Giants Trampled at Home: Lost to Seattle 24-3

A rejuvenated optimism surrounded this Giants team to begin the year. Four weeks into the season, that optimism has turned into utter disappointment. Last night was another slice of misery pie for Giants fans as they got utterly decimated by the Seahawks in all facets of the game. The losing score of 24-3 does not even begin to relay how bad of a night it was for Big Blue. 

Up front, the Giants had no answer for Seattle's pass rush. Collecting a mind-boggling eleven sacks recorded on Quarterback Daniel Jones, to go with 14 QB hits he endured as well. Struggles on the O-line have been a common theme in New York for over a decade. Despite spending a plethora of draft capital to shore it up, nothing has led to consistent positive results. A game like this brings into question what needs to be fixed on the developmental side of the organization. How can a team invest as heavily as NY has, and still seemingly come away with only one sure hit? That hit being All-pro LT Andrew Thomas, who has missed the past three weeks of action with a hamstring issue.

It would be easy to solely blame the Offensive line for yesterday's loss. However, nobody played well, including forty-million-dollar QB Daniel Jones. Jones, as stated, was constantly under duress throughout the night. That said, that does not excuse many of the mistakes he was making. Jones threw two interceptions, one of which was a 97-yard pick-six to rookie corner Devon Witherspoon who single-handedly stalled the best Giants drive since their very first possession of the game. Resulting in a possible 14-point swing in the Seahawk's favor, NY was only down 14-3 at that point and they could have made it a one-possession game with a score. That pick-six took the air out of the stadium and the Giants sideline. If only it had ended there. Unfortunately for Jones, it didn't. He also put the ball on the ground twice, losing one fumble and luckily recovering the other. Jones has yet to throw a touchdown since the second half of week two vs. Arizona, where he threw two. Even under the excruciating circumstances he has endured, Jones has not played even remotely up to par this season. Two touchdowns and six interceptions through 4 weeks is unacceptable for a 40 million dollar QB.

Kayvon Thibodeaux played well for the Defense last night, making his presence felt. He finished with two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a pass deflection. Last year's number five overall pick was the only bright spot on a bleak night in East Rutherford. The rest of the Defense played okay, given the situations they were put in. Seattle scored one of their two offensive touchdowns starting from the Giants' seven-yard line, thanks to the aforementioned Jones fumble. There was also a field goal that started at the Giants 45-yard line, thanks again to a Jones turnover. Still, except for Kayvon, no one else registered a sack and only one outside QB pressure was recorded. Pass rush was viewed as a possible strength heading into the season, but has become a glaring weakness. Tackling is another big issue that needs to be fixed. Multiple missed tackles have led to the inability to get off the field on third down and some big scoring plays. Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale has to reinforce this to his team, as simple mistakes are leading to game changing plays going against them. 

Another complete debacle of a game for New York is becoming common practice. The Giants will take to the road to play against Miami this week and the Buffalo Bills the following week. Two of the NFL's premier teams are led by high-octane offenses and manned by stout defensive fronts. If Head Coach Brian Daboll and the cast don't want to lose this season, they must make changes on both sides of the ball. As it currently stands, I'd expect New York to get steamrolled unless the highly anticipated returns of Saquon Barkley and Andrew Thomas can revive the team.