It hasn’t been the easiest few days for the New York Giants, who lost a heartbreaking overtime thriller on the road to their divisional rival, the Dallas Cowboys, on Sunday.
The G-Men showed us a lot of good in this game, especially on offense, putting up 37 points behind dominant performances from Russell Wilson, Malik Nabers, and Wan’Dale Robinson. However, a significant factor that kept Big Blue from pulling out the win was the penalties.
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You can point the finger at Brian Daboll, Shane Bowen, or the defense, but the Giants were flagged 21 times on Sunday, including three times on the same play and four times on one player during a single drive. Of those, 14 were accepted and accounted for 160 yards, pushing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys up the field on multiple occasions. That’s something New York will need to clean up ahead of Sunday night’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dexter Lawrence singles out the penalties for the Giants’ Week 2 loss
Giants captain Dexter Lawrence spoke to the media after the game, saying he didn’t think the team played poorly but admitted there were way too many penalties — penalties that gave the Cowboys several chances to score and keep the game close.
On the opening drive alone, New York had real momentum. Wilson hit Wan’Dale for an 11-yard catch, only for it to be called back by a James Hudson false start. On the next play, Wilson connected with Robinson again for a 50-yard gain, but Hudson drew another flag, this time for unnecessary roughness. Instead of punching it in for an early lead, the Giants had to settle for a Graham Gano field goal.
Later in the game, there were defensive penalties that helped Dallas set up both the game-tying and eventual game-winning Brandon Aubrey field goals. These included a roughing the passer call on Roy Robertson-Harris and pass interference flags on Deonte Banks and Dru Phillips. Some of those calls were soft, sure, but that’s not an excuse. New York’s defense still has to be better.
Lawrence blaming the penalties is low-hanging fruit. Any accountability from Big Blue's defensive leader could have gone a long way. This team couldn't stop a nosebleed. Playing a cleaner game is important, but doing a better job at doing their job is the best way to start putting tallies in the win column.
Obviously, everyone will remember Hudson’s four personal fouls from the opening drive. But in truth, the blame falls on the whole team. Sexy Dexy was spot-on with his comments, the penalties gave Dallas far too many opportunities, and it ultimately cost the Giants the game. Now the focus shifts to Sunday night, where the G-Men look to finally get in the win column at home against the Chiefs.