That was bad. Really, really bad. The New York Giants just embarrassed themselves once again on national television, this time with a 22-9 debacle in their home opener at MetLife Stadium.
The loss drops them to 0-3 to start the season, their worst opening since 2021. To say positives came at a premium Sunday night would be the understatement of the century. This was a complete dud from top to bottom. Russell Wilson and the offense squandered another solid defensive effort, making it hard to imagine both sides of the ball ever clicking in the same game.
It was an abomination, and change needs to happen. Wilson struggled mightily, leading to chants for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart that rang loudly throughout East Rutherford. No moral victories were worth recognizing from Week 3’s catastrophe. With that, here are Week 3’s winners and losers.
1 winner (and 8 losers) from Giants' lackluster Week 3 loss vs Chiefs
Winner No. 1: Cam Skattebo's arrival
Cam Skattebo, the fourth-round rookie running back out of Arizona State, was the only obvious winner of the night. Who knows how much worse the outcome would have been without his efforts. The 23-year-old saw an increased workload largely due to Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s shoulder injury in the first quarter.
Skatt finished with 121 scrimmage yards (61 rushing and 60 receiving) and one rushing touchdown, making it two straight games with a score. It’s becoming clear he’s in line for more touches — exactly what this anemic offense needs: someone exciting.
Loser No. 1: Giants fans
For the fans chanting “We want Dart,” I hear you. But just because head coach Brian Daboll didn’t put the rookie in doesn’t make you losers. Giants fans are losers because they’re forced to watch whatever this was and still be expected to root for it. That’s just cruel.
Honestly, the fans deserve better. This team has lost 14 of its last 15 games. What are we even doing here?
Loser No. 2: Russell Wilson's consistency
One week he’s bad, the next week he’s great, and then he’s bad again. There’s just no consistency to build on. And that’ll be the death of Big Blue’s 2025 season. Mr. Unlimited finished 18-of-32 for 160 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.
How is the offense supposed to operate if it never knows what it's getting out of its starting quarterback? Late in the fourth quarter, down 13 points, Wilson had three passes with goal-to-go, and he never gave any of his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. New York needs more from its man under center. The Giants need to know they can count on him relatively consistently, bare minimum.
Loser No. 3: Brian Daboll
A lot will be said about Daboll’s hot seat after this one. Consider him an official cardholder of the Toasty Buns Club, the league’s most exclusive group of underperforming head coaches. It’s not a membership anyone wants, but at 9-28 over the past two-plus seasons, job security is fading fast.
The team showed once again that there's just no direction or urgency to fix anything. That starts at the top.
Loser No. 4: Malik Nabers' encore
It was always going to be tough for Malik Nabers to match last week’s performance, but his Week 3 outing left plenty to be desired. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo did a masterful job holding the 22-year-old star to just two catches for 13 yards.
Games like that will happen, but it's tough not to be frustrated, especially with his nine receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas in Week 2. Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka has to have counter punches in his bag to get the ball to Nabers. There's no excuse for one of their only legitimate playmakers to be completely taken out of a game.
Loser No. 5: Anyone who watched the game
Unfortunately, Giants fans weren’t the only ones watching. This was a primetime Sunday Night Football slot, so if you wanted football on Sunday night, this was your only option.
Kudos to those who battled through the sludge to watch the game from kickoff to the final whistle. Let's just say not all heroes wear capes. This game never belonged in primetime, and it showed. Turns out, all the skepticism when the schedules were released was well-founded. Who would’ve thought?
Loser No. 6: Swifties
Not sure if you’ve heard, but Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce recently got engaged to Taylor Swift. She’s brought millions of fans to the gridiron just by existing. So for anyone hoping she’d show up at MetLife, disappointment was inevitable. Swift missed the game, which meant the entire broadcast had no choice but to focus on the field — and what was happening there was trash.
Loser No. 7: Red zone improvements
The G-Men made three trips to the red zone and came away with just one score. That’s just not good enough. They’re now 2-for-10 inside the 20 to start the season. Kafka’s got to figure something out.
Loser No. 8: Hope for better times ahead
Talk about a brutal schedule. Four of the Giants’ next six opponents are undefeated, which means a lot more losing could be on the way. The Chargers, Eagles (twice), and 49ers are all looming — and the 3-0 Chargers are up next. That’s a gauntlet, and any hope of digging out of this 0-3 hole is fading fast.