The New York Giants got trampled on Sunday afternoon, getting blown out at home by the Minnesota Vikings. The Giants lost the Week 1 matchup by a final score of 28–6 as backup quarterback Sam Darnold led the Minnesota Vikings to a dominant victory.
Giants fans were upset with their team’s performance today and they loudly expressed their displeasure. The boos rained down throughout the game (before the majority of the fans headed for the exit signs in the third quarter). Superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence responded to the booing fans, saying he does not have much respect for the behavior.
Giants’ Dexter Lawrence: ‘It’s just a rough patch’
While speaking with the media following the Giants’ Week 1 loss, Lawrence was asked what he makes about fans booing, and gave a response that’s sure to ruffle some feathers (h/t SNY and @SNYGiants on X):
“I don’t respect it, honestly,” Lawrence responded when asked what he makes of the fans booing. “I get it, they want to see their team win. It’s just a rough patch. It is what it is.”
A rough patch for the Giants is putting it kindly. The team has a combined record of 29-53-1 since 2019 when Lawrence was drafted. They’ve had just one winning season, coming in 2022.
To his credit, Lawrence is the least to blame for Big Blue’s woes. He is one of the best defensive players in the NFL and he demonstrated that in Week 1. He applied pressure to Darnold throughout the game (and was just about the only Giants player to do so with any sort of consistency) and even converted one sack during the contest.
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But despite Lawrence’s solid play, the G-Men still lost the game by 22 points and failed to score a touchdown. Obviously, failing to score a touchdown is not Lawrence’s fault, as that blame gets shouldered by the offense.
The majority of the boos were directed toward the offense, too. So maybe Lawrence should be tuning out those upset fans. But expressing a lack of respect for those fans who spend their hard-earned money to watch a losing football team is going to leave many upset.
The Giants kicked off their 100th season as a franchise on Sunday. They were hoping for more of a ceremonious beginning than what they displayed on the field. Giants fans are hoping to be given more to cheer about in Week 2 as they watch their team play their first division-rivalry matchup against the Washington Commanders.
