This is going to sting for a long, long time. The NY Giants had a victory basically wrapped up against the Jets on Sunday. The game was all but over, with the G-Men ready to improve to 3-5 on the year and enter next week's game against the Raiders with a ton of confidence. Then, in the blink of an eye, everyone's Sunday has been ruined.
The Jets were able to record an absolutely stunning victory over the Giants and people are going to be kept up all night thinking about what should have been for this team. There are plenty of people to blame for the late nightmare... these three in particular:
3. Head coach Brian Daboll
One of the biggest worries for Giants fans this season has been head coach Brian Daboll being far too conservative. This was showcased on Sunday against the Jets, with a couple of decisions coming back to haunt him. Most notably, with the game on the line, Daboll decided to put everything on the right boot of Graham Gano.
On 4th down, and the Jets fans at MetLife Stadium hoping for a miracle, Gano trotted out looking to put the Giants up by six points. Instead, though, he somehow missed the short kick and the Jets were given an extra life. A long pass from Zach Wilson to Garrett Wilson put the Jets in business, with a Kayvon Thibodeaux penalty stopping the clock.
The Jets were then able to kick a field goal as time expired to force overtime. With the Giants not trusting Tommy DeVito to throw the ball downfield in place of the injured Tyrod Taylor, the Jets got the ball back in overtime and made the Giants pay. Not only did Daboll blow it in not going for the win on 4th down, but then not putting trust in DeVito to try and win the game had people furious.
2. CB Adoree' Jackson
We absolutely hate to pin one play as the reason the Giants lost, but what in the world was Adoree' Jackson doing in overtime on a huge 3rd-down play? With Zach Wilson basically throwing a desperation ball downfield, it looked like the Giants were going to come up with a key stop and get the ball back with a chance to win it in the extra session.
Instead, Jackson was called for pass interference DEEP in Giants territory, basically putting the win on a platter for the visiting side. Jackson never turned his head and made clear contact with Jets receiver Malik Taylor. There was no chance this ball was going to be completed, but Jackson just made the silly mistake on this play. This just can't happen with the game on the line.
A quick look on social media shows that people are livid with Jackson and we don't blame them. Again, you can't put the Giants loss just on this play, but the Jets were able to capture the 13-10 victory shortly after this happened. Daboll was seen throwing his headset off in anger after the final whistle and his feelings are shared by so many. This is a play Jackson is going to want back.
1. Graham Gano
No. 1 on our list is quite obvious. It was a day to forget for Gano, who is no longer as automatic as he used to be. In September, Gano was given a three-year extension and people were quite happy for him. After the way he played last season, Gano was fully deserving of his new contract and pay increase.
However, he has been way too inconsistent this season, which was showcased against the Jets. We already talked about his missed field goal late in the fourth quarter, but Gano also missed a FG try early on in the day too. Two missed field goals for him in a three-point loss? Yeah, that's just not going to cut it.
Not sure why Brian Daboll didn't try to run for 1 yard and end the game. Instead, Graham Gano misses. Jets drive and kick game-tying FG as time expired.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) October 29, 2023
Had Gano drilled the FG at the end of the game, we wouldn't even be writing this article right now. The Giants should be 3-5 on the season, but with Gano absolutely blowing it, the G-Men have fallen to 2-6. After going 9-7-1 last campaign, the expectations were through the roof for this team in '23, but way too many guys have let this team down. On Sunday, no one was more of a disappointment than Gano.