It’s been a rough few weeks for the New York Giants, who have gone 1-2 over their last three games with losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
Their Week 11 loss to the Lions was their ugliest performance of the year — by far — and it was made worse by an entirely new wave of injuries. At least five players went down hurt, including cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, and it’s unlikely any will return in the near future.
But the Giants have no time to sulk or commiserate. They have a quick turnaround and a Week 12 game against the Dallas Cowboys looming on Thursday.
“We’re going to come in tomorrow and get ready for Dallas. That’s all we can do,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “We got to put this one in the rear view pretty quickly. I’ve been part of Thanksgiving games, or obviously Thursday games for a while out there; that’s what you got to do. Put it to bed and get ready to play Dallas.”
Players usually hate a quick turnaround but these Giants are already anxious to turn the page and move on from the loss to Detroit.
“I think we’re all already anxious to get this taste out of our mouths and come back and play a much better football game,” quarterback Daniel Jones said.
“It’s on to Dallas. We can’t dwell on this game,” safety Julian Love added.
But not everyone wants to get over the Lions loss so quickly. Jackson, who may not play in Week 12 due to his knee injury, feels like the letdown against Detroit can serve as a little extra motivation.
“You’ve got to forget about it. But at the same time, keep that taste in your mouth a little bit,” Jackson said. “I understand you don’t like how it ended up. Guys came out to play. They were going crazy making plays. For us, you can’t harp on it for too long because we play in three days. You soak it in and think about this for not even 24 hours.”
The Giants face a much more difficult schedule over the coming weeks and that makes the Thanksgiving Day game a near must-win. They need to stop the spiral as quickly as possible, but will have to do it shorthanded.