5 day-after thoughts from the NY Giants embarrassing loss to the Jets

Hearts are broken everywhere. The NY Giants had a win over the Jets locked up, but the Jets were the ones to leave MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon with a heart-stopping win. The G-Men choked late in this contest, plain and simple.

Now that we've had some time to reflect on the defeat, the pain is still quite high. The Giants are 2-6 on the year and they very easily could be 3-5. Nevertheless, here are some morning-after thoughts from the nightmare in East Rutherford:

5. The Giants need to sign a veteran QB as soon as possible

To start things off, the Giants need to go out and bring in an experienced quarterback as soon as possible. One of the major takeaways from Sunday's showdown was the injury suffered by No. 2 quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the first half. With that, the Giants and head man Brian Daboll were forced to send in Tommy DeVito to lead the offense.

No disrespect to DeVito, but he simply doesn't have the kind of experience or arm to start for this team moving forward. DeVito was signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason, but no one expected him to see extensive playing time at all. With injuries to Taylor (ribs) and Daniel Jones (neck), it forced the New Jersey native into action vs. Gang Green.

Give credit to Devito here, though. He did what he was asked to do, including him fooling everyone on his short touchdown run. With that said, it was clear that both Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka didn't trust him to throw the ball at all with the game on the line. The Giants finished with -9 passing yards - a big yikes. Another QB is needed.

4. Kayvon Thibodeaux had a monster game

A major topic of conversation last week was the beef between WFAN hosts Brandon Tierney and Sal Licata with Big Blue legend Carl Banks. Banks has been sick and tired of the two ripping second-year pass-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux. Things got to a point where Banks was kicked off their show. Seriously?

With all of that drama, there of course were going to be plenty of eyes on Thibodeaux from start to finish in this one. Luckily, the former No. 5 overall pick didn't disappoint and he got things going with a bang in the first quarter. Thibodeaux flew into the backfield and was able to deliver a great hit on Zach Wilson. Jihad Ward was there to scoop the ball up too:

That right there was a fantastic play from Thibodeaux and one that was wildly celebrated by Giants fans at MetLife Stadium. Thibodeaux finished with three sacks and he now has 8.5 on the season. The negative for him? An offsides call on Thibodeaux stopped the clock for the Jets before they were able to kick the game-tying FG to force overtime. Other than that, though, Thibodeaux had a near-perfect afternoon.

3. Darren Waller's hamstring injury is another gut punch for this team

The Taylor injury wasn't the only one that stung for the Giants against the Jets. Also in the first half, tight end Darren Waller was seen on the sideline with a sad look on the bench. Waller, who has battled injuries in recent years, was then ruled out for the rest of the showdown vs. the Jets with a hamstring issue.

Yes, another hamstring problem for Waller. When the Giants traded for the veteran tight end this offseason, plenty of fans were worried that the big-bodied pass-catcher wouldn't be able to stay fully fit throughout the season. Waller missing the majority of this rivalry game had to be quite frustrating for him, but fans are also unhappy too.

Waller missed a large chunk of time during the 2021 and 2022 seasons because of injuries, with a bum hammy keeping him off the field quite a bit. Waller had been playing well, highlighted by his monster game against the Commanders last week: 98 yards and a touchdown. Now, though, his health will be a major concern the rest of the year.

2. Saquon Barkley can't do everything on offense for this team

With the Giants not trusting DeVito to throw the ball, this meant extra work for Saquon Barkley. While he wasn't able to find the end zone, that doesn't mean No. 26 wasn't a star for the Big Blue offense vs. the Jets. On the day, Barkley carried the ball 36 times for 128 yards. That was a BUSY day on the ground for him.

Don't forget that Barkley was dealing with an elbow injury as well. Despite him not being at full strength, Barkley was able to fight through the pain and gain some tough yards for the G-Men. You could tell he was battling some discomfort, but it didn't slow him down. Unfortunately, all of his hard work came in a losing effort.

We can't overstate how important Barkley is for this offense. Moving forward, Daboll and Kafka are going to need to rely on him heavily, which is stating the obvious. He's the most important player on offense for the Giants and his play is only going to be even more important if both Taylor and Jones are ruled out for Week 9. As we mentioned previously in this piece, the Giants should look to sign a veteran QB. Whoever starts next week - they'll need No. 26 to be at his best for NY to have a shot at a win.

1. Graham Gano can't be trusted in pressure situations

We hate to admit it, but goodness, Gano just can't be trusted with the game on the line anymore. He missed two field goals in Sunday's loss. Before kickoff, insider Art Stapleton revealed that Gano is dealing with a knee injury. After the game, however, Gano didn't use his knee as an excuse for his two missed kicks, including the one late in the fourth.

It's admirable that Gano spoke to the press and put the L on him. It doesn't change the fact that the Giants should have had a win locked up if he would have made a kick he normally does in his sleep. Gano was Mr. Automatic last season, which led to him receiving a three-year extension from Joe Schoen this past offseason.

Through seven games this year, Gano has made 10 field goals, but missed four. Normally we'd be quite confident in the former Pro Bowler to step up big for the Giants, but he is letting everyone down. Gano is a gamer with tons of experience, but his play this season has been too inconsistent. A change at the position may be needed, especially if he's injured.