It’s fair to question if the lighter camp has had an impact on the Giants’ slow start.

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Lack of fight

Defensive tackle DJ Davidson appeared to suffer a serious elbow injury when he was yanked to the ground by 49ers center Jake Brendel after a third-quarter play. It looked like a dirty play, as Brendel had Davidson’s arm pinned to his body when he forcefully pulled the Giants defender to the ground.

Kayvon Thibodeaux and Bobby Okereke were standing nearby and appeared to witness the cheap shot on their teammate, but neither player reacted. Maybe they didn’t recognize what had happened in real time, but the Giants haven’t shown much fire defending their teammates this season. Daniel Jones took a late hit from Dallas’ Jayron Kearse on a slide on the second play of the season opener, and it was striking when no offensive lineman got in the safety’s face.

The Giants have plenty of problems to address. Demonstrating more fight should be fixed immediately.

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Where are the game-changers?

The other big problem on the defense is that no one is making big plays. The Giants can’t generate a pass rush without blitzing, and they’re still seeking their first takeaway of the season.

Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has 13 pressures, but he hasn’t taken over any games like last season. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was more active on Thursday, but he’s certainly not playing like the player with the third-highest cap hit ($32.3 million) in the NFL this season.

The Giants identified Okereke as a much-needed upgrade at inside linebacker, awarding him a four-year, $40 million contract in free agency. Okereke’s play has been far too uneven thus far.

Thibodeaux hasn’t made the leap that was expected in his second season. In fact, the No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft has failed to make much of an impact at all. Meanwhile, Azeez Ojulari has been on the shelf again, missing two games with a hamstring injury. Not making any investment at edge rusher this offseason remains a puzzling decision.

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McKinney’s struggles were documented above, while veteran Adoree’ Jackson seems to be feeling his way through his new role as a hybrid outside/slot corner. Jackson has been around the ball, but as has been the case throughout his career, he has failed to finish with interceptions.

The Giants’ lack of game-changing defensive players is glaring when compared to the 49ers and Cowboys.

Going down swinging

Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale blitzed non-stop on Thursday night, sending an extra rusher on 32 of 39 dropbacks, according to TruMedia. But 22 of those blitzes involved just five rushers, so it wasn’t as if Martindale was selling out.

The 49ers used screen passes to convert a third-and-15 and a third-and-13 on a second-quarter touchdown drive. Screens are designed to counter blitzes, but Martindale only sent four rushers on those plays. The reason those plays were sprung for 30- and 17-yard gains is that back-seven players were glued to blocks or failed to wrap up McCaffrey and Samuel.

O-line shuffle

The Giants used their third different offensive line combination in three games on Thursday. Center John Michael Schmitz and right tackle Evan Neal were the only starters from Week 1 in the lineup against the 49ers.

Left tackle Josh Ezeudu and right guard Marcus McKethan were pressed into duty by injuries to Andrew Thomas (hamstring) and Ben Bredeson (concussion), respectively. Meanwhile, Mark Glowinski’s fall became even steeper.

Glowinski, who started 16 games last season, opened the season as the starting right guard. He was benched in favor of McKethan in Week 2 after a dreadful showing in the opener, but took over at left guard midgame after Bredeson’s injury.

The coaching staff elected to start Lemieux, who was the No. 5 guard on the depth chart entering the season, over Glowinski on Thursday. The shakeup didn’t pan out, as Lemieux allowed five pressures and a sack. His quick losses in pass protection completely derailed some plays.

Thomas’ value is painfully evident, as the offense has to adjust its entire approach without the All-Pro protecting Jones’ blindside. Thomas was only healthy for one series this season since he got injured on the Cowboys’ blocked field goal return for a touchdown. The Giants wisely were cautious with Thomas by holding him out the past two games, and he is expected back against the Seahawks.

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It will be curious to see the lineup when the Giants are back at full strength. Thomas, Schmitz and Neal will remain in their spots, and Bredeson should have one of the guard jobs. Ezeudu has looked better at tackle than guard, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the nod over McKethan.

Feast or famine

Rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt played just 16 of 50 snaps on Thursday. Hyatt has only played 29.3 percent of the Giants’ snaps this season.

Hyatt made a big impact with two catches for 89 yards in Week 2, but he had no catches on one target in the other two games. Hyatt figured to have a feast-or-famine aspect to his game, and his shortcomings as a route runner likely contributed to his lack of playing time Thursday.

The Giants deployed a quick passing attack in an effort to neutralize San Francisco’s pass rush. Hyatt has mostly run deep routes, and those weren’t a big part of the game plan. His struggles to get off press coverage were exploited at times by the 49ers’ physical corners.

Limited impact

Wide receiver Parris Campbell looked like he’d be a big piece of the offense in the offseason. He ranks third on the team with 16 targets, but his impact has been non-existent (11 catches for 47 yards). Campbell’s vaunted speed hasn’t been a factor, as he has been limited to an average of 1.4 yards after the catch.

Campbell, who has played 60.1 percent of the snaps in the first three games, could soon see Wan’Dale Robinson eat into his playing time. Veteran Sterling Shepard, who played just two snaps Thursday, looks like the odd man out in the wide receiver room.

Going away from what worked

Jones completed an eye-popping 13-of-19 passes for 229 yards on play-action in the Giants’ 31-28 win over the Cardinals in Week 2. Oddly, the Giants only attempted five play-action passes Thursday, with Jones going 5-for-5 for 30 yards.

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Perhaps the Giants were deterred by the thought of having Jones turn his back to San Francisco’s relentless pass rush behind a porous offensive line, but they have had success moving the pocket with play fakes in the past. San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa blew up one such play in the first quarter on a poorly constructed and/or executed play that left the reigning defensive player of the year unblocked for a sack.

The Giants didn’t even bother testing the 49ers’ stout run defense without Saquon Barkley (ankle). Running backs Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell combined for 22 yards on eight carries.

Big boomer

An unexpected silver lining on Thursday was punter Jamie Gillan. Gillan was booming the ball all game, averaging 52.7 yards on six punts. The highlight was a 60-yard punt angled to the sideline that allowed for no return in the second quarter. That boot flipped the field position from the Giants’ 12-yard line to the San Francisco 28.

It’s that type of talent that prompted the Giants to give Gillan a two-year, $4 million contract in the offseason. The Giants will have a weapon if the 26-year-old can discover some consistency.

Time to panic?

It feels like the sky is falling because the Giants have been out-scored 70-12 in their two losses this season. But all realistic expectations had them at 1-2 at this point in the season. This next stretch will define their season.

The Giants have three straight games against teams that made the playoffs last season, including a pair of road games at Miami and Buffalo in Weeks 5 and 6. The home matchup in Week 4 with the Seahawks, who beat the Giants 27-13 last season, is a pivotal game.

If the Giants lose to Seattle, there will be concerns about the bottom falling out on a season that began with high expectations. But a win will steady the ship and give them some margin for error during the tough two-game AFC East road trip that follows.

(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)

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Dan Duggan

Dan Duggan is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Giants. He previously covered the Giants for two years for The Star-Ledger. He has also worked for the Boston Herald. Follow Dan on Twitter @DDuggan21