A Tale of Two Halves

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

- Charles Dickens
 

Wow, who knew Dickens was a Giants fan?

As they limped off the field at halftime in Glendale, Arizona, the Jints were trailing the Cardinals 20-0. The only reason it wasn't 27-0 was because Cardinals quarterback Joshua Hobbs missed a wide open Zach Ertz near the end zone.

Over their first six quarters, the Giants had been blanked. The last two teams to pull off that "feat" were the 1992 Patriots and the 1978 Colts. Big Blue had five possessions in the first half: three punts, an interception and a sack to end the half. There was little reason to believe things would be any different in the second half. 

And then, as if inspired by divine intervention, the Giants had a second half for the ages, outscoring the Cardinals 31-8. They converted on all five of their possessions, including the game-winning field goal with 19 seconds left. Daniel Jones completed 17 of 21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 44 yards and the team's first touchdown of the year. And just like that, a season of light has pre-empted - for now - a season of darkness. Dickens couldn't have scripted it any better.

The Giants 20 point comeback was their largest in the Super Bowl era. The previous largest comeback in the Super Bowl era was 19 points in Week 9 of the 1970 season against the Washington Redskins. As any sports fan who was around at the time knows, the '70s were not particularly kind to both New York area football teams, especially the Giants.

Let's not mince words here. The Giants pulled a rabbit out of the hat - figuratively speaking - with that second half performance. They were being dominated on both sides of the ball by a Cardinals team that even with Kyler Murray at the helm in 2022 managed to win just four games. Going into this season, Arizona was the odds-on favorite to land the number one pick in the '24 draft. A Giants loss would've ostensibly ended their season. 

Even with the win, Big Blue is still not out of the woods. That's because their next four games will be against playoff teams, three of which are considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders. If the Giants have any hope of winning any of them, they must avoid the kind of putrid play they displayed over the first six quarters of their season.

Whatever pearls of wisdom head coach Brian Daboll bestowed on his troops at halftime Sunday - and I would loved to have been a fly on the wall in that locker room - he'd be well advised to repeat before they take the field at Levi's Stadium Thursday night. Because I can assure you if the Giants fall behind 20-0 against the 49ers in the first half, there will be no miraculous comeback in the second half. Pound for pound, San Francisco might be the most complete team in the NFL. If the Giants don't bring their "A" game, things will get ugly fast, and they will stay that way. You can bet the ranch on that, and your kids tuition, as well.

Unfortunately, that "A" game will be missing an important cog. Saquon Barkley injured his right ankle on the last Giants possession of the game and had to be helped off the field. An MRI revealed a normal ankle sprain, meaning the all-pro running back will likely miss the next two to three games. Without Barkley in the backfield, Jones will have to carry the offensive load. To some extent, this might be the best thing that could've happened to the Giants. Sooner or later, they are going to have to find out whether their $160 million quarterback is the next Eli Manning or the next Kenny Pickett. Now is as good a time as any.

Yes, Sunday's comeback win was indeed something to behold. Giants fans who were despondent after the first 30 minutes, were jubilant after the game. How long that jubilance lasts, however, remains to be seen.

Ain't That Pretty At All

You know, I just had a short vacation, Roy
Spent it getting a root canal
"Oh, how'd you like it?"
Well, it ain't that pretty at all

- Warren Zevon

With all due respect to the late Mr. Zevon, last night's "contest" at MetLife Stadium between the Giants and the Cowboys may not have been as painful as getting a root canal, but it definitely wasn't pretty at all. In fact, it was the ugliest game I've seen this franchise play in my lifetime, which includes the infamous "double reverse handoff" to Larry Csonka that wound up in the hands of Herman Edwards of the Eagles.

It started so promisingly. The Giants took the opening kickoff and drove down the field. Daniel Jones was doing what he'd done all last season: using his legs to evade pass rushers and navigating his team towards the end zone. It was 3rd and 2 at the Dallas eight yard line. It looked to all the world like Big Blue was going in for the touchdown.

That was when everything - and I do mean everything - fell apart. A false start by Andrew Thomas - their best offensive lineman last season - backed the Giants up to the Dallas 13 yard line. Now it was 3rd and 7. Still no problem; they should be able to convert, right?

Wrong. Jones was unable to corral a bad snap by rookie center John Michael Schmitz, who was so impressive during the preseason - and instead of 3rd and 7, it was 4th and 21 at the Dallas 27.

Goodbye touchdown. Oh well, at least they'd get a field goal out of it. Enter Graham Gano to attempt what for him should've been a chip shot. 3-0 Giants, right?

Wrong. Juanyeh Thomas of the Cowboys shot past Joshua Ezeudu* and blocked Gano's kick. The ball was picked up by Noah Igbinoghene, who ran it back 58 yards for the touchdown. 6-0 Boys. But like the voice on the advertisement says, "wait, there's more."

A field goal and a pick six made it 16-0 after the first quarter. Another field goal and two-yard run by Tony Pollard made it 26-0 after the second.

The heavens weren't the only thing pouring down on the Jints at halftime.

If you stuck around to watch the second half, you either believe in unicorns or you're a masochist. Because it went from ugly to humiliating. The Cowboys never relented and the Giants never responded. The final score of 40-0 was the second-worst margin of defeat in franchise history. A 45-0 beatdown by the Eagles in 1948 stands as the worst. When you gotta go all the way back to the '40s to bail your ass out, you're pathetic.

In his postgame presser, Head coach Brian Daboll said, "Don't sugarcoat it. It was a bad game." 

A bad game? This team should be so lucky. Calling what happened at the Meadowlands "bad" is like calling the Atlantic ocean wet. The truth is the Cowboys took advantage of a Giants team that looked unprepared and completely overmatched. 

