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Coming off a four game win streak and sitting on top of the NFC East, the Giants were poised to beat the Cardinals, who have been in a rough patch. A win this week would create a nice cushion for the Giants to secure first in the east, and help their chances in the Wild Card race. With Washington right on their tales, the Giants needed a performance like last week to show they are no fluke. Unfortunately, that did not occur.
It was evident that the Giants were banged up, and it showed in their performance this week. It was an awful game to watch and the Giants were just straight up bad, and came out flat. Daniel Jones did not look 100%, but the surrounding counterparts did not help him today. The O-Line was pitiful, the run game underperformed, the defense was subpar, and the special teams was just not good for the third straight game.
All in all, the Giants were stagnant and the Cardinals wanted this game more. The final score was Arizona 26, New York 7. Not much positivity coming out of this blog, but here is a recap anyway.
Photo: Giants
Pros
Were there any this week?
Where to begin? The offense couldn't get anything generated, and twitter erupted saying that Colt McCoy should be in the game. I personally didn't think Daniel Jones was the issue. The lack of separation from the receivers, questionable offensive play calling, and bad pass protection all combined to hinder the Giants offense. The line was atrocious, and I'll dive into that later on. Jone's final stat line was 11/21 with 127 yards, 0 TD's and 0 INT's. This isn't great but the issues didn't stem from him. Golden Tate had one decent grab, which led to the only Giants score (Dion Lewis rush), but that was about it.
Photos: Giants
In terms of defense, the teams strongest unit, they underperformed. In the first half, the Giants’ defense stood strong. That was until the second quarter, when Kyler Murray through an an amazing throw to Dan Arnold. The reach and catch was spectacular, and he scored their first touchdown for the team. It was all downhill from there. It didn't help that Darnay Holmes was out, and Blake Martinez was coming off an injury. Despite the woes, Jabrill Peppers and James Bradberry played well. Carter Coughlin made some key tackles. Logan Ryan almost had an interception and Dalvin Tomlinson secured a sack. Individuals played well, but the unit as a whole did not, which doesn't help the bottom line. Kyler Murray played to well for the Giants, rushing 10 times for 52 yards while completing 24-of-35 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown.
Cons
The O-Line was A-Wful
The Cardinals defense came in to todays game with middle of the road stats. They came in ranked 20th, with problematic run defense and secondary issues. That changed today thanks to the Giants O-Line. The Cardinals defense looked like a Super Bowl contender. The line gave up 5 sacks...to Haason Reddick. Haason Reddick?! He performed like a Defensive Player of the Year. He tallied five sacks and three forced fumbles. In addition, two more sacks came from backup outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck. Former Giant, Markus Golden, had himself a day too with a strip-sack and a fumble recovery.
Photo: Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY Sports
Special Teams, figure it out!
Toughness can only go so far. As a whole, the Giants just did not play well. Every unit needs to do their job. For the third straight game, the Special Teams has not held their own. A fumble on a kick return led to an easy Cardinals score, and the punt return coverage was flat out bad, allowing Christian Kirk 77 yards on six returns.
What's Next?
We don't know the outcome of the Washington/San Francisco game just yet. If they lose, the Giants still are on top of the East alongside the Football Team. If they pull off a win, they fall to second, with the Cowboys right behind them.
The Giants will host the Browns for a week 15, Sunday Night primetime matchup. The Browns have been a hot team, and this will be a difficult matchup Baker is playing phenomenally. The pair in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will be a difficult duo to stop.
If the Giants want to play past January, this win is an absolute must. In order for them to possibly win, they will need to figure out their mistakes from this week. Jones needs to get healthier, the O-Line needs to fix their woes, and the special teams need a revamp. All I can see to this is, In Joe Judge we trust.
Photo: Vincent Carchietta / USA TODAY Sports