EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Giants needed to grasp the stakes of Monday night time’s recreation towards the Seahawks. They entered the matchup with a 1-2 report due to a miraculous second-half comeback towards the Cardinals in Week 2 sandwiched between blowout losses to the Cowboys and 49ers.
With highway matchups towards AFC East powers Miami and Buffalo on deck, the Giants had to win Monday night time’s house recreation towards the Seahawks. However they weren’t even aggressive.
The Seahawks rolled to a 24-3 win that didn’t even appear that shut. The Giants have been a sloppy, dysfunctional mess, which is even tougher to abdomen contemplating they have been coming off an prolonged 11-day break after their 30-12 loss to the 49ers in Week 3.
This was the kind of mismatch that stored the researchers on the Elias Sports activities Bureau busy analyzing the historic nature of the Giants’ futility. The Giants allowed 11 sacks, which was essentially the most in franchise historical past. The Seahawks entered the sport with simply 5 sacks in three video games.
The Giants have now been out-scored 64-3 of their two house video games this season. They’ve dedicated six turnovers and allowed 18 sacks in these two video games. For the season, the Giants have been out-scored 122-46. Their -76 level differential is the worst within the league by 14 factors.
The Giants have clung to the truth that the core of the staff that received a playoff recreation final season continues to be intact. However the actuality is that this group has been trending within the fallacious route since their magical 7-2 begin to final season. The Giants are 4-9-1 of their previous 14 video games. They’ve been out-scored 382-259 throughout that stretch.
The reality is many of the Giants’ homegrown gamers are extra aware of dropping than final season’s success. The Giants have began at the least 1-5 in 4 of their previous six seasons. The same slide is staring them within the face with the daunting highway schedule forward.
“It may undoubtedly go sideways,” security Xavier McKinney mentioned. “I’ve been part of a staff the place it has gone sideways. I do perceive this league, it’s powerful, and also you’ve obtained to have the ability to reply shortly, or it may go south.”
Making the Giants’ pitiful begin extra painful is that the entire nation has had a front-row seat to the carnage. The Giants’ three losses — by a mixed rating of 94-15 — have all are available in nationally televised prime-time video games.
That publicity has made the Giants simple targets. They have been trolled by Arik Armstead after Monday’s recreation, because the 49ers defensive finish lamented Giants quarterback Daniel Jones not giving San Francisco’s move rushers the identical alternative to rack up sacks.
Daniel Jones I’m so upset in you… why would you’d throw the ball so fast vs us after which let these folks have a profession day ? ….. why weren’t we deserving ? 😂😂😂😂
— Arik Armstead (@arikarmstead) October 3, 2023
The Giants, who will face the Tremendous Bowl-contending Payments on Sunday Evening Soccer in two weeks, have sufficient issues with out being bothered by photographs coming from across the league.
“We now have to be higher,” McKinney mentioned. “I don’t actually care what everyone else is saying.”
The lingering query from a somber locker room on Monday night time was how issues can get rotated. Nobody appeared to have a straightforward answer.
“I don’t have the solutions,” tight finish Darren Waller mentioned. “I can’t inform anyone else methods to do their job. All I can do is do what I’m requested to do and go on the market and attempt to execute.”
The Giants higher determine one thing out quick. In any other case, final season’s journey to the playoffs goes to look like an aberration blended into the franchise’s decade-plus stretch of ineptitude.
Listed below are 4 extra takeaways on the sport:
Sack ➡️ Fumble
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/oCCaWoAVS9
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2023
Heads will roll?
Daboll mentioned there received’t be any workers adjustments this week. Although followers need somebody’s head on a stake for this abysmal begin, it might be untimely to start out firing coaches 4 video games into the season for a staff that made the playoffs within the first yr of this regime.
Now, that doesn’t imply coaches shouldn’t be on discover. Particular groups coordinator Thomas McGaughey has been with the Giants since 2018, surviving two teaching adjustments. His models have been inconsistent all through his tenure and trending within the fallacious route beneath Daboll.
Monday night time was a horrific displaying on particular groups. The Giants have been flagged for a ridiculous six penalties on particular groups, together with an pointless roughness penalty on Gary Brightwell for pushing a Seahawk after the play. That compelled the Giants to start out a drive at their very own 10-yard line.
The Giants have been flagged for 2 penalties when Seattle was punting the ball within the final minute of the primary half. A maintain on Cam Brown was accepted, which gave the Seahawks a primary down and allowed them to empty the remainder of the clock.
Rookie Eric Grey muffed a first-quarter punt that the Giants have been lucky Nick McCloud recovered. The Giants had been enjoying with hearth with Grey, who regarded uncomfortable all through coaching camp in a task he didn’t play a lot in faculty.
Grey was changed for the remainder of the sport by cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. That call is Daboll’s, and it’s exhausting to grasp how he may danger his No. 1 nook once more after the Giants misplaced Jackson for seven video games final season because of a knee harm he suffered on a punt return.
And it’s not even like Jackson is a game-breaking returner. He, too, regarded uncomfortable Monday night time, letting a number of punts bounce and roll. It’s exhausting to understand why the Giants don’t use broad receiver Sterling Shepard because the punt returner, since he has no position on the offense.
