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.