Come on, how does this even happen? During Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, Miami got the second half going with a total bang, as Tua Tagovailoa hit Tyreek Hill in stride for what ended up being a 69-yard touchdown. Hill blew by NY Giants cornerback Tre Hawkins III on that play.
As it turns out, the rookie sixth-round pick shouldn't have even been out on the field in the first place. While speaking to the media after the defeat, veteran cornerback Adoree' Jackson said that there was an issue with his helmet that forced him to miss the start of the second half.
Due to that, Hawkins had to be rushed out onto the field to cover Hill, arguably the fastest guy in the NFL. That's a recipe for disaster and Hill made the Giants and Hawkins pay. Now, that play is even more infuriating knowing that a ripped screw on a (expletive) chinstrap played a role in things:
Adoree Jackson said he wasn't on the field at the start of the second half because of an equipment problem. The screw to the chinstrap ripped out of the helmet. They noticed at start of 3rd quarter.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 8, 2023
That put rookie Tre Hawkins on Tyreek Hill and resulted in a 69-yard TD.
The Giants defense had no answers for the Dolphins in Sunday's loss
Goodness. This was something that couldn't be identified and fixed at halftime? The Giants were down one score at this time, with the team feeling sensational thanks to the 102-yard pick-six recorded by Jason Pinnock in the second quarter.
All of that momentum was wiped away by Tagavailoa and Hill hooking up for the electric touchdown. Who knows if things would have been different if Jackson was out on the field instead of Hawkins, but we'll never know.
Giants leaving Tre Hawkins in man-coverage with NO safety help over top on Tyreek Hill is why they deserve to lose this game... pic.twitter.com/nQbvehhbxv
— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) October 8, 2023
With the Giants at 1-4, all of these silly mistakes keep adding up for this squad on both sides of the ball. Letting Hill blow by a rookie is one thing, but this equipment mishap, along with Xavier McKinney leaving the CB all on his own, is infuriating. The players aren't getting the job done and neither are the coaches. Everything HAS to get cleaned up before 1-16 stares the Giants in the face come January.