Giants dropped by Packers, 31-13: Instant analysis

Instant analysis of the latest New York Giants loss in which they fell to the Green Bay Packers, 31-13, in a snow storm.

The New York Giants are thisclose to having the first overall selection in next year’s NFL Draft. With the 31-13 loss this afternoon to the Green Bay Packers at icy MetLife Stadium, Big Blue fell to 2-10 on the season and just may be the worst team in the NFL right now.

They didn’t exactly embarrass themselves against the Packers on this lousy weather day, but just like nine other times this season, they just didn’t do enough again to win the game.

To their credit, the Giants kept things close for three quarters but the lack of depth and experience caught up with them as the Packers scored two touchdowns in the final frame to put the game away.

The team continues to be poorly run. On offense, timeouts are being used haphazardly and the play calling leaves a lot to be desired.

On defense, the coverage dogged them again, surrendering too many big plays in the passing game while committing costly penalties.

At this rate, it’s going to be difficult for general manager Dave Gettleman and the coaching staff to convince Giants’ ownership they deserve to return next season.

Some highlights…

Sterling Shepard from Daniel Jones for a TD.

A 43-yard completion to Cody Latimer.

Notes

  • The loss was the Giants’ eighth straight, which is tied for the second-longest skein in franchise history. They lost eight consecutive games on three other occasions: 1966 (Oct 23-Dec 18), 1980 (Sept 14-Nov 2) and 2004 (Nov 7-Dec 26). They will be attempting to tie the franchise record of nine next Monday night in Philadelphia. The record was set in 1976 (Sept 12-Nov 7) and matched from Nov 9, 2003 through Sept 14, 2004.
  • The Giants were without their two top tight ends again. Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion). They were replaced by rookie Kaden Smith and Scott Simonson.
  • Latimer started for Golden Tate (concussion) at wide receiver and rookie Julian Love was in for Jabrill Peppers (back) at safety.
  • Daniel Jones now has a touchdown pass in each of his 10 starts this season.
  • Wide receiver Darius Slayton had six receptions for 44 yards but his best play of the game – a 29-yard gain down the sideline in which he made a fingertip grab – was wiped away due to a penalty.

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Could Kaden Smith be a long-term answer at TE for Giants?

Could Kaden Smith be a long-term answer at the tight end position for the New York Giants?

The New York Giants came into this season with a long line of contenders at the tight end position. They ended up letting a few of them go and 12 weeks into the season, the Giants have found themselves in the odd position of scrambling for bodies.

With Evan Engram (foot) and Rhett Ellison (concussion) still not practicing, the Giants will once again turn to Scott Simonson, who was injured in preseason and signed back to the roster on November 12, and rookie Kaden Smith, picked up on waivers in mid-September.

Smith, a sixth-round pick out of Stanford in this year’s NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, was scooped up on waivers by the Giants after the Niners waived him in Week 3 of the season. San Fran was likely planning for Smith to clear waivers and re-sign him to the practice squad but the Giants had him on their radar.

Against the Bears last week in Chicago, Smith was targeted six times, catching five for 17 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown.

“I thought his first outing was pretty good,” head coach Pat Shurmur said on Wednesday. “We liked him from the get-go. He was a guy we liked last year in the draft. The 49ers picked him up, and then when he was available, we wanted to make him a part of our team. He has good instincts, he’s tough. It wasn’t too big for him.

“Anytime you put a rookie in there for the first time, you wonder. You have all these things you think about a young man. Then you put him in there, you wonder if it’s going to be too big for him and it wasn’t. You walk away from that and say, ‘He did a lot of really good things. There are some things he could do better. But his involvement in the game, he handled it really well so you can build on that.”

Maybe the Giants will build on that. Ellison is under contract for one more season at a cap hit of $7.188 million and Engram is scheduled to have his fifth-year option extended to him next spring.

The Giants may end up parting ways with both. Ellison is not worth that cap hit and Engram has been hurt so often one wonders if the Giants want to stay in business with him.

