1. Home
  3. Sport

Giants' frustrations boiling over as they grapple with yet another lost season

29 October 2024Last Update :
Giants' frustrations boiling over as they grapple with yet another lost season

PITTSBURGH — The New York Giants are a powder keg.

Typically placid quarterback Daniel Jones had an outburst after a comically bad failed 2-point conversion attempt. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence got into a heated exchange with members of the Giants secondary on the sideline. Cornerback Deonte Banks got benched a week after his lack of effort was spotlighted.

This is what happens with losing teams. And that’s what the Giants were again on Monday night, losing 26-18 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Giants dropped to 2-6. This is the seventh time in eight years they’ve been 2-6 or worse at this point in the season. The looming question is how this edition will deal with another season headed down the tubes before Halloween.

“I’m a little frustrated because we’re a good team, and we keep beating ourselves every week,” Lawrence said. “We can’t have that. I addressed it. We’ve just got to be mentally locked in on every play, not just plays here and there.”

For players like Jones and Lawrence, this is the fifth time in their six-year careers that hope has evaporated by midseason. The frustration of another lost season is clearly mounting.

“It’s frustrating, for sure,” Jones said. “It’s very frustrating. We hurt ourselves a lot tonight. That’s the most frustrating part about it.”

For young players like Banks, losing is all they’ve known in the NFL. That can lead to bad habits forming, like the effort lapses and poor play that caused Banks’ benching in the second quarter.

“The team needs to grow up,” outside linebacker Brian Burns said.

Burns said guard Greg Van Roten, a 13-year veteran, delivered a strong message about the need to be more detailed. Perhaps it’s that simple after the Giants committed 11 penalties for 65 yards. Those penalties were particularly damning because seven were committed by the offense before the snap, including an illegal shift on rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers that negated a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Manhertz in the second quarter. The Giants eventually settled for a field goal.

Penalties haven’t been a major issue this season, but the consistent infractions on Monday were the latest way this team created a barrier to winning. Many factors have contributed to the Giants’ 8-17 record since the start of last season, but the end results have been painfully familiar.

A week after receiving a vote of confidence from co-owner John Mara, coach Brian Daboll was left searching for answers after another defeat.

“It’s not fun,” Daboll said. “We work as hard as we can work each week. I believe we do things right, and unfortunately, the results aren’t what we want them to be.”

Here are more takeaways from the loss:

The bad and the ugly

Jones had two chances late in the game to deliver a tying touchdown. He came up short both times.

Yes, there were some nice throws during the game, as Jones completed 24-of-38 passes for 264 yards. And, as always, he hung tough while getting pounded in the pocket.

But with the game in the balance, Jones committed a pair of turnovers in Steelers territory that thwarted the Giants’ comeback hopes.

The offense was given a prime opportunity after linebacker Bobby Okereke forced and recovered a fumble from Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson. Trailing 26-18 with 4:34 remaining, the Giants took over at Pittsburgh’s 37-yard line.

The Giants advanced to the Steelers’ 19 and were facing a third-and-7. New York had been using tight end Theo Johnson to help right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor block Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt all game. To mix up the looks, the Giants would often have Johnson initially line up on the left side and then motion to the right. But on the pivotal play, Jones didn’t shift Johnson to the right side before the snap.

The result was predictable, with Watt beating Eluemunor around the edge and swatting the ball out of Jones’ hands. The perennial defensive player of the candidate fell on the loose ball to end the scoring threat.

“We had a shift with the tight end to get back over to Watt, and we didn’t get the shift,” Daboll said. “D.J. feels terrible, to be honest with you. And I know he’s going to own it. There was a shift accompanying the play, he was kind of surveying the coverage, deciding what he wanted to do, and we didn’t get the shift.”

It was interesting that the typically tight-lipped Daboll chose to be so candid in that instance. Daboll didn’t leave any ambiguity about who was at fault.

“I needed to shift Theo,” Jones confirmed. “Was looking at the coverage, I didn’t shift him. Jermaine was expecting a chip, so he didn’t get that. So that’s my fault.”

Despite Daboll’s claims that he welcomes Jones’ fiery displays of emotion, their relationship warrants monitoring. Daboll hasn’t been shy about showing his displeasure on the sideline when Jones makes a mistake. And now Daboll has publicly pointed the finger at the quarterback for a crucial miscue. It will be interesting to see if Jones responds in kind. He exploded as he walked off the field past Daboll after an ill-conceived two-point conversion attempt failed early in the fourth quarter.

The dynamic is more tense after Daboll benched Jones for the fourth quarter of last week’s 28-3 loss to the Eagles. With the expiration date on this partnership nearing, it will be interesting to see if Jones continues to display more of the edge that has developed since the Giants unsuccessfully pursued his successor this offseason.

Of course, the best thing Jones can do for himself is to play well. He had one last-gasp drive Monday, moving the Giants from their 7-yard line to Pittsburgh’s 35. But on second-and-10, Jones air-mailed a pass to running back Devin Singletary that was intercepted by cornerback Beanie Bishop with 34 seconds remaining. Jones was under some pressure, but it was an inexcusable misfire in a clutch spot.

“Just threw the ball high,” Jones said.

The bottom line is the Giants’ offense just doesn’t score enough points with Jones, who dropped to 1-15 in prime time. The Giants were held under 20 points for the sixth time this season. They have only topped 20 points three times in Jones’ 12 starts during the past two seasons.

Benching Mr. Banks

Benching Banks was an interesting decision after Daboll didn’t discipline the 2023 first-round pick for his lack of hustle on a scramble by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts last week. It was the second effort lapse in three weeks by Banks, who was called out by defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for loafing after giving up a 55-yard touchdown pass to Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb in Week 4.