As a rule I am not given to overreacting when it comes to my favorite sports teams. When the Rangers lost game seven against the Devils last spring, I felt it my duty to talk down from the ledge many fans who were convinced the team needed to be tore down and GM Chris Drury fired. A new coach, I argued, could fix what was wrong.

I had high hopes for this team going into their season opener against Dallas; a game I thought they could win. So believe me when I say that I am deeply concerned by what I saw last night. From the quarterback to the offensive line to the defense to the special teams, this was an epic fail across the board. Jones, in particular, looked like he had regressed back to where he was before the arrival of Daboll. Though to be completely fair, he was running for his life most of the game. The seven sacks the Cowboys registered don't begin to describe how dominant their front seven was. Micah Parsons looked liked the second coming of Lawrence Taylor.

But what troubled me the most was the total lack of compete. After the blocked field goal, there was virtually no pushback from Big Blue. They looked more like spectators than athletes. Coming from a team that last season was one of the most resilient teams in the NFL, it was a pitiful display. 

What made it worse was that less than four hours away in New England, the Patriots fell behind the Eagles by an identical 16-0 score in the first quarter. But unlike the Giants, they summoned the testicular  fortitude to make a game of it, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second quarter before eventually losing 25-20, in what turned out to be one of the more entertaining games of the day. In less time than it took the Lusitania to sink, the Giants went out with their collective tails between their legs. Like I said, pitiful.

The Giants won't have much time to feel sorry for themselves. Next Sunday, they fly out to Arizona to play the Cardinals, a game they should and must win. After that, the schedule gets considerably tougher: the 49ers in San Francisco, the Seahawks at home, followed by the Dolphins and Bills on the road. It is not inconceivable that this team could be 1-5 after six games. Last season, they jumped out to a 6-1 start.

Come to think of it, maybe a root canal would've been less painful.

* In an earlier version of this piece I wrote that it was Evan Neal (# 73) that Juanyeh Thomas shot past on the blocked field goal attempt. After reviewing the play several times, I realized it was actually Joshua Ezeudu (# 75) who was the culprit. This doesn't absolve Neal or his other line mates, all of whom had a brutal night.

2023 Giants and NFL Preview

Let's be honest for a moment. Going into last season, you didn't think the Giants would go 9-7-1, make the postseason and actually win a playoff game, did you?

Me neither. In fact, if memory serves, I cautioned Giants fans to manage their expectations, believing that Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll would need time to climb out of the hole the previous administration had dug.

So much for managing expectations. Daboll and his staff did an incredible job. They "fixed" what was wrong with Daniel Jones, and the fifth year quarterback out of Duke responded by having his best season as a pro, passing for 3205 yards, 15 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. He also rushed for 708 yards, 7 touchdowns and only 2 fumbles. His passer rating of 92.5 was the highest of his career, and was better than Dak Prescott, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson and a certain Jets quarterback named Aaron Rodgers.

Saquon Barkley not only stayed healthy - a major accomplishment given his past - he had the second best season of his career, rushing for 1312 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 57 passes for 338 yards. Overall, Barkley accounted for 29 percent of the Giants total yards on offense.

On the other side of the ball defensive coordinator Wink Martindale transformed the Giants defense into a force to be reckoned with. They were 10th in the league in red-zone efficiency, and with the additions that Schoen brought in, there's reason to believe they will improve on that number.

And that's where we begin our preview of this year's Giants team. 

On offense, Jones will have more weapons at his disposal than he had last season. Darren Waller, acquired from the Raiders, will team up with second year tight end Daniel Bellinger to give the Giants a genuine two tight end set for the first time since the Tom Coughlin era. At wide receiver, a full year of Isaiah Hodgins, Sterling Shepard (ACL), rookie phenom Jalin Hyatt and Darius Slayton should stretch opposing defenses a bit more than last year; and Barkley will continue to be what he's always been: a dual threat out of the backfield. There are no Lamar Chases or Tyreek Hills on this roster, but neither are there scrubs. Bottom line, Jones should have more than 15 touchdown passes this season.

On defense, Isaiah Simmons and Bobby Okereke are significant upgrades at inside linebacker; Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari and Dexter Lawrence should continue to improve; and rookies Deonte Banks and Trey Hawkins are expected to fortify a secondary that already has Adoree Jackson, Xavier McKinney and Darnay Holmes in it.

If there is one legitimate concern, it is depth, especially on the offensive line and at linebacker. But anybody that looks objectively at this roster and doesn't see a vast improvement over last season's simply isn't paying attention; or perhaps doesn't want to see it. The fact is Schoen had himself a helluva offseason.

So where will the Giants finish this year? Regrettably, about where they finished last year. The reality is that while the Giants are an improved team, Philadelphia and Dallas are still better. Though I do think the Jints will give the Cowpokes a run for their money for second place. A record of 10-7 and a wildcard spot is possible given the schedule and the talent on this team.

Below are my predictions for the 2023 NFL standings and postseason.

NFC East:
Eagles
Cowboys
Giants
Commanders

NFC North:
Lions
Vikings
Packers
Bears

NFC South:
Saints
Falcons
Buccaneers
Panthers

NFC West:
49ers *
Seahawks
Rams
Cardinals

AFC East:
Bills
Dolphins
Jets
Patriots

AFC North:
Bengals
Ravens
Steelers
Browns

AFC South:
Jaguars
Titans
Colts
Texans

AFC West:
Chiefs *
Chargers
Raiders
Broncos

* Number one seed
Italics: wildcards

Conference championships:

NFC: 49ers over the Eagles

AFC: Chiefs over the Bengals

Super Bowl:

Chiefs over the 49ers