That’s where Smith and Simonson come in. Naturally, they are cheaper versions of Ellison and neither is on the level of a healthy Engram, but the Giants will take a good, long look at both so if they have to make those hard decisions, they’ll at least have a body of work to draw on.

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Giants vs. Bears: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants fell to the Chicago Bears in Week 12 and here’s a look at some of the statistics, numbers and broken records.

The New York Giants were defeated by the Chicago Bears, 19-14, on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, but the game could have ended in an entirely different way had Big Blue been able to channel any late-game magic.

Unfortunately, Eli Manning’s heroics have yet to wear off on Daniel Jones & Co., who were unable to get anything of substance going, instead watching their consecutive loss counter tick over to 7.

Here’s a look at some of the noteworthy records, numbers and statistics from the Week 12 loss:

  • With the loss, the Giants failed to log a win in either October or November for the first time in their long history.
  • The seven-game losing streak is the Giants’ longest such streak since 2014.
  • The Giants are guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the third consecutive season and the sixth time over the past seven seasons.
  • The Giants amassed just 243 offensive yards, which was their third-lowest total of the season.
  • The Giants’ 134 net passing yards was their lowest total since December 31, 2017.
  • The Giants went just one of 12 on third down conversion attempts.
  • The Giants drove 97 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter on Sunday, which was their longest touchdown drive in terms of yardage since November 11, 2012.
  • The Giants held a 7-3 halftime lead, which was their first such lead since defeating the Washington Redskins in late September.
  • Daniel Jones attempted 36 passes on Sunday, increasing his Giants rookie record to 333 on the season.
  • Tight end Kaden Smith started his first career game and scored his first NFL touchdown.
  • Rookie DB Julian Love recorded his first career interception.
  • Aldrick Rosas became the first Giants kicker to miss two field goals in a game since Lawrence Tynes did it on September 26, 2010.
  • Rosas also became the first Giants kicker to miss two or more consecutive field goals since Jay Feely did it against the Seattle Seahawks on November 27, 2005.

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Giants-Bears Week 12: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to the Chicago Bears, 19-14, on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field, dropping their record to 2-9 on the season and extending their current losing streak to a pathetic seven games.

To be honest, we’re running out of ways to cleverly describe these losses since they are all so similar in nature, and after seven straight… Let’s just be real — it’s difficult to cultivate content around the misery.

Let’s take a look at the snap counts that contributed to Big Blue’s latest loss.

Offensive snaps: 60
Defensive snaps: 76
Special teams snaps: 29

With tight ends Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison both out due to injury, it meant substantially more playing time for Scott Simonson and Kaden Smith, who scored his first career touchdown in Week 12.

Defensively, Julian Love played over 50% of the snaps for the first time this season and he played well, making a few big stops and coming up with his first career interception.

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Giants vs. Bears Player of the Game: Kaden Smith

New York Giants TE Kaden Smith is the Giants Wire Player of the Game after scoring his first career TD in a loss to the Chicago Bears.

The New York Giants had all the opportunities in the world to knock off the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field, but they simply couldn’t get the job done.

Instead, the Giants left with their seventh straight loss — a 19-14 defeat — and fell to 2-9 on the season. With the loss, it ensures the Giants will finish with a sub-.500 record for the third consecutive season.

This was an extremely ugly game for the Giants with too many mental mistakes, blown coverages and a lot of missed opportunities to leave Chicago with a win.

One of the very few bright spots was rookie tight end Kaden Smith, who caught his very first touchdown of his NFL career early on in the game.

Smith was the San Francisco 49ers’ third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but was released before the season and awarded to the Giants off waivers. Because of injuries to Evan Ingram and Rhett Ellison, Smith was needed to dress for the Giants and made the most of his opportunities to play.

Smith finished the game with five catches for 17 yards and the first touchdown of his NFL career. If the injures continue for Engram and Ellison, Smith has certainly earned the chance to play more this season and show the Giants what he can do.

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Giants lose seventh straight game, fall to Bears, 19-14

The New York Giants fell to 2-9 on the season after losing their seventh consecutive game, this time to the Chicago Bears, 19-14.