It wasn’t exactly clear why Banks was benched — there were no plays Monday as egregious as the Hurts scramble. Banks had a weak tackle attempt on a short pass to Steelers wide receiver George Pickens on a third down completion. Later in the drive, Banks seemed out of position in zone coverage on a pass to Pickens in the end zone. The Steelers’ No. 1 receiver appeared to have a touchdown, but he couldn’t get both feet down before being pushed out of bounds by Banks for an incompletion.

Unlike the Jones error on the strip sack, Daboll didn’t shed much of light on the decision.

“Just thought during that series needed a little bit more,” Daboll said. “Had a conversation with him and went with the other guys.”

Backing Banks bit Daboll, who doled out the punishment in the heat of the moment during the game. As he typically does with the opponent’s top receiver, Banks traveled with Pickens at the start of the game. Pickens had one catch for 14 yards against Banks. Pickens finished with four catches for 74 yards, beating rookie corner Dru Phillips and safety Jason Pinnock for a 43-yard completion in the fourth quarter.

Greg Stroman, who was elevated from the practice squad, mostly took over Banks’ role and followed Pickens. Stroman did well for a player who was signed to the Giants’ practice squad in Week 5. Stroman had been playing exclusively in the dime package early in the game before Banks’ benching.

QB of the future?

The Giants hosted Wilson for a free agent visit in March, but told him he wouldn’t have a chance to compete for the starting job. That led him to Pittsburgh, where he took over as the starter last week after missing six games with a calf injury.

The 35-year-old Wilson looked like he still has plenty in the tank. He completed 20-of-28 passes for 278 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. His signature deep balls were on point, as he connected with wide receiver Calvin Austin for a 29-yard touchdown on a fade route against Phillips and hit receiver Van Jefferson for a 36-yard completion on a back-shoulder fade against corner Nick McCloud. With the Giants’ future at quarterback unsettled, Wilson could be an option as a bridge quarterback next season.

Wilson’s lone flaw on Monday was his fumble on a fourth-quarter scramble after Okereke punched the ball out. Okereke has not made the same impact in his second season with the Giants, but that was his second forced fumble in the past three games, so perhaps he’s rounding into play-making form.

It’s hard to get too excited about the play of the Giants’ middle linebacker after another opponent ran all over the defense, however. Najee Harris had 19 carries for 114 yards , while Jaylen Warren added 46 yards on nine carries. Pittsburgh’s run-heavy approach was the right formula to beat the Giants, who allowed 5.7 yards per carry to the Steelers running backs.

The Giants were like an elastic band for much of the game, as they bent repeatedly but didn’t break. The Steelers didn’t score a touchdown on any of their four trips inside the red zone. The only defensive touchdown allowed was the 29-yard pass to Austin.

Quick hits

• Rookie Tyrone Tracy has claimed the Giants’ No. 1 running back role. Tracy made the most of veteran Devin Singletary’s two-game absence due to a groin injury, rushing for 129 yards in his first career start against Seattle in Week 5. Tracy topped the century mark again on Monday, with 20 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown.

That was a particularly impressive performance because the Steelers entered with arguably the best run defense in the NFL. Daboll was rewarded for sticking with the run after calling just eight handoffs to running backs in the first halves of the previous two games combined.

A well-timed handoff to Tracy when the Giants were seemingly in pass-only mode in the fourth quarter produced a 45-yard touchdown. Tracy hit a crease and displayed his acceleration to race for his second career touchdown.

Tracy injured his shoulder late in the second quarter, but returned after halftime. He left with a concussion late in the fourth quarter. Singletary had just two carries for 11 yards.

• The explosive plays that had been painfully absent from the Giants’ offense in the previous two games returned. In addition to the 45-yard touchdown run, Tracy added a 26-yard scamper.

Jones connected with Darius Slayton for completions of 43 and 36 yards. Rookie tight end Theo Johnson had a career-long 25-yard grab. If Monday was a showcase for a trade, Slayton’s four catches for 108 yards should attract interest. If the Giants aren’t going to trade Slayton, they should make re-signing him a priority because he continues to be a valuable piece of the offense.

The Giants longest play in the previous two games had been just 15 yards. The two long completions Monday led to field goals. The Giants didn’t score a touchdown on their three trips inside the red zone.

• The Giants operated all offseason with Josh Ezeudu as their swing tackle despite his disastrous play when filling in at left tackle for Andrew Thomas last season. It took one start this season for the Giants to recognize their mistake, as Ezeudu was sent to the bench on Monday after one shaky appearance in place of Thomas, who is out for the season with a foot injury.

Ezeudu was replaced by journeyman Chris Hubbard, who was signed off the 49ers’ practice squad a week ago. With the Giants focusing most of their attention on helping Eluemunor with Watt, Hubbard was often left alone with Alex Highsmith. That matchup derailed the offense at times, as Highsmith had two sacks and was constantly in the backfield.

• The Giants allowed a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown by Austin in the third quarter to break a 9-9 tie. Daboll said Matt Haack, who has been filling in after punter Jamie Gillan suffered a hamstring injury in practice two weeks ago, out-kicked the coverage with his 54-yard punt.

Austin took advantage of the open field after fielding the punt, out-racing the Giants’ coverage unit to the left sideline and then cruising for the touchdown. The Giants wanted a roughing the kicker penalty after Pittsburgh’s Jeremiah Moon crashed into Haack’s leg, but there was no flag.

Aside from a blocked field goal by Isaiah Simmons to seal the Giants’ win over the Seahawks in Week 5, special teams have been a weak spot this season. However, the Giants had avoided a game-changing play until Austin’s return.

(Photo: Barry Reeger / Imagn Images)

Recent