Who to blame for NY Giants’ ugly 27-13 loss to Denver Broncos

3rd Downs is Where Good Teams Live and Die

A big reason the NY Giants lost this game was due 3rd downs on both sides of the ball.

On 3rd down offense, the Broncos often did whatever they pleased.

The NY Giants got gashed for seven 3rd downs conversions let up on the defense. There were numerous 3rd and long situations the Giants couldn’t hold onto that were concerning to see. Add in three 4th down chances the Broncos ran, and they converted all three plays for 1st downs including a backbreaking touchdown.

On offense, the team got little done on 3rd down either. They actually converted 6 of 12 attempts for a 50% success rate. It’s not bad, it’s just how truly ugly some of these 3rd down moments end up.

There were multiple 3rd & short opportunities for the Giants to seemingly keep moving the chains that they didn’t take advantage of. It ended numerous drives that should’ve been easily extended that most NFL teams make happen. 3rd down offense and defense are often the difference between wins and losses in NFL games Good teams make third and short their bread-and-butter which is another indicator of just how far the Giants need to go to get back to the NFL’s top.