Early Struggles Spell Doom For The New York Giants?

Article by Ty Letendre

The New York Giants have experienced early struggles in their season, sitting at a 1-3 record with a miraculous second-half comeback against the Arizona Cardinals. With that being said, the Giants have two road dates with AFC East powerhouses Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills coming up. It would have been nice to see the team escape Monday Night Football with a win against a (very) beatable Seattle Seahawks team at home, and sit at a 2-2 record before embarking on their eastern road trip.

Unfortunately, the matchup was not that competitive with Daniel Jones having coughed up the ball twice— with one being a pick-six and the Giants offensive line giving up 11 sacks (which is a franchise record) against Seattle who had just five sacks in their first three contests. Injuries to all-pro running back Saquon Barkley and all-pro guard Andrew Thomas (who has been sidelined for the past three games with a hamstring injury) were clearly a factor in the loss, but Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was nowhere to be found as his record dropped to 1-12 under the primetime lights. The Giants have now been outscored 64-3 in their first two home games this season while being outscored 122-46 for the season. The team is sitting at a point differential of negative 76: dead last in the league by 14 points. These numbers have begged the question of whether this core is capable of winning football games, despite capturing their first playoff win last year (against a very good Minnesota Vikings team) since 2012. The Giants have started 1-5 in four of their past six seasons and it is no secret that this team is moving in the wrong direction. “It could definitely go sideways,” safety Xavier Mckinney shared. “I’ve been a part of a team where it has gone sideways. I do understand this league, it’s tough and you’ve got to be able to respond quickly, or it could go south.” Head Coach Brian Daboll said after the game that “there will be no staff changes this week”, including the job of special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey with his unit being flagged for six penalties, giving the offense poor field position and extending Seattle’s offensive drives. The New York Giants must find their rhythm soon, or last season’s trip to the playoffs will appear to be an unfortunate fluke.