NY Giants woefully inadequate in loss to Bears: How blowout impacts 2022 outlook

Jan 2, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Trevis Gipson (99) forces a fumble as he tackles New York Giants quarterback Mike Glennon (2) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Trevis Gipson (99) forces a fumble as he tackles New York Giants quarterback Mike Glennon (2) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
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David Montgomery #32 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball for a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the New York Giants at Soldier Field on January 02, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

NY Giants returner Pharoh Cooper: Stuck plummeting

Cooper’s blunder late in the first half defines the 2021 NY Giants, and in a lot of ways the organization’s decade of futility since its most recent Super Bowl championship in 2011.

With under 1:00 remaining in the first half, Cooper spread his arms, believing a Bears kickoff would bounce into the end zone, only to have the ball bounce and land short of the two-yard line. While the NY Giants recovered the fumble/live-ball, it merely prolonged disaster.

On the ensuing NY Giants possession, running back Devontae Booker was stopped in the end zone for a safety.

Cooper is a bottom-of-the-roster player, in the kickoff return role largely because of injuries at the top of the depth chart, but plays like Sunday’s are an easy way to wind up off the roster in 2022.

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