The Giants got a rude reality check in Los Angeles, and it started where these games usually turn: up front.
After an opening-week win over Dallas that had people feeling good for a minute, New York ran into a Rams team that controlled the line of scrimmage from the jump and rolled to a 28-6 victory that felt even more lopsided than the score. The Giants never really found their footing once the Rams’ pass rush started landing, and the whole night kept circling back to the same problem: the Giants were getting bullied in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
The first signs came on the Giants’ opening possession. Jaxson Dart was under heat almost immediately, and even the completions he did make came with a struggle attached.
He hit Isaiah Likely for a 5-yard gain on a poorly thrown ball, then found Malachi Fields for 14 yards on another throw Fields had to adjust to. A missed pass to Theo Johnson - a familiar issue - and a short gain by Skattebo followed before Dart tried to go deep to Theo again and came up empty.
This time the protection gave way, with Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor beaten by Josaiah Stewart and Byron Young. Dart took the hit, his knee was pushed inward, and he left the game.
From there, the Rams kept coming. They pressured Dart on half of his dropbacks, and Aaron Donald didn’t even have to dominate to make life miserable.
He did, however, stop Skattebo near the goal line on the Giants’ one real threat. The rest of the Rams’ front won enough one-on-one matchups to keep the pressure constant, and the Giants no longer had the kind of interior force that used to let them dictate terms.
When Jameis Winston entered, the problems didn’t disappear. If anything, they changed shape.
He looked rushed, short-armed throws, and put several passes right into defenders’ hands. This was not the version of Winston that showed up in Detroit last year.
The running game never gave New York any relief either. The Giants ran 21 times for just 52 yards.
Skattebo led the way with 36 yards on 12 carries, doing what he could to fight through first contact. Najee Harris, in his first action, managed only 6 yards on four carries.
The decision to give him the ball inside the 10 instead of Skattebo stood out, especially when Harris was dropped for a loss by Aaron Donald on third-and-2. That sequence summed up a night in which the Giants couldn’t move the Rams off the line when it mattered.
It also hinted at a bigger issue. This doesn’t look like a team built to chase the game.
Against Dallas, the Giants could stay in control and use the run to wear the defense down. Against the Rams, falling behind early exposed an offense that didn’t create much separation and couldn’t rely on the quarterback to stand tall under pressure.
That’s a bad combination.
Defensively, the Giants didn’t do nearly enough to make Matthew Stafford uncomfortable. Abdul Carter got the team’s lone sack, and that was about it.
Stafford had time to settle in and let the Rams’ offense work. The Rams ran 24 times for 164 yards, with a lot of it coming between the tackles early before the Giants’ old edge-setting issues showed up again.
Brian Burns also left late with an ankle injury.
And once Stafford had time, the secondary was left hanging out to dry.
That group gets some cover because Deonte Banks and Paulson Adebo were out, but there was no hiding from what the Rams’ receivers did to them. Davante Adams was the main problem, finishing with 8 catches on 10 targets for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns.
More often than not, he was left absurdly open. Terrance Ferguson added six catches on nine targets.
Jevon Holland did make plays, including another interception and two forced fumbles, while Tyler Nubin and Greg Newsome II each broke up passes. But those moments were the exception.
Too many Rams catches came with no Giant anywhere near the play.
That’s the ugly truth for New York right now: if the front seven doesn’t control the game, the defense is in trouble.
There was at least one bright spot. Dominic Zvada stayed perfect, making both of his field-goal attempts, including a 52-yarder, after going 4-for-4 on extra points in the opener. Jordan Stout also did his part on the other side of special teams, averaging 52.5 yards on six punts, with three inside the 20 and one booming 78-yarder.
That kind of help may matter again soon. The Giants get the Titans next week, and what once looked like a soft spot on the schedule doesn’t look quite that way now.
In Other News...
Brian Burns Just Became A Much Bigger Giants Money Question
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Burns is signed through 2028, which gives New York some control, but it also leaves the Giants weighing whether an extension makes more sense than simply absorbing those rising numbers later. With Andrew Thomas and Kayvon Thibodeaux also looming as major cap considerations, the teams flexibility will be tested by a handful of core players at once, and Burns may be the clearest example of how todays relief can become tomorrows problem. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Fans Immediately Had One Big Fear After Jaxson Dart Went Down
Jaxson Darts night took an immediate turn on the Giants first offensive drive Monday at SoFi Stadium, when the rookie quarterback went down with a knee injury after taking a hit while throwing a pass. Dart limped off the field and was listed as questionable to return, a jolt the Giants could do without as they tried to settle into the game early.
Jameis Winston stepped in at quarterback after Dart exited, giving New York a veteran option under center while the bigger concern hung over the sideline. For Giants fans, the reaction was instant and obvious, since any injury to a young quarterback always raises the same uneasy question about how long the team might have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]
Giants-Rams Betting Twist Could Change Monday Night Touchdown Picks
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For a Giants team that has leaned into the uncertainty of these prime-time spots, the ripple effect matters because touchdown picks often hinge on opportunity as much as talent. Isaiah Likely, Davante Adams and Jaxson Dart have all surfaced as alternative names to watch, but the matchup still calls for caution with certain players because of workload splits and defensive matchups that could limit the appeal of the more obvious choices. [Read more 🡒]