From Joe Judge down, plenty of blame for NY Giants’ inexcusable loss to Falcons

NY Giants head coach Joe Judge and the Coaching Staff

There’s a good chance that poor coaching will be a recurring theme throughout the season, and today, it’s the biggest culprit.

Where do I begin?

Week 2 saw an encouraging offensive game plan from offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, despite some missed opportunities. Going back home to face a weaker Falcons defense that was missing starting cornerback A.J. Terrell, there was reason to believe the Giants offense could thrive.

The aforementioned injuries surely played a role, but it doesn’t totally excuse the offense from mustering just 14 points. Jones himself wasn’t bad, as he didn’t miss any big throws or turn the ball over. Instead, it was the lack of plays down the field and the absence of plays to use Jones’ legs as a weapon.

Jones had eight carries for 39 yards, not including a successful two-point conversion attempt where he trucked Grady Jarrett on the goal line. Of those eight carries, five were scrambles, one was a QB sneak on 3rd and 1, one was a kneel to end the half and one was a fumble recovery on a botched snap.

Overall, Jason Garrett called two designed runs for a quarterback that had 95 yards on the ground last week. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley tallied just 51 yards on 16 attempts, good for 3.2 yards per carry. Washington had no answer for Jones running the ball, and Garrett didn’t seem the slightest bit interested to test if the Falcons had a game plan as well.

What’s most despicable of all is, without a doubt, Joe Judge deciding the punt the ball on 4th and 4 on Atlanta’s 39-yard line with 6:29 left to go in the 3rd quarter. With an offense that’s starving for points, on a possession that started on the Giants’ 44-yard line, Judge was more fearful of his defense having to defend a struggling Falcons offense than he was confident in his own offense being able to get four yards against a subpar Falcons defense.

If Judge continues to coach conservative football and not trust his players, this team will continue to lose games, especially as the competition gets stiffer over the next string of weeks.