If one word would describe the New York Giants performance against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, disastrous would be the appropriate word.
Not only did they suffer an embarrassing 44-20 loss to their bitter division rivals, but Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Kenny Golladay all left the game in the first half due to injuries.
Barkley had his left ankle stepped on by cornerback Jourdan Lewis, and immediately limped off to the sideline. When Barkley took his shoe off his ankle had severe swelling and he was carted off to the locker room.
Jones suffered a concussion when he was hit in the head by Jabril Cox has he tried to run over Cox near the goal line. Jones was able to get to his feet, but then he wobbled as he tried to walk to the sideline and was eventually taken to the locker room.
Golladay hyperextended his knee in the first quarter and tried to play through it, but eventually had to come out and did not return.
Injuries to key players were the last thing the Giants needed as they were already decimated with injuries as Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Jabrill Peppers, and Ben Bredeson were all out with injuries, and left tackle Andrew Thomas didn’t play due to an ankle injury.
The loss of Thomas was felt early as the offensive line lost the battle of the line of scrimmage to the Cowboys front seven. The line didn’t give up a sack, but Jones and then Mike Glennon were under pressure often, and Big Blue averaged just 2.9 yards per carry.
But injuries are part of the game and head coach Joe Judge doesn’t use injuries as an excuse, and injuries weren’t the reason the defense was abysmal on Sunday.
New York Giants defense fails in defeat
New York’s defense gave up 201 yards on the ground on 39 carries and allowed Dak Prescott to complete 22-of-32 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns.
Coming into the season Big Blue was supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league. But they have underperformed all season, and on Sunday the Cowboys exposed their flaws.
The lone bright spot for the New York Giants was Kadarius Toney who caught 10 passes for a franchise rookie record 189 yards. However, his day came to an abrupt end when he was ejected in the fourth quarter for punching safety Damontae Kazee.
With the loss, the Giants now sit alone in last place in the NFC East. They came into the season with hopes of notching their first winning season since 2016. But with Barkley possibly missing a few weeks, and the status of Jones and Golladay unknown at this time, the season is on the brink of a downward spiral.
Big Blue will look to rebound next Sunday at MetLife Stadium when they take on the (4-1) Los Angeles Rams.