Giants' season is already spiraling out of control after latest embarrassment in prime time

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants have played 180 minutes of prime time football through the first four weeks of the 2023 season. They’ve treated the national audience to a grand total of 15 points. One touchdown. And a -79 point differential. 

Thirty-one second-half points against the Arizona Cardinals salvaged their lone victory through the first month of the season. Their -76 point differential overall is the worst in the league.

“I know the scores ... yeah, not good,” head coach Brian Daboll, cutting off a reporter's question about the margins of defeat, said Monday after the latest letdown. “So, a lot of work that needs to be done.” 

Brief reminder about those finals for those not as familiar as Daboll. Week 1: Cowboys 40, Giants 0. Week 3: 49ers 30, Giants 12. And Week 4, a “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Seattle 24, New York 3. 

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The good news is that the Giants do not play in a standalone window next weekend. But the worst might yet be to come for the Giants, who face the Miami Dolphins (3-1) and Buffalo Bills (3-1) in consecutive road matchups. The Buffalo game, by the way, is another prime time showdown.

Sorry, America.

How many more games can NFL fans with no dog in the fight watch quarterback Daniel Jones run for his life with no sustainable protection from the offensive line and no reliable weapons to get the ball to? This is not to absolve Jones – four games into his four-year, $160 million contract, the Giants might have already entered the early stages of buyer’s remorse. 

Without running back Saquon Barkley, who missed his second game with a high ankle sprain suffered against Arizona, as well as the absence of left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), the offense has been impotent. The Seahawks entered the game with the second-worst passing defense in the league (328 passing yards per game). And Seattle limited the Giants' biggest plays to a pair of 22-yard completions to running back Matt Breida.

Jones finished with 203 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The first was a pick-six by Seahawks rookie Devon Witherspoon – the No. 5 overall pick in the draft who has made a strong first impression in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race – that swung the game to the Seahawks for good late in the third quarter.

Following that interception, Daboll was visibly upset with Jones on the sideline. He yelled as the fifth-year quarterback jogged off the field. And he tossed a tablet after peering at the screen with Jones.

“I think we’re all frustrated," Jones said.

Count tight end Darren Waller in that category. The team's primary offseason acquisition in the name of adding explosive plays to the offense received three targets and entered the game with 12 catches for 132 yards.

“Offense is just not good enough, in all facets," Waller said. "I don’t have anything to say, really. It’s just not good enough."

The necessary changes will require "honest conversation," Waller said.

“I see the talent. I see the guys that we got," he said. "I see the vision that we had from the spring and the excitement that we had on offense. I just don’t know, man. I ain’t got a lot of words right now. I’m sorry.” 

A Jones fumble in the first half – the ball came loose following a blind-side pressure he did not feel in the pocket – set the Seahawks up with their first touchdown, a dime from Geno Smith to DK Metcalf.

When Jones wasn't turning the ball over, he was peeling himself from the MetLife Stadium turf. The Seahawks totaled 11 sacks, nearly equaling the 12 times Jones had been sacked through the first three games of the season. Promising rookie center John Michael Schmitz exited early with a shoulder injury. More line shuffling ensued. Shane Lemieux, one of those subs, also left the game hurt.

Injuries happen all the time in the NFL. The Seahawks lost both of their starting guards on Monday and have been playing for weeks without both starting tackles. The Giants, in 2023, are simply worse than many others at handling them.

But this team has serious issues in all three phases of the game. The defense is the lone unit in football without a takeaway. Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (two sacks) missed an opportunity for game-changing play on a short screen pass in the second quarter. The Giants' turnover differential (-8) is tied with Minnesota Vikings for second-worst in the league. Talk about an easy recipe to become the regression buddies of this year after breakout 2022 campaigns.

Poor tackling haunted the defense again, as Seahawks tight end Noah Fant strolled up the sideline, evading Giants defenders unable to push him out of bounds and unwilling to tackle him until the 1-yard line. Seattle scored with backup quarterback Drew Lock in for an injured Smith, who ultimately played through a knee injury in the second half.

The bright side for the defense is that the 17 points marked the lowest total the unit has allowed this season.

On special teams, New York committed six penalties. Punt returner Eric Gray was hooked following his muff (that the Giants recovered) on the first return of the game.

All of it led to halftime boos from the home crowd, with the overwhelming majority of fans having already departed by the game's final whistle.

"I would be upset, too, if I was a fan," said Daboll, who said no changes to staff or play-calling were imminent.

The Giants had 10 days to prepare for this game. At one point on the ESPN broadcast, color commentator Troy Aikman noted that the receivers weren't running hard enough on their routes.

Outside of the next two weeks, the Giants have more tough sledding. Both games against NFC East foes Philadelphia and Washington remain on the schedule. There is one more matchup with Dallas left. Right now, the Giants belong in the basement of the division.

Any luck – on the schedule, the bounce of the ball or otherwise – from last season, when the Giants reached the divisional round of the playoffs, has not carried over. That’s not to take away what Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen accomplished in Year 1. “Overachieving” can carry a negative connotation. But it was not a "run it back" situation. The foundation was still shaky and improvements were required.

"Every year's different," Daboll said.

The Giants are finding that out in real time.