4 NY Giants who cost the team an upset win vs. the Vikings

Following a massive victory against the Commanders in Week 15, the NY Giants were in the position to potentially clinch a playoff berth in Week 16 against the Vikings. While going into this game many fans of Big Blue figured the Giants would lose, they came closer than most would expect.

The Giants came close to pulling off this massive upset, but they fell short for multiple reasons. While it’s hard to be angry over losing to a team like Minnesota, the Giants had every chance to win this game and seemingly just did not want to. In this piece, we take a look at four Giants who let the team down in disappointing fashion in Minneapolis.

4. WR Richie James

There are no doubts that from a statistical standpoint that Richie James had a very solid game, catching eight passes for 90 yards. However, he had one too many embarrassing drops to say he was genuinely good.

With the Giants down four points with 6:33 left in the fourth quarter, the offense needed a drive to take the lead in order to potentially secure a win. While things were going relatively solid, it all came to a screeching halt when on third down, James was thrown a pass in a perfect spot for an easy first down, but he somehow dropped it.

It’s hard to pin the entire loss on this drop, as who knows how the rest of the drive would’ve went, but as a receiver in the NFL you have to bring this ball in. This is not the only crucial mistake James has made that cost the Giants a chance to win this season, making it likely that he will not return in 2023.

This play just goes to show the little amount of receiving help Daniel Jones has –  he can do everything right, but sometimes with this talent, or lack thereof, it just doesn’t matter.

James has played relatively solid all season, but moments like this, and his multiple muffed punts against the Seahawks, make it so hard to want him around. Despite this, the Giants lack of really any receivers make it likely that James will be around and prevalent in the offense for at least the remainder of the campaign.