The New York Giants returned from their bye week on Sunday and took the field against the Chicago Bears looking to end their six-game losing streak and delay their playoff elimination for at least one more week. And with jobs very much on the line, there was obviously something to play for.

However, when you pit two bad teams against each other, guess what you get? Bad football. And that’s exactly what a regional audience saw in Week 12.

The Giants and Bears started about as slowly as two teams could, exchanging three punts to open the game with neither team gaining more than 18 yards on their respective offensive drives before Mitchell Trubisky finally got things moving for Chicago.

The Bears were engineering a potential scoring drive and had moved inside the Giants’ 20 before Trubisky uncorked an errant throw into the back of the endzone that was picked off by linebacker Alec Ogletree, whose athleticism on the play can not be overstated.

Things settled back down briefly and the two teams again exchanged a series of punts before Daniel Jones finally got things moving in the right direction for Big Blue, connecting with tight end Kaden Smith one a three-yard touchdown to cap off a six-play, 42-yard drive. It was Smith’s first NFL touchdown.

The Giants defense then forced Chicago to a quick three-and-out and Jabrill Peppers nearly broke off a touchdown run on the ensuing punt, but he was brought down by the last line of defense.

With momentum swinging in their direction, the Giants could have gone up two scores, but an ugly third down play (outside toss to Saquon Barkley, who looked like he wanted to throw) led to a 42-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide right as the result of a terrible Zak DeOssie snap.

Eight combined plays later, the Giants were back in field goal range, but for the second time on the day, an Aldrick Rosas field goal sailed wide. This time, the snap was better, but Rosas just pulled it left.

With 1:55 remaining in the half, the Bears finally pieced together a solid drive against a Giants defense that was playing prevent. And while they weren’t able to put the ball into the endzone, they did chip away at the lead, connecting on a 26-yard field goal to bring the game within 7-3 at halftime.

The Bears remained hot to open the third quarter, aided by great field position after Rosas booted the second half kickoff out of bounds. It took just 2:48 to capture their first lead of the game, capping off a five-play, 60-yard drive with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Trubisky to wide receiver Allen Robinson II.

After forcing the Giants to a quick three-and-out, the suddenly dominant Bears offense was back at it and they found a weakness to exploit — rookie cornerback Corey Ballentine.

Trubisky began to follow Ballentine pre-snap and made sure to throw to whatever receiver he was covering, eating up massive chunk plays time after time. However, this time around, Chicago’s offense stalled in the red zone and they were forced to settle for a short field goal, increasing their lead to 13-7 with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter.

On the very next play, Khalil Mack, who had been held in check, finally made his presence felt, skirting around Nate Solder for the strip sack of Jones. And the long-struggling Bears offense again came alive and made the turnover count, running three consecutive plays inside the 5-yard line, culminating with a two-yard touchdown run courtesy of Trubisky. However, Chicago missed the PAT after a bizarre series of penalties, leaving the score at 19-7.

Chicago was quick to get the ball back once again, forcing the Giants to a three-and-out (broken record, anyone?), but this time they weren’t able to put additional points on the board as Trubisky reverted back to his early season form, launching a ball down the middle of the field to no one in particular that was picked off by rookie Julian Love.

No matter, however. The inept Giants offense continued to be exactly that, turning the ball over on downs and once again supplying Chicago an opportunity to essentially put the game away.

But the Bears couldn’t get the job done — a theme of theirs all season — burning just 3:53 off the clock before punting the ball back to the Giants, who appeared poised to let time melt away before a miracle 4th-and-18 touchdown pass from Jones landed in the arms of wide receiver Golden Tate and breathed new life into Big Blue.

With the score 19-14, the Bears once again could have run the clock down and escaped with a win, but were denied when Markus Golden crashed through the line of scrimmage to stop a 3rd-and-1 giving the Giants one final opportunity to drive 94 yards for the win.

Almost immediately, the Giants were faced with another fourth down, but once again, Jones came through, connecting with Darius Slayton to move the chains. However, history would not repeat itself on the next fourth down attempt as Jones’ pass fell harmlessly to the ground, sending the Giants to their seventh consecutive loss.

