The New York Giants fell to 2-6 on the season after a disappointing 31-26 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday.
Here are three takeaways from the latest loss (which is beginning to feel like a broken record):
The new culture isn’t much different than the old one
General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur preached about changing the culture here. At 2-6, they are still a doormat and all that’s changed are a lot of the faces. Since the two men took the helm of this team, their record is a deflating 7-17.
The losing has permeated the foundation of this team, especially for the players who have been here for more than the past two seasons. They called a players-only meeting for Monday. In my experience, players-only meetings are a signal that the coaching staff isn’t getting the job done.
“Everybody is accountable,” defensive captain Alec Ogletree said. “But it’s just about making sure we’re doing the right things all the time.”
“We’re all frustrated,” said rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. “I think it’s tough losing games like this, and we know we’ve got to play better, we’ve got to make more plays. But, we’re certainly frustrated, but like last week, we’re not going to let it affect our preparation into this week. We’re not discouraged, and we are going to make sure that like I said, it doesn’t affect our preparation, and we attack this opportunity next week.”
The Giants did a lot of things right, and still lost
The sign of a good football team is they take advantage of what is given to them and to play a clean game. The Giants can’t seem to get out of their own way. The Giants won the time of possession, the turnover battle and committed less penalties than Detroit, but still ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
The game could be summed up in three plays. Daniel Jones’ “fumble” — the backwards pass to Saquon Barkley that got scooped up by Devon Kennard and run in for a 13-yard touchdown and two deep passes that went uncontested down the middle of the field.
On the fumble, Barkley claimed he should have mead more of an effort to recover the ball.
“Then there’s no excuse. That’s not who I am. That’s not the type of player I am. That’s not the reason why I’m captain. I have to have better effort on that play. C.J., (running backs) coach (Craig) Johnson, stresses that all the time. When you’re in swings and the ball goes down, just in case, cover it, cover it, cover it. I lacked effort there, in my opinion. I have to be better for my team.” he said.
The two deep passes caught the Giants napping. The Lions inserted speedster Marvin Hall in the slot on a 3rd-and-15 from their 49 in the first quarter and Hall raced straight up the seam, selling in a perfect pass from Matthew Stafford. The second play was on a “throwback” — a flea flicker — that went to a wide open Kenny Golladay for a 41-yard touchdown.
Jones might be the only ray of hope
Imagine if the Giants didn’t make the switch at quarterback from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones? This season might be uglier than it already is. Jones threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions (that counted) on Sunday.
Jones hooked up with fellow rookie Darius Slayton on two of those scores in a show of chemistry that could be a harbinger of a core relationship going forward. Slayton made two difficult grabs in tight windows with his back to the end zone, meaning he has the presence to look back for the football — the sign of a good wideout in this league.
Jones also stood tall in the pocket, commanded the huddle like a pro and didn’t let the early 14-0 deficit rattle him.
“He battled throughout the game,” Shurmur said. “All of the things that we see all of the time. He was in it all the way to the end to win it. He’s a gritty, tough young man that has a bright future.”
