Daniel Jones, putrid Giants offense whiff on chance to inject hope into season

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Everything was set up for the New York Giants on Sunday night. A home prime-time game against a vulnerable opponent with a chance to get to .500. A win over the Cincinnati Bengals would have put the Giants one game out of first place in the NFC East heading into next week’s matchup with the Eagles.

Half of the team was up to the task. But a heroic effort by the defense wasn’t enough to carry a futile offense in a 17-7 loss that dropped the Giants to 2-4.

“I thought our defense played very good football. They played winning football,” coach Brian Daboll said. “And then, didn’t score enough points offensively. That starts with me. It’s hard to win games when you score seven points. That’s the reality of it.”

That putrid offensive showing came in a matchup with a Bengals defense that was ranked 31st in points allowed (29 points per game) entering Sunday. Things were so dire in Cincinnati that the defense resorted to a players-only meeting during the week, typically the last resort for a struggling unit.

That was the defense that had quarterback Daniel Jones reverting to the worst version of himself after four straight promising performances. Jones threw a mind-numbing interception after the Giants drove to the Bengals’ 14-yard line on their second possession.

Facing heavy pressure from former teammate BJ Hill after faking a handoff, Jones made the inexplicable decision to try to throw the ball away through the back of the end zone. Hill hit Jones as he threw, causing the pass to flutter into the arms of linebacker Germaine Pratt at the 3-yard line for a demoralizing interception.

It’s hard to fathom why Jones would try to throw the ball away downfield, especially when he could have just fired the pass at the feet of running back Tyrone Tracy in the flat. Daboll took the blame for the miscue, and while the decision was solely on the player, it’s past time to remove the slow-developing play-action throw-back from the playbook.

“Trying to get the ball to the back of the endzone, got hit, got to throw it earlier or get the ball down,” Jones said.

Interceptions happen. And that was the only one Jones threw. The bigger problem is the continued lack of a downfield passing game.

Jones defiantly shot down the narrative about his deep ball struggles after completing 41- and 30-yard passes in last week’s 29-20 win at Seattle. But the problem resurfaced Sunday, with Jones failing to connect on anything downfield.

The Giants’ biggest gain was a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who ran an angle route of the backfield the play before the interception. It’s impossible to play offense in a phone booth like the Giants have been this season. They’re averaging just 16 points per game, and their inability to generate explosive plays is their biggest obstacle to scoring.

Opponents are aware of the deficiency, so they’re smothering the Giants’ quick passing attack. Every completion on Sunday was a short pass, and there was limited room for yards after the catch. That should improve when rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers returns from a concussion, but even he was subjected to the claustrophobic passing game when he averaged just 9.6 yards on 12 catches before getting injured in Week 3.

Even when the Giants did hit an explosive play on Sunday, it didn’t count. Wide receiver Darius Slayton’s 56-yard catch-and-run on a slant was called back due to a clear ineligible receiver downfield penalty on left tackle Andrew Thomas, who had ventured too far while blocking on the RPO.

“Andrew was blocking the run, and it looked to me like it was the right call,” Daboll said.

The offense found some rhythm by going up-tempo in the second half, which helped limit the Bengals’ substitutions and the blitzes they were calling to stifle the Giants’ rushing attack. New York marched 79 yards on 16 plays to tie the score at 7 with a Tyrone Tracy 1-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter.

The Bengals took a 10-7 lead on the ensuing possession before the Giants’ final three drives ended with two missed field goals and a turnover on downs. After Greg Joseph missed a potential tying 47-yard field goal, it wasn’t a surprise Daboll kept the offense on the field when they faced a fourth-and-2 from Cincinnati’s 36-yard line on their next possession late in the fourth quarter.

Jones tried to thread a pass to a tightly covered Slayton on a crossing route. It seemed like the first option was Robinson, who was running a slant behind Slayton and had a step on his defender.

“It’s kind of a tough play because I basically just a have a runaway, so I’m just running, and Wan’Dale kind of has the option off of that,” Slayton said. “It’s not really much I can do other than run, so it’s more unfortunate than anything.”

In the end, Jones met a familiar fate. He dropped to 1-14 in prime time and 0-5 at home over the past two seasons. Tracy’s touchdown was the first the offense has scored in a Jones home start since the 2022 season.

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Here are four more thoughts on the loss that put the Giants alone in last place in the NFC East:

Out-coached

Daboll’s offensive game plans had given the Giants an edge, even if the execution was lacking at times in their first five games. But Daboll was out-coached by Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who also interviewed for the Giants’ head-coaching vacancy in 2022.

The Bengals entered with the 28th-ranked rushing defense, but they caused problems for the Giants by blitzing from the second level and shifting their defensive linemen. Tracy managed just 50 yards on 17 carries, which contributed to the Giants playing from behind the sticks for most of the game.

