Tis the Season: New York Giants Suffer 10th Loss of Year

In a week (and a season) they would like to forget, the New York Giants fell to the Oakland Raiders 24-17 on Sunday. With the controversy surrounding Eli Manning, Ben McAdoo, and John Mara, it was easy to forget that there was a game this weekend.

Despite being down just 10-7 at halftime, with Orleans Darkwa scoring the only New York points, the offense could not get anything going. The defense could only stop so much, as they surrendered fourth-quarter touchdowns to DeAndre Washington (nine-yard run) and Johnny Holton (nine-yard catch).

McAdoo Still Coach…for Now

The much talked about Manning benching has made McAdoo “Public Enemy No. 1” in New York. Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported hours early Sunday morning that the head coach could be fired 24 hours after the Sunday’s game.

Former teammates and coaches of the two time Super Bowl MVP quarterback have attacked McAdoo for how he announced the decision. Not only that, but for how he treated Manning.

With his job on the line, McAdoo did show a bit more emotion on the sidelines than he usually does. However, it was the same old story for the Giants. Offense could not gain much traction as they mustered just 265 net yards (200 passing, 65 rushing). The defense was dealing with bouts of exhaustion, allowing 401 net yards to Oakland.

Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch provided no comment after the game regarding McAdoo’s job status. The embattled head coach said he did not hear anything from the owners postgame and he would continue coaching, “until [his] key card stops working.”

In this case, based off earlier reports, could come on Monday.

Geno’s Debut Filled with Ups and Downs

The uneasy transition from Eli Manning to Geno Smith yielded the same results this week. Smith had moments where he looked pretty good, as he was able to make some throws, as well as scramble out of the pocket.

However, what plagued him while with the New York Jets is a deterrent with the Giants, and that’s turnovers. Smith would fumble twice on two sacks, where he would fail to recover possession.

Bottom line from this performance: new quarterback, same offensive line. It goes to show that no matter what signal caller is summoned for the Giants, the success rate would be rather low.

One question still remains, which we might have answered in the final four games of the season. When will Giants activate Davis Webb and when will see regular season action?

Defense Fails to Finish

New York’s defense had a rough day at the office in Oakland. Safety Landon Collins and defensive back Brandon Dixon both looked to have easy interceptions off bad throws from Derek Carr. However, both gimmes bounced off their hands and hitting the turf below If those two passes were intercepted, this game could have went a different way.

However, both Collins and Dixon made up for it. In the third quarter, Dixon forced a fumble on Holton, and Collins recovered. It was all for naught, as the Giants offense went three-and-out on the ensuing drive.

While there were glimmers of shining moments on the defense, they ultimately fell. Plays such as Marshawn Lynch’s 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Cordarrelle Patterson’s 59-yard catch-and-run in the fourth proved to be critical.  New York’s defense has been hindered by injuries and length on the field all season, and it shows each game that passes.

Elevation of Engram

Rookie tight end Evan Engram has been one of the lone bright spots of the Giants offense ever since the loss of their entire receiving corps.

The 2017 first-round draft pick hauled in seven receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown against the Raiders defense. One of those catches came in the waning minutes of the game, where he leaped over two defenders for a spectacular one-handed catch.

Despite a drop-riddled game against the Washington Redskins last week, Engram bounced back big time. In fact, Engram’s fifth recorded touchdown of the season ties the franchise record for most by a rookie tight end. The last tight end to do that was Bob Tucker in 1970.

What’s Next?

The Giants return home to face off against the Dallas Cowboys. With Giants fans angered with ownership about the treatment of Manning, as well as having a 2-10 record, they might face a rude awakening at home? Can New York pull out a victory against Dallas? Or will the Giants receive the brown paper bag treatment from their home crowd?