In defeat, the Giants fall to 2-9 on the season. They will take on the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium in Week 13.

Giants vs. Jets: Statistics, numbers and broken records

The New York Giants fell to the New York Jets in Week 10 and here’s a look at some of the statistics, numbers and broken records.

The New York Giants were defeated by the New York Jets, 34-27, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in one of the true lows for Big Blue in decades. It dropped their record to 2-8 on the season and could, potentially, lead to substantial changes.

With the bye week on tap, we’ll have two weeks to evaluate and discuss that, but let’s take a moment to look back before we look ahead.

Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, statistics and records from Big Blue’s Week 10 loss:

  • With the loss, the Giants have now lost six consecutive games, which is their longest streak of futility since losing seven straight in 2014.
  • The Giants have surrendered at least 27 points nine times this season, which is a league-high. They’ve also surrendered at least 31 points six times, which is tied for the league lead (Buccaneers).
  • The Giants have lost back-to-back games against the Jets for the first time since 1988/1993.
  • With 61 combined points on Sunday, it was the second-highest scoring Giants-Jets game in history (69 total in 1999).
  • The Giants finished with 281 offensive yards, which is the fifth time in their last six games failing to reach the 300-yard mark.
  • Saquon Barkley rushed for a career-low one yard.
  • Barkley has now gone a career-long five games without eclipsing 100 yards rushing.
  • The Giants totaled 23 yards on the ground vs. the Jets, their lowest total since rushing for 23 yards against the Broncos on September 15, 2013.
  • The Giants converted eight third-down attempts on Sunday, which tied a season-high.
  • With his four touchdown passes, Daniel Jones became the first Giants QB with two four-touchdown games since Eli Manning did it in 2010.
  • Jones now has 187 completions on the season, which sets an all-time rookie record for the Giants (Charlie Conerly had 162 in 1948).
  • Darius Slayton and Golden Tate each scored two touchdowns, becoming the first Giants wide receiver tandem with two or more scores a piece since Odell Beckham Jr. and Dwayne Harris did it in 2015.
  • Slayton is the first Giants rookie receiver with two two-touchdown games since Odell Beckham Jr. did it in 2014.
  • The Giants fell behind 14-0 after the first quarter, which is the third time this season they’ve faced that exact deficit after one quarter. It’s also the first time in franchise history they’ve trailed by at least 14 points after the first quarter three times in one season.
  • Early in the third quarter, Jets safety Jamal Adams “recovered” a Daniel Jones fumble and returned it for a touchdown. This is the first time since the 1970 merger the Giants have allowed a defensive touchdown in each of three consecutive games.
  • The Giants have surrendered four defensive touchdowns this season, which is the most they’ve allowed since 2013 (six).
  • Aldrick Rosas missed a PAT for the third consecutive game and has now gone four straight games with at least one PAT or FG miss.
  • The Giants have now lost three consecutive pre-bye week games.
  • Rookie Corey Ballentine made his starting NFL debut in the loss.
  • Tight end Kaden Smith caught his first career pass in the loss.

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Giants-Jets Week 10: Offense, defense and special teams snap counts

The New York Giants lost their Week 10 game against the New York Jets. Here are the snap counts on offense, defense and special teams.

The New York Giants fell to 2-8 on the season with their sixth consecutive loss on Sunday, this one coming in embarrassing fashion as they fell, 34-27, to the hapless New York Jets.

Here’s a look at the snap counts that contributed to yet another in a long line of losses for New York’s most pathetic team.

Offensive snaps: 72
Defensive snaps: 65
Special teams snaps: 33

With tight end Evan Engram out, Kadem Smith stepped in and saw a substantial amount of offensive snaps. Additionally, as the result of poor snap on a PAT, several plays were given a single offensive snap which looks admittedly strange on the chart.

Defensively, it’s nice to see Corey Ballentine receiving a good amount of snaps — he’s still going to have some hiccups, but there’s talent there. Hopefully the Giants continue to allow him to grow.

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