Extra coaches within the crosshairs
Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson can be within the crosshairs. The Giants offensive line has been a weak spot for greater than a decade, and Johnson has carried out nothing to reverse that pattern.
It actually doesn’t assist that All-Professional left deal with Andrew Thomas has been sidelined for 3 video games with a hamstring harm he suffered on the primary sequence of the season. Thomas suffered a setback throughout Thursday’s follow, and it’s not clear when he’ll be able to return.
However the absence of Thomas doesn’t excuse the entire incompetence of the offensive line. Proper deal with Evan Neal, who was the seventh decide in final yr’s draft, has made no noticeable enhancements.
Sack No. 10 on the night time!
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/2VzvbF0BBH
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2023
Two different members of the 2022 draft class — third-rounder Josh Ezeudu and proper guard Marcus McKethan — look utterly overwhelmed. Ezeudu was drafted to play guard, and he appeared over his head at left deal with on Monday night time. A despondent Ezeudu remained in his uniform and stared into his locker for the complete postgame media availability, as gamers and coaches checked in with encouraging phrases.
The Giants misplaced rookie middle John Michael Schmitz within the first quarter to a shoulder harm, forcing Ben Bredeson to shift from left guard to middle. There was no phrase after Monday’s recreation on the severity of Schmitz’s harm.
The Seahawks have been enjoying with a makeshift line as properly, with each beginning tackles dominated out earlier than the sport and each beginning guards misplaced throughout the recreation. However Seattle nonetheless resembled a purposeful NFL offensive line.
Johnson was Daboll’s first rent, which ought to give him much more safety. They labored collectively for 3 years in Buffalo earlier than Daboll handpicked Johnson to fill what he knew could be a significant place on his workers.
No magic contact
Daboll must do some soul-searching earlier than he can think about making any adjustments to his workers. No matter magic contact he had throughout his debut season has vanished.
The Giants have been out-scored 77-9 in first halves this season. That’s a horrible reflection of the teaching workers’s capacity to have the gamers prepared.
The enduring picture of Monday’s recreation was Daboll flipping a pill in disgust and strolling away as Jones stored his eye centered on the pill in his fingers after a vital interception.
“I used to be making an attempt to indicate him — form of see what he thought after which I inform him what I noticed,” Daboll mentioned.
Trailing 14-3, the Giants ran the ball on third-and-11 from their very own 24-yard line with simply over one minute remaining within the first half. Matt Breida gained 4 yards and the Giants punted, as boos rained down from a stressed MetLife Stadium crowd.
Daboll defined the seemingly passive play name as a “miscommunication.”
“Daniel thought he heard one factor, and it was one other factor and miscommunication,” Daboll mentioned.
It’s exhausting to say what’s worse: Being that conservative deliberately in that spot or having a miscommunication that leads to the fallacious play being run. Both method, it was a emblematic of the mess the Giants have been in Monday night time.
GO DEEPER
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Who’s guilty?
There’s a standard debate amongst Giants followers about who’s guilty for the offensive woes: Jones or the road. Everybody ought to be capable to unite and agree that each have been the issue Monday night time.
The offensive line was horrific, and Jones typically needed to run for his life simply maintain performs alive. He made a superb play to evade a free rusher and scramble 10 yards for a primary down on fourth-and-1 late within the third quarter.
That play put the Giants, who trailed 14-3, contained in the Seahawks’ 10-yard line with a first-rate alternative to tug inside one rating. However the recreation flipped straight away when Jones made what he referred to as a “horrible determination,” throwing a move to broad receiver Parris Campbell that was intercepted by Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
DROP THE 🥄 RIGHT NOW Y’ALL
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/21UWsZ2Ft9
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2023
Witherspoon raced 97 yards for a landing that sealed the sport. It was alarming that Witherspoon, who’s a rookie, instructed NFL Community after the sport that he knew Jones “favored to stare down his first goal,” which helped him bounce the route.
Jones accomplished 27-of-34 passes for 203 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, whereas including 10 carries for 66 yards. He additionally misplaced a fumble when he had the ball chopped out of his hand from behind whereas making an attempt to keep away from a sack late within the first quarter. The Seahawks returned the fumble to New York’s 7-yard line and scored a landing two performs later to take a 7-0 lead.
Enjoying a second straight recreation with out working again Saquon Barkley (ankle), the Giants tried to dial up photographs within the passing recreation, with rookie broad receiver Jalin Hyatt getting essentially the most enjoying time of his younger profession. However on the uncommon events when the move safety held up, Jones didn’t try any throws downfield.
Tight finish Darren Waller, who was compelled to chip block to assist the tackles, was invisible. Till he added two catches in rubbish time, Waller’s one reception was matched by Bredeson, who hauled in a tipped move early within the fourth quarter. Waller completed with three catches for 21 yards.
Backup Tyrod Taylor mercifully completed the sport, changing Jones for a couple of handoffs to expire the clock.
“We’re not enjoying properly proper now, not teaching properly proper now,” coach Brian Daboll mentioned. “So, obtained to do rather a lot higher.”
(Photograph: Sarah Stier / Getty Pictures)
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