The New York Giants had victory in their hands on Sunday but couldn’t put the finishing touches on things. A late fourth-quarter collapse led to overtime and Big Blue simply couldn’t get anything done when it mattered most, allowing the New York Jets to steal a victory that never should have been.
For a franchise mired in a decade-plus stretch of unimaginable futility, this Week 8 loss to the Jets takes the cake. And while injuries certainly contributed, the coaching was downright appalling and deserves to be questioned.
Here’s a look at some of the studs and duds (and studly duds) from the team’s latest loss.
STUD: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
After an odd week in which he faced heavy criticism from some WFAN hosts, linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux once again came up big for the Giants. Not only did he record a strip-sack, he played the run well, tackled soundly, and made or contributed to several key stops. He was a menace on Sunday but it came in a losing effort.
DUD: CB Deonte Banks
Rookie cornerback Deonte Banks entered Sunday’s game seeking revenge against Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who got the best of him in college. It did not go as planned. The Jets had little offense working in their favor but what they did came via Wilson, who was often one-on-one with Banks.
STUD: S Jason Pinnock
Safety Jason Pinnock had a day that’s not going to leap off the box score. He recorded just three tackles to go along with a QB hit and a pass defensed, but when the Giants needed him to make a big play, he did. He was in on several key stops, both against the run and the pass, and has strung together several strong performances in recent weeks.
DUD: HC Brian Daboll
Head coach Brian Daboll went heavily conservative even before Tyrod Taylor went down with injury. He passed on a fourth-and-1 that analytics suggest he should have gone for but that was just the tip of the iceberg. He relied on a kicker who needs surgery, failed to activate an emergency quarterback prior to the game, and then completely abandoned the pass in the second half. If not for an overwhelming number of Jets penalties, the damage could have been a lot worse.
STUD: RB Saquon Barkley
The entire world knew that running back Saquon Barkley was going to get the ball on nearly every play once Taylor went down. Despite nursing ankle and elbow injuries, he put on the hard hat and went to work. The only hope the Giants had to win on Sunday was Barkley somehow finding a way. But that’s not how things played out. He finished the game with a remarkable 36 carries for 128 yards.
DUD: K Graham Gano
It was revealed prior to the game that kicker Graham Gano has been dealing with a knee injury that will need surgery to repair. The Giants ran with him anyway and it cost them. Gano missed two field goals in the game, including a chip-shot with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that almost certainly would have secured the win.
STUDLY DUD: QB Tommy DeVito
Rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito was thrust into a completely unacceptable and unfair role on Sunday and then was handcuffed on top of that. He went 0-for-4 passing before the Giants pulled the plug on the air attack and was essentially subjected to being an automatic handoff machine. All except for one, where he perfectly executed an RPO and took the ball in for the touchdown.
When overtime arrived, DeVito tried to pass but couldn’t make anything happen.
Other STUDS
- LB Micah McFadden
- CB Cor’Dale Flott
- WR Gunner Olszewski
Other DUDS
- QB Tyrod Taylor
- OL Mark Glowinski
- RT Tyre Phillips
- OC Mike Kafka
- CB Adoree’ Jackson
