They were outclassed by the 49ers.
They were out-coached by the Seahawks.
They were overmatched by the Dolphins.
They deserved better against the Bills.
The much maligned Giants defense held the third best offense in the NFL scoreless through three quarters. Bobby Okereke had his best game as a Giant, forcing a fumble and an interception. It was the second game in a row the Giants won the turnover battle. And had Tyrod Taylor not had the brain fart of the century on the last play of the first half, New York would now most likely be 2-4 instead of 1-5.
It was a play that, like so many this season, has come to define the Giants. With 14 seconds left in the 2nd quarter and no timeouts, Taylor, for some strange reason, called an option audible at the one yard line and handed the ball off to Saquon Barkly, who was stuffed at the goal line. The clock ran out before Taylor could spike the football.
A visibly upset Brian Daboll let Taylor have it on the sidelines. But the damage was done. Instead of being up 9-0, or perhaps 13-0, going in at halftime, the Giants were forced to settle for a 6-0 lead. We all know what happened. The Bills eventually broke through and scored two 4th quarter touchdowns en route to a 14-9 victory. The final play of the game for the G-Men was a pass attempt by Taylor to Darren Waller in the end zone that was incomplete thanks to a no-call on what should've been a holding penalty on Bills cornerback Taron Johnson. It was a fitting end to another bittersweet loss.
Their outstanding defensive effort notwithstanding, the Giants, once again, failed to score an offensive touchdown. That's three games in a row now. Take away the four they had against the lowly Cardinals, and the Jints have scored exactly one offensive touchdown all year.
Pitiful doesn't begin to describe their level of play. Even in Ben McAdoo's second season as head coach - the one where he went 2-10 and was fired - they were more competitive with the football. I'm not suggesting that Daboll should lose his job; just pointing out that what's happening here doesn't bode well for him or his staff.
How can a team that was so disciplined and creative offensively one year be so inept the next? The acquisitions Joe Schoen made during the offseason were supposed to make this team more explosive. If this is explosive, I'd hate to see what comatose looks like.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there's plenty of blame to go around here. A porous O-line; bad decision making by the QB; bewildering coaching decisions. It's like watching a comedy that isn't funny. And when I look ahead at the remaining schedule, I don't see much hope. Unless something fundamentally changes, this team could well go 3-14, or worse.
You tell me: Washington (twice), the Jets, the Raiders, the Cowboys, the Patriots, the Packers, the Saints, the Rams and the Eagles (twice). Ok, maybe 4-13. MAYBE.
Rebuilding a football team takes time and patience, I realize. But after a playoff appearance last season, there was a reasonable expectation by the fanbase that this team had turned a corner.
About the only thing the Giants are turning this season are stomachs.
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