Effectively, no less than the Giants received Kenny Golladay off the schneid.
That about sums up the perfect factor that may be stated concerning the Giants’ day Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the place they have been dominated by the Lions 31-18.
Their maligned receiver, who wears that $72 million free-agent contract round his neck like a cinder-block necklace, eclipsed his 2022 manufacturing with two catches (his first receptions because the season opener) for 29 yards.
So, Golladay, who drew the loudest response from Giants followers on this desultory day — albeit Bronx cheers — received his.
As for the remainder of the Giants?
For the primary time this season, they stunk. Throughout the board — teaching, offense, protection particular groups, all the pieces.
“Nothing,’’ Giants head coach Brian Daboll stated, “was adequate.’’
After a pause, Daboll added, “Nothing was as much as normal.’’
The Giants dropped to 7-3 and misplaced 5 beginning gamers to accidents within the sport. And now they face a fast turnaround with a tough Thanksgiving street sport towards the 7-3 Cowboys in 4 days, probably looking at a two-game shedding streak and three losses of their previous 4 video games.
After the feel-good first 9 video games of this sudden shock of a season that was imagined to be a whole rebuild with a brand new regime, Daboll now faces his first mini-crisis.
His crew on Sunday seemed just like the less-prepared, less-physical, less-hungry crew towards a crew it was imagined to beat.
The Giants turned the ball over thrice, resulting in 17 Detroit factors, dedicated eight penalties, a number of of which have been game-turning killers. Their finest offensive participant, working again Saquon Barkley, was held to 22 yards on 15 carries by a Detroit protection that entered the sport ranked thirty first within the NFL in run protection.
“If in case you have three turnovers and the opposite crew has zero,’’ Daboll stated, “you’re in all probability going to lose each sport.’’
Making issues worse for Daboll, the curious choice by him and his teaching employees to make use of beginning cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, one among their most respected defensive gamers, because the punt returner blew up in everybody’s faces Sunday when Jackson was misplaced for the following a number of weeks with a knee harm whereas making a 3-yard return early within the second quarter.
Daboll started having Jackson share punt-return duties with Richie James final week after James muffed two punt returns in Seattle. It was a foul concept on the time and Sunday solely bolstered that.
“Look, it’s soccer’’ Daboll stated. “Clearly, it was unlucky. There’s a danger enjoying each participant, no matter what the place is.’’
That, although, was a danger merely not value taking, as a result of it’s not as if Jackson is a few kind of Deion Sanders game-breaker. And contemplate this: The sport-winning punt return for a TD by New England’s Marcus Jones on the finish of the Jets sport Sunday was the primary punt return for a TD within the NFL this season.
The Jackson harm — as a result of it got here whereas he was returning a punt he ought to by no means have been fielding within the first place — represented an unsightly stain on what was already an inexcusable, sloppy mess of a day for the Giants.
So, now we see how Daboll and his crew reply to the primary true adversity that’s rattled this feel-good, overachieving season that had folks speaking about them profitable the NFC East and Daboll as Coach of the 12 months.
There may be, in fact, nonetheless time and chance for these issues to occur, however Sunday represented an alarming three hours of what Giants followers hope isn't a glimpse on the closing seven video games of this season to return.
Daboll’s message to his gamers within the instant aftermath of their worst efficiency of the season was all about shifting on shortly.
“We’re all already anxious to get this style out of our mouths and are available again and play a significantly better soccer sport,’’ stated Daniel Jones, who threw two interceptions.
“We’ve received a fast turnaround, division opponent, study from this sport, put it behind us however all eyes are on Dallas,’’ Giants heart Jon Feliciano stated of Daboll’s postgame message. “We will’t dwell. If we dwell on this we lose to Dallas and we’re 7-4 and we are able to’t … we’ve received to get going.’’
Requested how a lot this sport had “shaken’’ the Giants confidence, Barkley’s response got here with some defiance in his voice: “Zero.’’
“We’re not going to panic,’’ Barkley went on. “We’re not going to fret. We’re not going to waver in any respect.”
You can also make the argument that this crew, after having received its share of video games it wasn’t imagined to win this season, was due for a stinker. You can too make the argument that the six key gamers misplaced to accidents on Sunday turned too debilitating to beat.
However the Giants, of their hearts, know higher. They stunk.
“There’s no excuses,’’ Daboll stated.
The proper reply on a day when all the pieces went fallacious.
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