Film breakdown: What happened to Wink Martindale’s defense?

The New York Giants lost 23-16 to the Dallas Cowboys at home in primetime on Monday. Wink Martindale’s defensive unit struggled to pressure Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore deserves a lot of credit for assisting Cooper Rush - his backup quarterback.

The Cowboys had a 2.72 EPA (Expected Points Added) on pass attempts; Moore flooded zones, set up explosive chances, and used a potent lateral rushing attack to extend drives and keep the Giants' defense on the field. Dallas’ total run EPA was 5.35.

Rush threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, along with a dropped would-be touchdown by CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys rushed for 176 yards with excellent pin-pull concepts to the outside. The loss of Leonard Williams was a lot for the Giants to overcome. Here are the PFF grades from the Giants’ offense:

The two coordinators went back and forth with adjustments that are detailed in the video below, but Moore got the best of Martindale in Week 3. Here’s a brief video on the reasons why Moore’s offense got the best of Martindale’s defense on Monday Night Football.