Just when we thought things couldn't get worse for the New York Giants this season, Sunday's 24-20 disaster against the Chicago Bears happened.
New York blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Bears, dropping their fourth straight game, falling to 2-8 for the third straight season, and extending their road losing streak to 11. And don’t forget — they’ve now lost four road games this year after leading by double digits… yes, you read that correctly.
In what has become a common theme for the Giants this season, they once again weren’t able to hold onto a lead late in the fourth quarter — whether it was the offense falling flat in the late stages or the defense failing to make simple tackles. As for this latest meltdown in the Windy City, there’s plenty of blame to go around.
Here are five moments that fueled another mind-boggling meltdown.
5 frustrating moments that cost Giants another win in Chicago
Costly Daniel Bellinger drop on fourth down
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a Giants playmaker dropped an easy pass. This time, it came from a typically reliable target in Daniel Bellinger.
The moment came during the second quarter with the game tied at seven. With the wind not letting up and the G-Men debuting veteran kicker Younghoe Koo, Brian Daboll opted to go for it on fourth and one. The play call seemed perfect as rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart threw a beautiful pass into the end zone that looked to be caught by Bellinger, which would have given Big Blue the lead. Instead, the ball was stripped away at the last second, and they turned it over on downs.
While this moment may not be talked about as much, it was certainly a demoralizing one for the Giants, seeing six easy points taken off the table.
Abdul Carter getting his first career sack wiped off the board
It goes without saying: Abdul Carter has been a major disappointment in his rookie season... boxscore-wise. The former third overall pick entered Sunday’s game with just half a sack on the year, coming back in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. It finally seemed like Carter would get that elusive first career sack... think again.
While it looked at first like the 21-year-old finally recorded his first career sack when he got to Caleb Williams in the third quarter, it was wiped away when Deonte Banks (whose name we’d rather not hear again) was called for illegal contact, setting up a new set of downs for Chicago.
That penalty gave the Bears new life, resulting in three points on the drive to cut into the Giants’ lead — just the start of their comeback. While we can’t say for sure whether Chicago would’ve scored on that drive if the sack had counted, it was a back-breaking moment for the young pass rusher who’s been a disappointment in his first NFL season.
Jaxson Dart's late turnover
This was the beginning of the end. Despite putting together another impressive outing, Dart had one costly mistake that gave the Bears new life.
In the third quarter, up 17-7 and driving, Dart fumbled on a quarterback run — a turnover the Bears recovered, ending any chance of scoring again and potentially putting the game on ice. This was a clear turning point, as not only did the Giants come away with no points, but Dart also had to leave the game due to a concussion.
Rookies make rookie mistakes, and there’s always a learning curve in this league, but this one opened the floodgates for the Bears to storm back and hand New York another brutal loss.
Russell Wilson was not cooking
If there was one thing the Giants did not want, it was Russell Wilson throwing the football once he entered for the injured Dart. But after the Bears took the lead in the late stages of the fourth quarter, Wilson had to prove he still had something left as an NFL quarterback. News flash: he doesn’t.
During their final offensive drive with Wilson under center, he managed just an 11-yard gain and threw three incompletions — the last being a weak, tipped ball that perfectly summed up how this season has gone for the G-Men.
Once Dart exited, this offense was just not clicking with Wilson under center, as his failure to rally the offense to victory proves that he can no longer cook as a starter in this league.
Caleb Williams running all over the defense
While defensive coordinator Shane Bowen's group did a solid job keeping Williams on his toes throughout most of the game, they forgot to do one important thing: Sack him.
Williams dropped back plenty of times, but Big Blue failed to bring him down once, which is infuriating considering this defense is supposed to feature an elite pass rush. That “elite” pass rush was nonexistent, and despite not having his best game through the air, Williams rushed for 63 yards on eight carries, including the go-ahead 17-yard touchdown run.
There’s not much more to say about this defense other than the obvious: they’re not a good unit by any stretch.