PFF grades, stats, snap counts: What we can learn about the Giants from the Week 6 numbers

What did the Pro Football Focus grades, stats and snap counts from Sunday’s 20-19 victory by the New York Giants over the Washington Football Team teach us? Let’s take a look.

Matt Peart and Andrew Thomas BOTH played well

Matt Peart started at left tackle with Andrew Thomas facing the consequences of showing up late to a meeting. The two ended up alternating, and both actually did well.

Peart, the third-round pick, played 26 snaps to 22 for Thomas.

Peart ended up with a close to elite PFF grade of 89.7. He was elite as a run blocker with a 93.4 score in 15 run-blocking snaps. He gave up one pressure in 11 pass-blocking snaps and had a so-so pass-blocking score of 58.4.

Thomas had his best game of the season, albeit in limited snaps. He ended up with a season-best 72.6 score, which included a 79.5 run-blocking grade, also his highest mark of the season. Thomas allowed three pressures in 11 pass-blocking snaps, a pedestrian 55.3 pass-blocking grade.

From the beginning of training camp, I have been saying everyone needs to have patience with Peart. In limited exposure, though, it looks like the former UConn right tackle, might be developing more quickly than anticipated.

Right tackle Cameron Fleming continued to struggle on Sunday. He gave up just one pressure, but had a 35.6 run-blocking score and a 44.6 overall grade. That’s his worst overall game of the season.

With no real practice this week due to playing Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, making a change on the offensive line might not practical. A couple of weeks from now against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Maybe not.

I think it’s time for the Giants to seriously consider inserting Peart as the starting right tackle. Thomas on the left and Peart on the right is the long-term plan, anyway. Peart looks ready, so why not start the future early?

Geez, Daniel Jones can run

Jones’ 40-yard dash at the Combine was a 4.81. He looked a whole lot faster than that Sunday on his 49-yard sprint. He reached a top speed of 20.64 MPH, per Next Gen Stats. Only Derrick Henry, Robby Anderson, Lamar Jackson, Trenton Cannon, Minkah Fitzpatrick and D’Andre Swift were faster on Sunday.

The Giants were going to win ... then they weren’t ... then they did

I’m not sure it has much to do with the rest of this post, but I can’t get enough of these Win Probability graphics.

The guard play wasn’t good

Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler continued to disappoint.

Hernandez’ 44.6 overall grade was the worst among Giants’ offensive players. He surrendered three pressures and had just a 38.7 pass-blocking score. Hernandez has a pedestrian 57.3 grade for the season, and in his third season it’s seeming more and more apparent that Hernandez isn’t likely to become the top-tier guard the Giants hoped he would when they made him a second-round pick in 2018.

Zeitler didn’t allow any pressures and had a solid 84.5 pass-blocking score. He ended up at 58.7 overall, though, because of less than stellar run blocking (51.8). I’m worried about Zeitler. His PFF grade for 2019 was 76.4, and he has not equaled that a single time in six games this season.

Young ‘backers, baby!

Rookie Tae Crowder played 62 snaps, 85 percent of the defensive plays. He had 10 tackles, three stops and the scoop and score touchdown. His PFF grade was an unimpressive 48.2, but I quite honestly don’t care. It’s exciting to see a young linebacker potentially become a player the Giants will be able to count on. Especially one selected as the final player taken in the draft.

Cam Brown got 5 snaps and Carter Coughlin saw his first action, playing 3 snaps.

On the flip side, it is brutally obvious that Markus Golden is not a big part of the plan for Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Golden played only 24 snaps (33 percent).

Dalvin and Leonard dominate

Dalvin Tomlinson and Leonard Williams were outstanding vs. Washington.

Tomlinson had the highest defensive grade of any full-time player (83.9). He had 5 tackles, 3 for stops, a hit and a hurry.

As for Williams, please stop complaining about having him as part of the Giants’ defensive line. He had a sack, his third of the year, a hit, 5 hurries, a tackle for loss and a solid PFF score of 75.7. He’s been excellent all year.

Julian Love wasn’t good

I seriously considered giving safety Julian Love a ‘Wet Willie,’ but I decided I actually wanted to see the numbers before I jumped to the conclusion that he didn’t play well Sunday. Well, Love did play well on Sunday.

He was on the field for 63 snaps, necessitated by Adrian Colbert missing the game and Darnay Holmes exiting with a neck injury after just 3 snaps. To my eyes, Love seemed a little bit late to recognize/fulfill his assignments most of the day.

PFF gave him an overall grade of just 47.0 and scored him with a passer rating against of 136.5. It might have been worse had Ryan Lewis not bailed him out by tipping away a pass at the goal line where Love seemed to be late arriving.

Remember these guys?

At some point in the first five weeks of the season, Corey Ballentine, Isaac Yiadom and Devante Downs were all regular members of the Giants’ defensive rotation. None played a snap on defense vs. Washington.