Jones was the Giants’ best weapon on the ground, with 10 carries for 57 yards (excluding kneel downs). But it’s hard to imagine Jones holding up if the rate of punishment he takes as a ball carrier continues.

Often faced with third-and-long, the Giants converted just 5-of-15 attempts. Anarumo threw changeups, often showing blitzes but only bringing three or four rushers. That approach took away the easy outlets Jones relies on.

With the offense struggling on third down — and overall — in the first half, Daboll adopted a hyper-aggressive approach in the second half. The Giants went for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 38-yard line on the first possession of the third quarter. Jones’ short pass to Robinson was broken up.

That didn’t deter Daboll, who went for it on fourth-and-2 from New York’s 40 on the next series. Tracy converted on an option pitch from Jones, and then Tracy fought for a fourth-and-1 conversion from Cincinnati’s 35-yard line on the drive that ended with the Giants’ lone touchdown.

NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said Daboll was putting his job on the line with those fourth-down decisions. That was hyperbolic, but Daboll’s desperation to inject life into the offense was palpable after getting shutout in the first half.

“We didn’t have any points,” Daboll said. “I felt good about the stuff that we had (on fourth down).”

A few plays short

The defense deserved better after mostly shutting down a Bengals offense that entered MetLife Stadium averaging 28 points per game. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s success against the Bengals and quarterback Joe Burrow carried over from his time with the Tennessee Titans.

The difference in the game was the handful of explosive plays the Bengals delivered. The biggest was a 47-yard touchdown scramble by Burrow, who broke through a gaping hole on the right side of the line on a third-and-18 on the game’s opening drive. The Giants sent an overload blitz on the left side, and the defensive backs were in man coverage, so no one was there once Burrow took off. Not known for his speed, Burrow beat safety Jason Pinnock to the pylon to cap the longest run of his career.

The Giants’ game plan clearly was focused on limiting the damage of Cincinnati’s elite wide receivers. They mostly accomplished that goal, although Ja’Marr Chase did haul in a 33-yard pass over cornerback Cor’Dale Flott on an extended play. Chase finished with five catches for 72 yards while being followed by Flott, who had plenty of help from safeties. The Giants flat-out doubled Chase on some plays. Top corner Deonte Banks traveled with No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins, who made seven catches for 77 yards.

Even with Bowen’s plan posing challenges, Burrow came through with a huge play on Cincinnati’s final drive. Leading 10-7, the Bengals faced a third-and-12 at their own 34-yard line with 2:12 remaining when Burrow rolled to his left and fired a 29-yard strike along the sideline to receiver Andrew Iosivas.

Linebacker Micah McFadden then stripped running back Chase Brown, but the ball squirted away from Pinnock and out of bounds. Brown sealed the win with a 30-yard touchdown run up the middle on the next play.

Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari stepped up after Kayvon Thibodeaux was placed on injured reserve with a broken wrist. Ojulari was in the backfield all night. He registered two sacks, forced a grounding penalty and would have had another sack, but he mistakenly thought he had stripped Burrow and let the quarterback out of his grasp in the first quarter.

Brian Burns looked like a $141 million player at the other outside linebacker spot. Burns tallied eight tackles, including a sack and a tackle for a loss on a third-and-3 in the first quarter. Burns also drilled Burrow to force a third-down incompletion to give the offense another chance to tie in the fourth quarter.

“It’s frustrating, and there are more plays to be made and more things that we can do to change the game,” Burns said. “If we want to be an elite defense and live up to who we say we are, then we have to make those plays.”

Hobbled Thomas

Thomas set an extremely high standard with his play in the past two seasons. He hasn’t been playing up to that level this season.

Thomas was beat by Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson for a sack that derailed a second-quarter drive. Thomas can’t be expected to be flawless, but he’s had a few rough moments this season.

Far more concerning, Thomas injured his foot on the long touchdown drive. It clearly limited him, and he was hobbling on the Giants’ final possession.

Thomas is headed for an MRI on Monday. Even if he hasn’t been playing at an All-Pro level, Thomas is an irreplaceable player. The Giants can’t afford to lose him for any period of time.

Wide left

Kicker Greg Joseph picked a bad time for a rough night. Joseph, who was signed after Graham Gano injured his hamstring in Week 2, had made eight straight field goals after missing his first attempt with the Giants.

But Joseph missed both of his field goal attempts in the fourth quarter on Sunday. Joseph hooked a 47-yarder wide left that would have tied the score at 10 with 10:27 remaining. Then Joseph hooked a 45-yarder wide left with 55 seconds left and the Giants trailing by 10 points. Daboll had no faith to attempt a potential tying 54-yard field goal on the failed fourth-and-2 pass to Slayton.

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Gano is eligible to return from injured reserve this week, although it’s not clear where he is in his recovery. He has done very little during the open portion of practices while on IR.

(Photo of B.J. Hill and Daniel Jones: Luke Hales / Getty Images)



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