Frustration is mounting for the Giants after two blowouts.
The Giants have been in a tailspin since the start of the season, and now with two-and-a-half months and seven games remaining, they are all but lost. The last two weeks have been disastrous. On Sunday, the Giants lost to the struggling Raiders, 30-6, in Las Vegas for the first time since interim coach Antonio Pierce took over. It was bad, but it wasn’t as bad as Sunday, when Brian Daboll’s team looked like it didn’t belong in the NFL, losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 49-17.
The Giants gave it their all, but it didn’t pay off. For the second time in three weeks, Dallas was better. The Cowboys had blown out New York in the season opener, 40-0, and have outscored them 89-17 this year.
The talking, however, is even more concerning. After the Giants’ loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, safety Xavier McKinney accused the coaches of not allowing the leaders to lead and of not listening to players’ ideas. Veteran receiver Sterling Shepard and defensive end Darius Slayton, along with running back Saquon Barkley, exchanged words on the sidelines. What they said wasn’t important, but it was ugly. The finger-pointing has to stop or at least be kept to a minimum.
The Giants are in this situation because of the injuries of their starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, and his backup, Tyrod Taylor. The team is not as talented as it appeared to be after its 9-7 season and first playoff berth in 2016.
“Look, we’re all human,” said Daboll on Monday. “We all want to win. We work hard to achieve that goal. We have extra meetings, we stay late as long as we can, we have good practice habits, and I think we take pride in those things, but it hasn’t translated into results.”
All the Giants can do now is continue to work and hope co-owner John Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch will have the good sense not to let Daboll become the latest Giants coach to spend less than two full seasons in the job. The trend began in 2016 when Ben McAdoo took over, followed by Steve spagnuolo on a short-term basis in December 2017, Pat Shurmur for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, and Joe Judge for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The 2021 success followed the 2022 flop, which, at the very least, will likely result in a good draft pick for New York.
What’s working
Jamie Gillan kicked seven times for 50 yards and a 45.9 yards net against Dallas, putting him in the top five of the league in net punting.
What isn’t working
The Giants’ defense hasn’t been the same since losing lineman Leonard Williams at the deadline to the Seattle Seahawks. The Giants ran 77 plays for 8.3 yards, gained 472 yards and held the ball for over 37 minutes. They had 32 first downs, converting 6 of 12 third-down opportunities.
STOCK UP
Quarterback Tommy DeVito, an undrafted free agent who lives at home in Cedar Grove, N.J., made his first start for the Giants and completed 14 of 27 passes for 86 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had seven carries for 41 yards. Most importantly, he kept the team in the huddle in a hostile environment at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The entire Giants organization needs to get back on track. This season has been a disaster, and it’s only going to get worse with so many players bickering. The Giants simply need to show that they can compete.
In addition to Thibodeaux’s concussion, the Giants also lost CB Deonte Banks and CB Cor’Dale Flatt’s shoulder and ankle, respectively. Banks and Flott did not return in the second half. Flott’s interception was his first of the season, and one of two for New York. Holmes intercepted the other one.
640 – Sunday’s total yards allowed by the Cowboys is the second-most allowed by the Giants in a game since 1925 (682 yards against the Chicago Bears 56-7 in 1943).
What’s Next for the Giants?
The Giants’ two-game winning streak is over, and the next two games are against the Commanders, who are 4-6, and the Patriots, who are 2-8. After that, they have a bye week.
