I agree with you about them needing an armored vehicle and using better tactics.
From what I read, I’m glad I made the decision not to watch.
The hardcore walking dead fan site posted a slowed down audio and transcript of the beating and you can clearly hear Maggie yell “GLENN”! After the first hit, you can also hear Glenn say “Maggie stay down” Abraham can also be heard saying “Oh Glenn” or something to that effect and Rick is also heard telling Glenn to “hang in there”.