Giants 17, Lions 6: Snap counts and PFF grades in the Giants’ 10th win

He might have only just broached 200 yards passing, but New York Giants ‘ quarterback Eli Manning had himself a good game Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

He got off to the most efficient start of his career, going 11-for-11 (with some help by refs who might have all been wiping the rain out of their eyes at the same time), and finished the game completing more than 70 percent of his passes, a percentage that jumps up north of 80 if you don’t count dropped balls against him. You know that Manning had a good game when even Pro Football Focus shows him love. Grading him with an 82.7, PFF praised Eli for his poise when blitzed, completing 7-of-8 attempts for 82 yards and a touchdown (a QB rating of 149.0).

But what about the rest of the offense?

Offense

The Giants’ offense was lead by their offensive line. The return of Justin Pugh had a ripple effect through the whole OL, and his chemistry with Weston Richburg was obvious. The two had a beautiful double team to spring Paul Perkins for a long run, and Richburg was the Giants’ highest-graded offensive player, with an 83.7. Third on the list was John Jerry with an 82.2.

The Giants held the ball for 64 total snaps, with the offensive line and Eli Manning being the only players to play all of them. The next two highest snap counts were Odell Beckham Jr. who was graded an 80.6 in his 61 snaps, and Sterling Shepard who played 60 snaps.

Victor Cruz played only 41 snaps, while Will Tye and Jerell Adams played 42 and 27 snaps, respectively. The Giants have started using more 12 personnel (two tight end) sets, and it has paid off.

In the backfield, Rashad Jennings and Paul Perkins each played 25 snaps (39 percent) apiece, but the rookie RB graded out with a 73.4. Coming back from a torn triceps and concussion, Shane Vereen played 14 snaps, which seem to have mostly come from Jennings.

Defense

The big number for the Giants on the defensive side of the ball is 15. That’s how many snaps Janoris Jenkins played before going out following a knee to the back.

The loss of Jenkins brought Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie onto the field as a full-time player. After essentially being the Giants’ third corner with Eli Apple and Jackrabbit playing all of the snaps on the outside, DRC played 59 of 62 defensive snaps, garnering a grade of 83.4, good for second on the defense.

Landon Collins continued his spectacular sophomore season, playing every defensive snap, grading out with an 81.0 per PFF. Eli Apple also played every snap as well, while Andrew Adams, the Giants’ other rookie DB, played 45 snaps.

Up front, Olivier Vernon (predictably) played all 62 of the snaps, grading out with a team-high 83.6 from PFF. The Giants’ defense harassed Matthew Stafford all day long, getting 17 total pressures (five from Vernon alone), on 39 attempts, an impressive 43.5 percent.

A week after playing 90 percent of the defense’s snaps, Romeo Okwara played “just” 36 snaps (58 percent), with a returning Owamagbe Odighizuwa playing 15 (27 percent). Both played well, with Owa having a memorable batted pass. On the inside, Johnathan Hankins led the way with 39 snaps, while Damon Harrison played 31 and Jay Bromley played 27. This was probably the most equitable defensive tackle rotation of the year for the Giants.

According to PFF, Keenan Robinson was the Giants’ best linebacker, grading out with a 78.8 in 29 snaps. Devon Kennard played the most snaps with 42. Kelvin Sheppard played 26 snaps, while rookie B.J. Goodson got on the field with nine snaps (in addition to his 22 special teams snaps). It felt like more, and the rookie made the Lions feel his presence (No. 93):