The NY Giants’ offense struggled mightily as Daniel Jones was sacked six times in a 26-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals
They NY Giants had the chance to build momentum in the NFC East race, and drive a stake through the Cardinals’ flickering postseason hopes on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, but instead face a rude awakening following a 26-7 loss.
Sunday was the equivalent of the Giants losing two games, in the sense that there’s an outside chance that the Cardinals and Giants could both be in the mix for the NFC Wild Card and Arizona now owns that tiebreaker.
The Giants’ defense couldn’t have been put in much worse of a position for much of Sunday’s game, and largely withstood the onslaught as the offense and special teams sputtered.
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals’ offense began three first half possessions in Giants’ territory, and just one inside of their own 40-yard line. Meanwhile, the Giants did not run a single play in Cardinals territory in the first half.
Murray and the Cardinals opened up possessions from the Giants’ 9 (fumble recovery return), Giants’ 38, Cardinals’ 47, Giants’ 21, and Cardinals’ 43 in the first half, dramatically winning both the field position and time of possession battles in the first 30 minutes.
Somehow, the Giants’ defense only allowed one first half touchdown and held Arizona to a 13-0 lead.
The defense, at this point forward, is going to be the backbone of any postseason charge the Giants mount, and the offense did Patrick Graham’s unit no favors on Sunday.
But, it was evident on several third downs where Daniel Jones had the chance to run and either took a sack or threw the football away that he was not fully confident — and perhaps not fully healthy — in his right hamstring.
Jones was sacked six times, including twice on a fourth quarter drive where it seemed as a result he was hobbled and struggled both to elude pressure as well as hit a wide open Wayne Gallman on a screen pass where it appeared he couldn’t fire off his plant-leg.
The Giants’ commitment to the running game and RPO-centric scheme that were the hallmark of New York’s offense during a four-game winning streak were replaced by Jones dropping back to pass 21 times on 43 plays against the Cardinals.
Here’s a look at what what went wrong in SUnday’s loss:
Special teams woes continue
For the third consecutive week, the Giants’ special teams were a liability rather than a strength, giving up a pivotal play.
As the Giants’ defense stonewalled Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, and the Cardinals’ defense through the first half, Dion Lewis fumbled a kickoff at the Giants’ 21-yard line that Arizona recovered.
What for the better part of two-plus seasons had been among the Giants’ strengths, the special teams have struggled mightily the past three weeks despite solid coaching from coordinator Thomas McGaughey and the influence of Joe Judge.
If this team is going to wind up winning the NFC East, or win a playoff game, special teams are going to need to dramatically improve over the final three games of the season because New York’s dominant defense can’t be the only fully-functional unit.
If Giants make playoffs, it will be in spite of the offense
The Giants’ offense hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard this season, and that was once again a concern Sunday.
Against the Cardinals, the Giants’ only managed 159 yards of total offense and had just two possessions where they held the ball for more than six plays. They also turned it over three times.
That’s not going to get it done.
For as dominant as the Giants’ defense has been, particularly over the past month, the offense simply hasn’t pulled its weight — regardless of whether it is Jones or Colt McCoy at quarterback.
“This is nice, but I don’t see them winning a playoff game,” an AFC scout told me last week. “They might play Seattle, but if they wind up playing someone like Green Bay, they just can’t score enough.”
Jones was sacked six times, as it didn’t matter if Golden and Hassan Reddick lined up over rookie Andrew Thomas or across from Cam Fleming and Kevin Zeitler, the pressure on the Giants’ quarterback was relentless. He finished just 11-for-21 passing for 127 yards, before giving way to Colt McCoy with 2:34 remaining.
Before the Giants can even think about a playoff rematch against the Seahawks, or January clash with a team like the Packers, this staff is going to need to find a way to jumpstart the offense, or this season will end in Week 17 against the Cowboys.
Markus Golden gets his vengeance
It was fairly obvious that the Giants did not want to pay Markus Golden market value during free agency, and on the opening series of the game, got his revenge on his former team that traded him for a sixth-round pick prior to the deadline.
Golden came in unblocked and absolutely leveled Jones, forcing a fumble, recovering it and returning it 30 yards.
This summer, it was wholly obvious that Golden was not a fit in defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s scheme, but Golden wasted little time making an impact in this game. Had it not been for a dominant goal line stand by the Giants’ defense, Golden’s big play might have made an even bigger difference.
Defense strengthens identity
Speaking of that goal line stand …
The NY Giants’ defense proved its worth and showed that this is a unit capable of powering a playoff run when it slammed the door on the Cardinals on Arizona’s ensuing possession following Jones’ fumble.
Here are the two plays that preceded a fourth and goal stop that typified what has made Graham’s defense the driving force of the Giants’ late-season renaissance:
2nd and goal from Giants’ 6: Kyler Murray hits Christian Kirk for a five-yard gain, Blake Martinez stands Kirk up just shy of the goal line.
3rd and goal from the Giants’ 1: Kenyan Drake takes hand off and is stuffed near the 1-yard line
Then, on 4th down and goal from the 1-yard line, Murray faked a hand off, rolled out as linebacker Tae Crowder charged on a delayed blitz and with Crowder in his face, fired a pass into the back of the end zone for Keyshawn Johnson that cornerback James Bradberry batted out of his hands and harmlessly to the ground.
https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1338184856862388226
It was the type of stand that can forge — or strengthen — a defense’s identity and exemplified the way Graham has consistently been able to get contributions from all three levels of the defense. What was most impressive was the level of talent on the field, Murray, Drake, Johnson, Kirk, and DeAndre Hopkins.
This was a monumental test for the Giants’ defense, and they once again passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, the other two units did not hold up nearly as well, as the Giants came careening back to reality.
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.