There’s no loss like the kind you hand over on a silver platter. The New York Giants had an 18-point lead late in the fourth quarter, had everything working in their favor, and still managed to let it all unravel in a 33-32 meltdown of epic proportions against the Denver Broncos.
That’s going to sting for a very long time, if not forever.
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They gave up 33 points in the final frame. They missed two extra points in a game decided by one point. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart threw a costly interception late. They allowed a game-winning four-play, 56-yard drive with 37 seconds left, the second time they've taken the lead with under a minute left and squandered it. There’s no softening how terrible a loss this is, and there shouldn’t be.
After the game, Brian Burns summed it up without dancing around the reality of it:
"Credit to the Broncos for executing the way they did, but we gave that to them."Brian Burns
That’s just calling it how you see it.
Brian Burns sets record straight on Giants' defensive collapse vs Broncos
Burns has been in the league long enough to know when a game is on the defense, and that’s exactly what this was. The Giants’ offense gave them so many chances not to screw it up, and the defense refused to grab hold of the lifeline — drive after drive, play after play. It was inexcusable.
The frustrating part is the defense had been in complete control for 45 minutes. They made life for Broncos quarterback Bo Nix uncomfortable for three straight quarters. Then, when it mattered most, everything fell apart. Missed assignments, soft coverages, and no adjustment to Denver’s changes.
The whole thing slipped through their hands in real time, and it wasn’t just one moment — the fourth quarter was a mess on every level.
Burns didn’t offer excuses or try to play the blame game. He acknowledged exactly what happened and where the responsibility lay. That’s leadership, even when the circumstances are ugly. That postgame quote might land harder than most, considering the 27-year-old’s two sacks were just about the only bright spot on defense.
So give some credit to Denver. Someone had to win the game. Fortunately for them, Big Blue handed it to them willingly.
The Giants have to clean it up. There’s no waiting around or hoping for it to fix itself. Philadelphia is next, and they’re not going to let up. If the defense doesn’t respond, the same problems are going to show up again. And Burns knows it.