PFF grades from the Giants loss to the 49ers

I always remind readers that Pro Football Focus grades are not gospel. They are not the be-all or end-all of who played well, who did not and who is or is not a good NFL player. they are, though, a discussion tool that gives us a pretty good indication of performance.

So, let’s look at some of the New York Giants PFF grades from Sunday’s 36-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Offense

Really, what we’re doing here is studying the offensive line.

• Guard Kevin Zeitler had the best PFF grade, but that was only a 70.2. It’s actually the third straight grade that is a tad concerning for Zeitler, who has not graded below 81.8 for a season since 2013. His current grade is 64.8.
• Cam Fleming was the second-highest graded offensive player at 67.9. Fleming allowed a sack and a hurry.
• Andrew Thomas allowed four hurries and had a 56.8 PFF grade. Only Bobby Hart (15) has allowed more pressures than Thomas (13) through three games. Hart has played 34 more pass-blocking snaps. Thomas’s 94.4 pass-blocking efficiency score is 54th among 55 qualifying tackles.
• Nick Gates had a grade of 46.0 and sits at 49.7 after three games. Gates is ranked 27th among 30 qualifying centers.
• Will Hernandez graded at a pedestrian 56.4. He gave up just one pressure, but his 45.7 run-blocking grade just isn’t good enough. Hernandez has allowed 10 pressures in three games.

Defense

• Dalvin Tomlinson 986.4) was easily the highest-graded defender. Tomlinson had 4 tackles, 3 for stops, and 2 hurries.
• B.J. Hill (72.4) was the second-highest graded defender, though he played only 29 snaps.
• Edge Oshane Ximines had a 68.9 grade. He had 4 tackles, all for stops.
• Rookie Darnay Holmes had a 34.4 grade. Only Austin Johnson (30.5 in 21 snaps) was worse. Holmes gave up 4 completions in 5 targets and had a 116.7 passer rating against. Tough day for the rookie.
• Cornerback Isaac Yiadom had a 44.0 grade in his first start. He surrendered 6 catches in 8 targets and had a 110.9 passer rating against.