The New York Giants took the field on Monday Night Football hoping to achieve their first 3-0 start since 2009. Instead, the team fell back to earth with the Dallas Cowboys coming out on top in a 23-16 finish that came down to the final minutes.
Unlike in the first two games of the season, New York couldn’t make the plays when it mattered most and Dallas was able to expose their flaws. Even against a Cowboys’ roster dealing with significant injuries, especially on offense, the Giants couldn’t deliver the stops when it needed and its own offense fell short.
While the Giants disappointed in all three phases of the game, these five issues are the most concerning.
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Dallas Cowboys overwhelmed Giants’ offensive line
From the start of the game, it was apparent that New York’s offensive line was overwhelmed by the Cowboys front seven. Daniel Jones was sacked five times on Monday night and hurried and hit throughout the entire game.
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Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had his way with seventh overall pick Evan Neal on his way to a three-sack performance. The line also struggled to open holes for Saquon Barkley with the exception of his 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Without that run, Barkley would have been held to 45 yards on the ground on 13 carries.
New York Giants miss Leonard Williams
Once it was official that Leonard Williams would be unable to play due to a knee injury, everyone knew slowing down the Cowboys’ ground game would be a tall task.
But few could have envisioned the duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard rushing for 178 yards on 28 carries. In their first two games, New York had given up an average of 119.5 yards on the ground.
The defense lost the momentum of the game
Despite losing the battle of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, the Giants had a 13-6 lead with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter following a sensational 36-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley.
But their lead was short-lived as Dallas tied the game on the next possession on a nine-play 75-yard drive that culminated in an Elliott one-yard touchdown run.
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Then after New York’s offense went three and out on the next possession, the defense surrendered an 89-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Cooper Rush one-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb to put Dallas upfront 20-13.
If New York’s defense played the way it had in the first half and forced a punt, they would have kept the momentum and perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Giants don’t have a deep threat
You can’t blame this loss on Jones, he played well for a quarterback under constant duress. He completed 20-of-37 passes for 196 yards, adding 79 yards on the ground. However, the inability to stretch the field and test the Cowboys’ deep proved costly on Monday.
It’s painfully clear that the Giants do not have a downfield threat at the receiver position. Kenny Golladay is clearly not the same receiver prior to his hip injury in his last season with the Detroit Lions. Richie James and David Sills V are good possession receivers, and although he missed the game with a hamstring injury, when he’s healthy Kadarius Toney is not a deep threat either.
To make matters worse, the Giants most dependable receiver Sterling Shepard was carted off the field after he went down in a heap grabbing his left knee on New York’s last offensive play of the game. Non-contact injuries are often the worst injuries and the fear is he’ll be lost for the season.
Kayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari made minimal impact
Much was made of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari making their season debut on Monday. But New York’s top two pass rushers failed to make a significant impact in New York’s first loss of the season.
Cowboys’ quarterback Cooper Rush had a clean pocket all night and completed 21 out of 31 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown, while Thibodeaux and Ojulari had a combined two tackles on the evening.
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Now all eyes will be on head coach Brian Daboll to see how his team responds as he faces adversity for the first time in his young coaching career. The team is coming off their first loss of the season and has a quick turnaround for their next game on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.