The New York Giants committed nine penalties for 95 yards in their 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday but there was one that stood out.
The defensive pass interference call on Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in the first quarter seemed a little egregious.
At the 5:32 mark of the first quarter, Minnesota had a third-and-7 on their own 37. Quarterback Sam Darnold hoisted a pass in the direction of wide receiver Jordan Addison down the right side of the field. Jackson got there in what seemed to be a timely fashion and broke the pass up.
Replays showed Jackson may have gotten there a split second too soon but he also had his head turned around facing the ball, which was underthrown.
A flag was thrown. Jackson — and many others — objected, but to no avail.
Pass interference pic.twitter.com/iLBsC7bF7y
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) September 8, 2024
A frustrated Jackson vented to the New York Post after the game.
Was it a bad call? Should it actually have been offensive pass interference against receiver Jordan Addison, who seemed to initiate contact by jumping onto Jackson’s back to get to an underthrown pass by Sam Darnold?
“He knows it,” Jackson said. “When I say ‘he,’ the ref. That’s why he wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t talk to me. You saw Addison almost pull my damn helmet off. I turned and looked for the ball. I can’t do anything about it.”
The penalty went for 36 yards, giving the Vikings a first down on the Giants’ 27. Three plays later, Aaron Jones scampered into the end zone to give Minnesota a 7-3 lead.
“The ref is sorry,” Jackson continued. “He can hear me say that. He needs to be fined just like they fine us on different things. That was a BS call. He knows it. I wouldn’t look at me either if I knew I made a bad call.
“You heard the crowd reaction. You looked at the screen and saw it. So, he knows he made a bad call. And he threw it late. Come on.”
It was just one of many things that did not go the Giants’ way on Sunday.
Jackson, who played the last three seasons with Big Blue, was playing despite just being signed “off the couch” last week. He had been a free agent since March and did not have the benefit of the offseason program or training camp.
Jackson was signed due to his familiarity with new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s system from their days in Tennessee together. He played just 19 of the Giants’ 55 defensive snaps on Sunday, making two tackles but gave the Giants’ young secondary a veteran to lean on.
