The New York Giants had a 99 percent win probability with mere seconds remaining in the fourth quarter on Sunday night but couldn’t get the job done. Instead, they collapsed in historic fashion, falling to the New York Jets, 13-10, in overtime.
After the game, the Jets proudly boasted that “JetLife Stadium” belongs to them and they are now the unquestioned Kings of New York.
Whose stock is up and whose is down after the Week 8 loss? Let’s take a look.
Stock up: Kayvon Thibodeaux
Some Kayvon Thibodeaux critics are going to hone in on his neutral zone infraction that stopped the clock late in the fourth quarter, but the Giants never would have been in the position to win without the second-year linebacker on Sunday.
After a week of odd and unrelenting attacks on New York sports talk radio, Thibodeaux came out on fire. In a career-best performance, he recorded nine tackles (six solo, three for a loss), three QB hits, 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble. He was also very solid against the run.
Stock down: Brian Daboll
Brian Daboll has officially gone from Bono to Bozo, as Giants co-owner John Mara prophesized.
There are going to be staunch defenders of Daboll this week who suggest it’s blasphemy to question him for his team’s failures, but manure rolls downhill. And in this instance, Daboll absolutely deserves the bulk of the blame.
There was no confidence in Tommy DeVito, which calls into question the decision not to activate an emergency QB. His conservative play-calling put the bulk of the pressure on the defense and not only did that turn out to be a bad decision, it was an unfair approach to his players.
Twice opting to kick field goals instead of going for it on a fourth-and-1 also looms large in hindsight. That’s compounded by the news that Graham Gano is playing on a bad leg and requires surgery.
The ballsy, confident Daboll is already a shell of his former self.
Stock up: Saquon Barkley
Everyone on the planet knew that Saquon Barkley was the Giants’ only hope on Sunday and that they’d ride him into the ground. They did, giving the back an unacceptable 36 carries, and the Jets were ready for every single handoff.
Despite that, Barkley still managed to amass 128 yards on the ground while hauling in three passes through the air. And with seconds remaining, he was ready and waiting for the call to end the game — he only needed one yard. Instead, Daboll elected to kick a field goal and the rest is history.
Barkley may have averaged just 3.8 yards per carry but that’s impressive given that it was him versus 11 guys on every handoff.
Stock down: Adoree' Jackson
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson returned from a neck injury on Sunday and immediately proceeded to cost the Giants on defense.
Jackson lost coverage on Allen Lazard, leading to a big gain that set the Jets up for the game-tying field goal. Then, in overtime, he failed to turn his head and committed a blatant pass interference, allowing Gang Green to set up for a short chip shot game-winner.
Very few defenders played poorly in Week 8 but Jackson was one.
Stock up: Micah McFadden
The Giants sure seem to have found a gem in linebacker Micah McFadden, who is showing marked improvement each week.
McFadden did have a missed tackle on Sunday (that led to a touchdown), but he made five others (three solo) and recorded yet another turnover. His fumble recovery late in the second quarter gave him three takeaways on the season, which leads the Giants.
There is obviously room for improvement but McFadden is very much trending in the right direction.
Stock down: Graham Gano
Graham Gano signed a lucrative extension this offseason but has not lived up to it.
The one-time automatic kicker missed two more field goals on Sunday, including a chip shot late in the fourth quarter that would have all but sealed a victory.
Gano is dealing with a bad knee that requires surgery but isn’t making any excuses. He accepted blame after the game and if he’s willing to play hurt, we’re going to blame him, too.
If you can’t do your job, you shouldn’t be playing.
