No time to panic as Giants’ razor-thin margins were due for correction

SEATTLE — That is what the Giants do. They offer you agita. It’s who they're, prefer it or not. And it’s not more likely to change anytime quickly. 

This, after all, shouldn't be good for anybody’s well being. Not Giants homeowners John Mara and Steve Tisch. Not head coach Brian Daboll or basic supervisor Joe Schoen. And positively not Giants followers. 

However the Giants at the moment are eight video games into the Daboll-Schoen regime and the widespread denominator to those video games has grow to be fairly clear: Each single one in every of them is a three-hour, three-antacid nail-biter that’s doubtless going to be determined by a landing or much less. 

The Giants aren’t an uber-talented group. They received’t have a number of gamers voted onto the All-Professional roster. Save for rejuvenated (and eventually wholesome) operating again Saquon Barkley, they’re not a workforce with a number of stars. 

And but in some way right here we're by way of eight video games after Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Seahawks earlier than a raucous 68,921 at Lumen Subject: The Giants head to their bye week at 6-2, probably the most unlikely tales within the NFL no matter this loss. 

The Giants entered the sport having trailed their opponents 4 occasions within the fourth quarter, profitable all 4 occasions. On Sunday they entered the fourth quarter trailing the Seahawks 13-10. 

Brian Daboll reacts throughout the Giants’ loss to the Seahawks.

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This time they misplaced. 

They have been by no means going to win all of these items. 

Any Giants fan who was instructed earlier than this season started that the workforce can be 6-2 because it entered the bye week would have signed for that with their very own blood. Any Giants fan that instructed you something completely different would have been both fibbing or just delusional. 

Generally, the opposite shoe drops. On Sunday for the Giants, it dropped. 

Name it a correction. The Giants, for the entire guile they’ve proven this season within the clutch and all of the well-coached moments which have been on show, have been most likely due for one in every of these to go the improper means on them. 

“I’m nonetheless completely happy about the place we’re at,’’ Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams stated. “We now have no cause to hold our heads. That was a very good workforce that we simply performed. We didn’t lose in opposition to any slouches or something like that. We’ve obtained to return Monday and work out why we didn’t win a recreation like this that we rely on profitable.” 

For some time, it regarded just like the Giants would possibly pull one more one in every of these fourth-quarter video games out. They tied it at 13-13 early within the fourth quarter on a 45-yard Graham Gano subject purpose. 

Saquon Barkley is tackled throughout the third quarter.

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That’s when Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, the previous Jet and Big who’s been maligned for many of his profession as a castoff backup, took over the sport, finishing 5 of 5 for 75 yards on the go-ahead drive, climaxing it with a 33-yard strike to Tyler Lockett with 9:18 remaining. 

Then the Giants did issues they’ve not been accustomed to doing on this magical experience by way of the primary seven video games: They made back-breaking errors that sabotaged their probabilities of engineering one more comeback. 

With the Giants trailing simply 20-13 and about to get the ball again, their punt returner Richie James fumbled away his second return of the day. He was separated from the ball by Seattle’s Travis Homer and the ball was recovered by Seattle’s Will Dissly with 6:04 remaining within the recreation. 

Two performs later, the Seahawks capitalized with a 16-yard scoring run by Kenneth Walker for a 27-13 lead. 

Within the second quarter, James had the ball knocked unfastened by a Dissly hit, a turnover that led to a Seattle subject purpose and a 10-7 lead. 

“Taking good care of the ball is one in every of our essential targets and clearly we didn’t do it,’’ Daboll stated. “The ball is essential. We now have to do a greater job of taking good care of it. Richie is aware of you’ve obtained to deal with it and that’s the sport. Flip the ball over in your aspect of the sphere, it’s robust. So, we now have to repair that.’’ 

If Daboll and the Giants took something out of Sunday it’s that there’s a lot to repair, that whereas the 6-1 file getting into the sport wasn’t a mirage, it additionally wasn’t the whole reality about who this workforce is. 

Sunday was a disappointing day for the Giants, however not one which needs to be adopted by panic. It was a correction. The Giants have been by no means actually pretty much as good because the 6-1 file they introduced with them to Seattle. 

And but nonetheless, with the Texans, Lions and two video games with Washington nonetheless remaining on their schedule, a playoff berth, considered inconceivable at the beginning of this season, is hardly out of attain or out of the query for them.