Giants fall to Rams: Winners, losers and those in between

Many believed the New York Giants would be blown out of the water in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, but that’s not exactly how things played out.

A week after being humiliated by the San Francisco 49ers’ backups, the Giants defense came to play against the high-powered Rams offense and held their own for three and a half quarters. Unfortunately, they gave up a big touchdown late and it was more than the anemic offense was able to overcome.

Here’s a look at some winners and losers (and those in between) from Sunday.

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Austin Johnson: Johnson had not played well through three weeks this season, but made his presence felt on Sunday. He didn’t see a boat load of snaps, but managed to record two tackles (one for a loss), one sack, one QB hit and a forced fumble during his share.

Dexter Lawrence: Big Dex is just a player. There’s no other way to put it. He’s an all-around talent who wreck plays, which he did several times on Sunday. He was second on the team with six tackles (one for a loss), but that doesn’t detail his overall production by any stretch of the imgination.

Kyler Fackrell: Although he got banged up and missed some time throughout the game, Fackrell rebounded nicely in Week 4 by recording four tackles (three for a loss), one QB hit and one sack.

Blake Martinez: The veteran Martinez is an absolute tackling machine who just plays sound football. Period. He’s not the greatest player or the most athletic specimen on the field, but he’s a savvy guy who knows what he’s doing and does it well. He finished the day with a team-leading 13 tackles (one for a loss).

Devonta Freeman: With only a few short weeks under his belt, Freeman took the reigns for the Giants on Sunday and played relatively well. He gained 33 yards on 11 carries and added 35 yards on four receptions.

Others: Damion Ratley, Riley Dixon, Wayne Gallman

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Devante Downs: On a day when the Giants played well above expectations, Devante Downs again struggled early and only moderately improved throughout the game. He missed an open field tackle that led to a first-down after giving up too much cushion, and had a few other instances of struggle in coverage.

Andrew Thomas: It’s tough to put Andrew Thomas in the “losers” category because the entire O-line settled down in the second half, but he was regularly abused early on and then committed a damning red zone penalty in the third. Kudos to him slowing the bleed late, but it doesn’t outweigh the terrible start.

Red zone offense: Although the Giants’ offense showed signs of life on Sunday, their red zone issues persist. They failed to score a touchdown on four trips versus the Rams.

FOX broadcast: FOX was late coming back from halftime, missing the opening kickoff and the Rams’ first play of the third quarter — a near interception courtesy of Giants linebacker Tae Crowder. Not ideal.

Others: Isaac Yiadom, Julian Love, Golden Tate

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Daniel Jones: It felt like Jones was right there all day, but came up a little short a time or two. Early on, it was the product of relentless pressure, but during the second half he just missed a few times. He wasn’t helped with four drops and eventually had to use his legs to spark things, which earns some credit. He didn’t turn the ball over all day and positioned the Giants to tie with second remaining, but then tossed a game-ending pick.

Evan Engram: Engram started the game with an opening series drop and again struggled at times while blocking, but rounded things out nicely in the second half and made the most of his opportunities. He finished the game with six receptions on 10 targets for 35 yards.

Tae Crowder: Crowder was involved in two big plays for the Rams, including their mid-fourth quarter touchdown (wasn’t really on him), but he also nearly had an interception to start the second half and created some pressure throughout the game. Not great, but not terrible for the rookie.

Others: Kevin Zeitler, Ryan Lewis, Kaden Smith