In a theme that’s become all too common in this rivalry of late, the New York Giants were outclassed on Monday Night Football by the Dallas Cowboys.
That makes six losses in a row to Dallas. For even the most positive New York Giants fan, that’s about as tough a pill to swallow as there is. Much like the first game – and several other games this season – Big Blue raced out to an early lead, and appeared to be playing inspired football. Also much like the rest of the season, the game quickly got away from them, and that tends to happen when dealing with bad football teams with poor coaching staffs.
If you’re looking for a turning point, clearly it was the end of the first half. Aldrick Rosas (who missed another crucial extra point early on in the contest) booted a 26-yard field goal (the Giants’ third red zone field goal of the first half) to put Big Blue up 12-3, as the home crowd finally started to sound significantly louder than the many Cowboys fans that were in attendance. That was without a doubt the high-water mark of the contest, as the wheels came off the bus directly after.
Noted ‘Giants killer’ Blake Jarwin got loose for a 42-yard touchdown in a play that is emblematic of the entire season for the under-performing group from the Meadowlands. This play had it all – blown communication, awful discipline, and the worst attempted tackle you’ll ever see out of Janoris Jenkins. I have been a huge support of ‘Jackrabbit’s’ during his time here, but that play will undoubtedly – and should – go down on his highlight reel for anyone that feels he has been overpaid and not worth his contract. Just despicable effort and execution all around.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Head Coach Pat Shurmur once again displayed that he has absolutely zero clue on when to be aggressive, and when not to. With :52 seconds remaining in the half and timeouts left, I have no issue with attempting to get something going and seeing if the offense can get in range for Rosas to get some of those points back, despite the fact that the 2018 Pro Bowler has regressed into one of the league’s worst kickers.
What I do have an issue with, is forcing the issue on third down, with only :38 seconds left, after the first two plays failed to accumulated a yard. When weighing the potential of going 50-60 yards in :38 seconds to accrue a possible three points (giving Rosas only a 50% chance at a 50-yarder is more than fair in my book) against turning the ball over on your side of the field – while hanging onto a slim two-point lead at home against your rival, with you getting the ball at half – a smart coach would seemingly assess that the reward does not outweigh the reward.
Pat Shurmur did not feel that way, and to be fair, maybe some of that has to do with the fact that he’s gotten killed in the media for being too conservative, as he now has to be legitimately worrying about his job status on a week-to-week basis. It’s also not Shurmur’s fault that Darius Slayton displayed zero effort to play defense on the errant throw, and that Cowboys safety Xavier Woods was able to return the pick for an easy 29-yards to get right into field goal range. Kicker Brett Maher nailed a 52-yard field goal to give Dallas a lead they’d never relinquish.
Big Blue deserves to be somewhat-commended for hanging around and making this a game in the third quarter, as another Aldrick Rosas red zone field goal cut Dallas’ lead to only five with 11:50 remaining in the fourth quarter. Most of us know what happened next, as Big Blue forced a terrific three and out with Dallas inside it’s own 20, only to get bailed out by one of the more horrific referee calls (and I don’t say that lightly) you’ll ever see. Deandre Baker finally made a solid play in coverage – after being beaten like a drum again all night – only to be flagged for a game-changing 26-yard pass interference call when the Giants were about to get off the field and get the ball back – down 5 – with prime field position.
More from GMEN HQ
- Workout clip of Evan Neal training with former All-Pro OT has Giants fans excited
- NFL Draft Schedule of Events: How to Navigate Draft Weekend
- 4 NY Giants who must step their game up in 2023
- This SEC CB at No. 25 overall for the Giants is gaining steam
- When is the NFL Draft?
Obviously the game unraveled from there, as the Cowboys went on to march for a touchdown and end up winning this game 37-18. That score isn’t a very accurate representation of what went on on the field, as it was much closer than that. Still, if you’re looking for the main reason the Giants lost this game – and I don’t think I’m breaking any news here – it clearly was red zone execution. I’ve been on Pat Shurmur since he’s been here, and you can make a fair case that bunch of the blame should be on him for the red zone play calling, but the players have to execute, too.
While Shurmur’s gameplan and play calling were predicable – especially on running plays – with little element of trickeration or surprise, the execution was equally as bad, particularly up front. Guard Kevin Zeitler – who was billed as one of the NFL’s best when he was acquired from Cleveland – was blown off the ball all game long. The offensive line, linebackers and secondary continue to hold this team back, as the team has zero shot of being functional with so many holes at such crucial spots.
On a positive note, this is likely the last time a real Giants fan will be distraught after a 2019 football game, as there is little else to play for. From here on out, it’ll be about weighing that ever-tough decision that comes with the territory of being a Big Blue fan these days, in terms of believing meaningless wins down the stretch will help, or hurt, your team’s future.
That’s just what life as a New York Giants fan is these days, unfortunately.