THE STORYLINE:
Other than additional injuries, the opener could not have gone worse for the New York Giants. Every chronic issue reared its ugly head again – poor offensive line play, poor quarterbacking, an inability to run the ball, shoddy run defense, an inability to force turnovers, being less physical than the opponent.
Nothing changed.
Entering Week 2, the Giants are 28th in offense, 32nd in scoring, and 31st in defense. Sound familiar? It’s as if we all went into a coma for eight months, came out of it, and found nothing is different.
I may be overreacting, but it doesn’t feel like it. We’ve seen this movie before, and it’s call Groundhog Day. Unless Brian Daboll can immediately turn this ship around, starting with an upset over the Dallas Cowboys, his days are numbered. If he is fired in four months, it will mainly due to the following:
- Overseeing a historically-inept offense that can’t score.
- Hiring two terrible defensive coordinators.
- Not being able to beat teams in his own division.
Brian Daboll is 0-6 against the Dallas Cowboys. Don’t expect that to change on Sunday.
THE INJURY REPORT:
- WR Malik Nabers (back) – probable
- WR Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle) – questionable
- WR Darius Slayton (groin) – probable
- LT Andrew Thomas (foot) – doubtful
- DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (foot) – doubtful
- ILB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf) – out
GIANTS ON OFFENSE:
In a normal situation, I would be talking about match-ups, strengths versus weaknesses, how to attack the opponent. We’re beyond that. There is something structurally wrong with this franchise, coaching staff, and talent that prevents them from scoring enough points to win. Once again, the Giants are literally at the bottom of the NFL in scoring. Simply stated, the Giants don’t score enough point to win.
What makes this even worse is that the NFL is filled with mediocre football teams with bad quarterbacks and bad offenses. Yet, the Giants are worse than all of them. A huge part of that is the offensive line. A huge part of that is the quarterbacking. A huge part of that must now be attributed to the coaching.
The optimists may be tempted to argue that Dallas’ defense isn’t scary. But guess what? They are 14th after one game. They went into Philadelphia against the NFL Champions and held Saquon Barkley to 60 yards and 3.3 yards per rush. Jalen Hurts may have completed 19-of-23 passes, but it was for only 152 yards. The Eagles only scored three points in the second half. Meanwhile, on Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers exposed a Washington Commanders defense that held the Giants to six points for what they truly are.
Until proven otherwise, we should expect the Giants to struggle offensively due to their offensive line play, quarterbacking, and coaching.
GIANTS ON DEFENSE:
All offseason, national pundits proclaimed the New York Giants had the talent to field a top-10 defense. “On paper, this is the best defensive line in football. The Giants really upgraded their secondary too. Look out for the Giants because of their defensive talent.”
One game in, the Giants are once again near the bottom of the NFL, 31st overall. They are only one of four teams that allowed over 400 yards of offense in Week 1, joining the Dolphins, Bills, and Ravens. (It’s important to note that the latter two teams played against each other in a crazy back-and-forth game).
So far, Shane Bowen is once again proving to be a failure.
Guess who is on the horizon? Dak Preskott, a quarterback the Giants haven’t beaten since 2016. He has a rebuilt, big, and physical offensive line in front of him, two exceptionally talented wide receivers, a very good tight end, and a running game that averaged over 5 yards per carry against the Eagles.
GIANTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS:
Dallas always had good special teams. KaVontae Turpin is exceptionally dangerous on returns. PK Brandon Aubrey is as good as it gets.
QUOTES:
Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka on the offense: “I think there’s a lot to look forward to and had a great week of practice.”
THE FINAL WORD:
I don’t like being like this, but this team has lost my trust. Until they prove otherwise, they will not receive the benefit of the doubt from me. 32nd in scoring? 31st in defense? Are you shitting me again?! Meanwhile, as much as people mock Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, they’ve quickly rebuilt their offensive line again, something the Giants haven’t been able to do in 15 years.
Is there anything to look forward to? Jaxson Dart. But at this point, that’s a hope and a prayer too because Joe Schoen has no idea how to build a football team and the coaching staff sucks.