The New York Giants dropped to 2–8 on the season after getting blown out 49–17 on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. In their two matchups this season, the Cowboys outscored the Giants 89–17, leaving fans of Big Blue demoralized through ten weeks of this season.
Brian Daboll is losing his grip on the locker room
Head coach Brian Daboll has not had the second season in command that he had hoped for. After winning the AP Head Coach of the Year award last season, Daboll and his squad have taken a serious step backward in 2023.
To make matters worse, Daboll seems to be losing his grip on the locker room. Only a week removed from captain Xavier McKinney calling out the coaching staff, the Giants’ sidelines became a spectacle in Week 10.
Star RB Saquon Barkley reportedly had an “animated discussion with Brian Daboll” during the game after failing to convert a fourth-and-three attempt. There was also visible frustration from the team’s receiving corps which garnered plenty of attention from NBC’s broadcast coverage.
WRs Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard were seen shouting back-and-forth and Daboll had to get involved and attempt to ease tensions.
There have been an alarming amount of sideline outbursts this season. From Daboll tossing a tablet in conversation with QB Daniel Jones, to Daboll screaming at QB Tyrod Taylor for a costly mistake in Week 6, to Daboll cursing out one of his players in Week 9, the Giants’ head coach seems to be at the center of most of their sideline turmoil.
Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are reportedly under pressure to deliver a competitive team down the stretch of the season. The Giants were anything but competitive on Sunday afternoon and, as the sideline ran rampant, there could soon be some uncertainty surrounding job statuses among New York’s top brass.
The Giants can’t overcome their injuries
All season long, Big Blue has dealt with a laundry list of injuries. In Week 1, LT Andrew Thomas suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of the lineup until Week 9. This injury was too much for the team to overcome as Thomas’ absence from the lineup ultimately tanked their offense and sent their season spiraling out of control.
To make matters worse, the Giants are down to their third-string quarterback who is standing behind a banged-up offensive line and missing his top receiving weapon as TE Darren Waller is on injured reserve.
The list of injuries the Giants have suffered this season has been astronomical. Every team has to deal with injuries every season, but the amount of injuries that New York has endured this season has been too much for one team to overcome.
- Giants starting QB role is anything but set in stone per report
- The Giants have something special developing in the defensive trenches
- Do the Giants have enough pass-rushing depth on the edge?
The defense is regressing
The Giants’ offense has been abysmal all season long. But the defense was playing at a high level for a stretch of the season — not any longer. The Giants’ defense got picked apart yesterday by an elite Dallas Cowboys offense that totaled 640 yards of total offense in the contest.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s unit got exposed by the talent possessed by Dallas. The pass-rush rarely got home and the unit had no answers for the Dak Prescott-to-CeeDee Lamb connection.
Prescott threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns and Lamb totaled 11 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns (one rushing). While the Cowboys look like legitimate contenders for the Super Bowl, the Giants look like legitimate contenders for the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft.
