The New York Giants can’t catch a break as they fall to 2-7 through the first nine weeks for the third consecutive season. After starting 7-2 in his first year as head coach, this is the third time it’s happened under Brian Daboll, and fans are beginning to lose their patience.
Despite being on the hot seat, Daboll has the right quarterback under center, the talent on the defensive side of the ball, and all the resources around him to lead this franchise to another winning season. Yes, the team has dealt with a plethora of injuries, which hasn’t helped, but that excuse no longer holds.
Related: Jaxson Dart just said the quiet part out loud about Giants’ loser mindset
After a third straight loss where the defense allowed 33 or more points, Big Blue fans are done hearing excuses. There’s simply no reason why this season—which has given fans so many reasons to smile at times — is spiraling this fast. With that, here are three excuses the Giants can’t use anymore:
3 excuses the Giants can't use anymore after Week 9 loss to the 49ers
1. Learning the defensive scheme
There’s nothing left to justify what’s going on with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and the Giants’ defense. We’re nine games into the season, and this is Bowen’s second year as Big Blue’s defensive coordinator. There’s no more “learning” the scheme. The unit should be improving week-to-week, but instead it’s regressing—and the only player showing growth is Brian Burns, who leads the NFL with 11 sacks.
Go back to Week 7, when the G-Men led by 19 entering the fourth quarter and still allowed 33 points in the fourth quarter in a collapse against the Broncos. Then came the 38-point disaster against the Eagles. Now, after giving up 34 to the 49ers, the total sits at 105 points allowed across the last three weeks. These kinds of losses get coaches fired. They lead to house-cleaning. And if that’s where this ends up, plenty of fans are hoping Bowen is the first domino.
2. Not having an effective quarterback
If there’s one undeniable bright spot for the Giants this season, it’s rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who has exceeded expectations since taking over as the team’s starter in Week 4. Despite having a 2-4 record in six weeks as the starter, the first-rounder has been everything that fans could’ve hoped for this season.
Dart became the seventh quarterback in NFL history on Sunday to have 15 or more total touchdowns in his first six career starts, and he’s done it without Malik Nabers and now his right-hand man, Cam Skattebo, who both suffered season-ending injuries. He has thrown for 1,175 yards and 10 touchdowns and has run for 251 yards and five touchdowns in eight games played.
The future is bright with Dart under center. He’s made an immediate impact since arriving in New York and has quickly emerged as a fan favorite. The Giants can’t afford to ruin his development and need to provide him with help. Not having an effective quarterback may have been an excuse for the G-Men while Daniel Jones was in the building, but it is no longer the case with Dart.
3. Graham Gano's health
Graham Gano suffered a groin injury in pregame warmups in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs. The injury resulted in him landing on injured reserve, and the team activated kicker Jude McAtamney over Younghoe Koo. This decision proved wrong, essentially costing Big Blue their Week 7 matchup against the Broncos, as McAtamney missed multiple extra-point attempts, including one in the final seconds after Dart’s go-ahead touchdown, leading to his release after the game.
Now, Gano is healthy again; however, he missed a crucial 45-yard field goal, and his postgame comments gave the Giants even more of a reason to move on from him. After a well-executed Brian Burns sack on Mac Jones, which forced a fumble recovered by Abdul Carter, the G-Men got good field position. Unfortunately, the missed field goal gave the ball right back to the Niners before the half. There are no excuses for why Gano, who is healthy, did not hit that field goal to cut the deficit to a one-score game.