EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ The big offensive play the Giants were waiting for all game _ and really for a number of years _ came too late and they lost the opener to the Jaguars, 20-15, at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
After a sluggish start to his day, Saquon Barkley showed exactly why the Giants selected him with the second overall pick in the draft. He took a handoff up the middle, broke a tackle, cut to the outside, and sprinted down the right sideline for a 68-yard touchdown run with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter.
The electrifying touchdown cut the Jaguars' lead to 20-15 (the Giants failed on a two-point conversion run from Barkley).
It was the kind of explosive play the Giants had been waiting for all game. Unfortunately for them it came two snaps after the Jaguars had one of their own on defense. That happened when Eli Manning's pass was batted at the time of scrimmage by Abry Jones, intercepted by Myles Jack, and returned for a 32-yard touchdown that made it 20-9 with 11:24 left in the fourth.
The Giants had the ball with 4:10 left but couldn't reach the end zone. On fourth-and-6, Manning tried to hit Sterling Shepard down the right sideline but it was broken up by D.J. Hayden. The Giants' defense forced a three-and-out and a punt in the final minute, but Kaelin Clay muffed the return and the Jaguars recovered it with 45 seconds remaining.
The Giants trailed 13-9 heading into the fourth quarter with Manning missing a pair of opportunities to hit Odell Beckham Jr. (11 catches, 111 yards) in the end zone on either side of halftime.
The first came on a second-and-12 play from the Jaguars' 13 when Manning was pressured up the middle and had to throw a floater and hope Beckham could reach it. He could not, and it fell incomplete with 7 seconds left in the second quarter. Aldrick Rosas kicked a field goal to make it 13-6.
The second was on fourth-and-10 from the Jaguars' 33 on the opening drive of the third quarter. Beckham was behind cornerback Jalen Ramsey and open in the end zone, but Manning's pass was slightly overthrown. It too fell incomplete. The Giants later settled for another field goal.
The Jaguars scored the only touchdown through the first three quarters, a 1-yard pass to running back T.J. Yeldon that came after a 15-yard run by the running back. That made it 13-3 with 2:42 left in the second quarter.
