Giants Drop to 0-5 After Heartbreaking Loss to Cowboys

The Good

For the first time all season, the offense is the main highlight this week for the Giants. The offense was able to put up 27 of the 34 points the Giants scored this week. Whatever Jason Garrett did differently this week must have worked.

While Daniel Jones did not have an eye-popping week in terms of stats, he played better. Jones finished the week with 222 yards passing, no interceptions and an 80.6 passer rating. The only blemishes for the week would be the no touchdowns and his one fumble.

Despite those two blemishes, Jones did his job, and he did it quite well. Jones was much smarter with the ball this week. Instead of heaving it downfield when under pressure, Jones instead either threw it out of bounds or at the ground. This situational awareness is what Giants fans have been begging to see.

Jones did play well, but he was in no way the star for the Giants in this game. That distinct honor belongs to none other than Darius Slayton. Slayton had one of the best games of his young career. The second-year wideout finished his day off with eight receptions on 11 targets for 129 yards. This was Slayton’s second-best yardage, target and reception total in his career.

For Slayton, this was his second 100+ yard receiving day this season and just his fourth time in 19 games. The Giants are hoping this is a sign of what he can be and not just a lucky day. If Slayton is able to keep this up, he can and will be a star in this league.

The Bad and The Ugly

For the Giants, the defense has been a strength for the majority of games this season. The same could not be said for this week. Big Blues’ defense did not play well after the first quarter. The first quarter saw the Giants’ defense let up just three points while also forcing one punt and one interception returned for a touchdown.

That was about it in terms of highlights for the defense this week. In the second quarter, the defense had both drives against them go for touchdowns. The third quarter was decent, as one drive went for a touchdown and the other was a punt. In the fourth, they got a fumble on a bad snap, but also let the Cowboys sustain a long drive to make it a one-score game and then let them kick a game-winning field goal.

The Giants’ defense let a season-high of 37 points in the loss and was absolutely torched. Between Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton, the Giants let up nearly 300 yards passing and then nearly another 100 yards on the ground from Ezekiel Elliot. The Cowboys managed to get 400+ yards of offense in the game.

The secondary continued to be an issue this week. CeeDee Lamb kept up with Slayton as he got eight receptions on 11 targets and 124 yards. This was not even the worst part, however. On the last drive, Micheal Gallup had completions of 19 and then 38 yards on back to back plays. Gallup only finished the game with four receptions and 73 yards.

The Giants’ defense, or, rather, the secondary, just collapsed, especially on the last drive. All they needed to do was make the stop then and give the Giants a chance in overtime. However, they were essentially Swiss cheese and handed the game to the Cowboys in the end.

Verdict

The Giants should be happy about the fact that the offense showed signs of life. Offensively, the Giants should feel better at least and should have some hope moving forward. The defense and, more specifically, the secondary, needs to start stepping up. Being burned like they just were is not a way to win.

Joe Judge needs to somehow get the offense and the defense to play well on the same days. We have seen flashes of brilliance from the Giants’ defense. We can now also say we have seen those same flashes of brilliance from he offense. Now, we need to see those flashes happen all in the same game.

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