It’s still hard to wrap our heads around how the New York Giants let this game get away from them.
After it seemed inevitable that New York would snap its eight-game losing streak against the Dallas Cowboys, it instead suffered a gut-wrenching overtime loss, 40-37, falling to 0-2 for the seventh time in nine seasons.
From watching the Giants’ offense fire on all cylinders, with Russell Wilson turning back the clock, throwing for 450 yards, and both Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson topping 100 receiving yards, this felt like a game Big Blue was going to win. But after the defense showed signs of fatigue late, Wilson threw a costly interception in overtime, and the team racked up a staggering 14 penalties for 160 yards — it was the same old story.
With another crushing, one-score loss now in the books, the blame is already being pinned on the head coach.
Brian Daboll is biggest loser after another brutal Giants collapse
In an article for CBS Sports, Jared Dubin named head coach Brian Daboll as one of the NFL’s biggest losers after Week 2.
"Daboll's Giants played one of the more undisciplined games on Sunday that you will ever see," Dubin wrote. "They were called for 14 penalties and took at least six more that were wiped off the board by either offsetting calls or being declined."
"They undermined themselves with a series of penalties on their opening drive of the game, and things continued on like that from there. Oh, and they blew multiple leads against the Cowboys, including a three-point lead with 27 seconds left in the game. That dropped them to 0-2 with games against the Chiefs and Chargers on top. Things could get ugly soon."
It was truly mind-boggling to see a team in today’s NFL commit 14 penalties for 160 yards. That’s not even counting the offsetting or declined penalties, as Dubin pointed out. That’s all on the head coach.
And beyond the penalties, New York let multiple leads slip away throughout the game, including a 10-point advantage at one point. Daboll also made other questionable coaching decisions, including going for it on fourth down in the third quarter after a Dru Phillips interception with the Giants up just 13-10. Instead of settling for a field goal to go up by six, the Giants came away with nothing.
It goes without saying: the Giants had this game and should’ve won it. But after yet another late-game collapse and another loss on a last-second field goal, something fans have grown painfully used to, the team is now 0-2, with a brutal stretch of opponents still ahead.