Studs and duds from New York Giants’ Week 9 loss to 49ers

The New York Giants came into Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium hoping to extend their home winning streak behind rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart to three games.

Playing without three of their five starting defensive backs took its toll as the struggling 49ers offense was able to sustain several long scoring drives against the Giants’ depleted unit.

Here’s a breakdown of the studs, duds, and in-betweens from the Giants’ 34-24 Week 9 loss to the 49ers.

Stud: QB Jaxson Dart

Another gutsy showing for the rookie, perhaps too gutsy. He’d better learn how to avoid contact, or he’ll be joining his buddy Cam Skattebo on the sidelines. He took several big hits in the game, and the coaching staff has to reel him in before this gets out of hand. But that aside, Jaxson Dart had three total touchdowns, and who knows how many more he could have had if his receivers had hung onto the football.

Dud: Giants running backs

With Cam Skattebo out, the opportunity was there in this game for Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary. Neither took advantage. They combined for 61 yards on 13 carries and five receptions for 27 yards. Ho-hum.

Stud: LB Brian Burns

Brian Burns continues to play at a Pro Bowl level, making four total stops, including his 11th sack of the season. He also forced a fumble and had a pass defensed. He has been one of the few bright spots in what has become another dismal Giants season.

Dud: Giants’ red zone defense

The Niners came into this game 21st in red zone offense. They converted on four of their five trips in this game, scoring on passes from Mac Jones to Juaun Jennings and Christian McCaffrey and twice more on runs by McCaffrey and Brian Robinson. The Giants entered the game ranked 27th in the NFL in red-zone defense. After this performance, they’ll sink further.

Stud: WR Wan’Dale Robinson

Wan’Dale Robinson is still seeking his niche in this offense. He has some plays designed for him, and then he gets the dumpoffs when Dart checks down. In this game, Robinson was targeted 11 times, catching nine for a total of 46 yards with a long of nine. Not very impressive, but considering the Giants struggled in the passing game, it’s the best we got.

Duds: TE Theo Johnson and WR Darius Slayton

What’s good about these two is that they can get open and make big plays. What’s not so good is that they leave big plays out on the field by dropping key passes. Theo Johnson made a nice 15-yard catch, run, and dive for the pylon to open the scoring, but then dropped a key third-down pass from Dart that killed a drive. Darius Slayton looked smooth in catching five passes for 62 yards, but then had a touchdown stripped out of his hands.