Giants' Early Losses Come Down to Redzone Execution

The New York Giants lost a tough one to their fierce rival the Dallas Cowboys, falling 20-15 on Thursday night for the 13th time in the last 14 contests with their inter-division rival.

Compared to the previous beatdowns given by the Cowboys in this biannual matchup, the Giants managed to hold their own on their home soil. They held the Cowboys offense to just six points in the second half and dominated the time of possession 35:37 to 24:23 to give their squad a chance to come out with the win.

One thing would stand in the way of achieving that long-awaited victory though. It wasn’t an onslaught by stud wideout CeeDee Lamb, who did manage 7 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown to lead the team, or a pass-rushing dominance from Dallas’ defensive front led by Micah Parsons, who has feasted in the past meetings but was fairly quiet this time. 

It was the Giants' inability to punch in big points with the football inside the red zone. New York had two trips extend past the Cowboys’ 20-yard line, but in both instances, the offense went dark as they had the opportunity to notch six points and put heavy pressure on a reeling Cowboys team.

The Giants, who finished the night with 293 total yards including 213 through the air, had a few more possessions that entered deep into Dallas territory. Similar to the other visits, their momentum stalled and they were left to settle for five field goals by new kicker Greg Joseph, who at least was perfect in his role after a rough introduction in Week 3.

Converting drives into touchdowns wasn’t their only issue in the game, as the Giants also struggled to move the football on the ground, averaging a terrible 1.1 yards per rush against a Dallas front that allowed 456 yards in its previous two contests. Daniel Jones also missed big connections with some of his receivers down the stretch, ending in costly turnovers that led to the Giants’ third loss of the year. 

Yet, the reality of the situation is they could have found themselves in the exact opposite position. With a few three-point kicks turned into catches for six, the Giants could be sitting comfy atop the NFC East with a 3-1 record. The catalyst to blame for things going in the other direction is not scoring touchdowns when the offense landed inside the 20-yard line. 

The Giants had the exact same scenario pan out in Week 2 against the Washington Commanders, except the drought came in the second half. After going up 21-7 with three touchdowns from Devin Singletary, Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson, New York packed it up and tried to rely on their defense to sneak out the win over their fellow division rival. 

On the opposite side, the tactic blew up in their face, as the Commanders got into the red zone a whopping seven times behind their lackluster offense. None of those possessions resulted in touchdowns, but the Giants could not keep Washington out of field goal range, and kicker Austin Seibert, who was newly added to the team’s roster, would nail seven shots, the last of which stole victory from the hands of defeat to put New York in an 0-2 hole for the eighth time in ten years. 

One of the main arguments for this trend tends to fall on the Giants' lack of talent. However, in competing with the Cleveland Browns and going down to the wire with the Cowboys, the Giants have given valid evidence that they can hang with a good part of the league with the players in their locker room. 

It was the main focus of their offseason, to smartly surround Jones with the pieces he hasn’t had, notably a competent offensive line and a No. 1 pass option, to give him a chance to succeed. The Giants' improved line has done its part in keeping Jones upright all but three times in the last three weeks and they are now one of the top-10 pass-blocking units in football. 

At the same time, Malik Nabers has been a complete stud, setting early rookie records that are putting him atop the wide receiver position. The part that is killing the Giants is when he is taken out of the game and his fellow receivers can’t find that connection with Jones to diversify the offensive attack. 

Sure, Jones is struggling in his deep throws (2-13 from 40+ yards downfield this season) and missed a couple of guys on Thursday night. His receivers have let him down as well, dropping huge passes that would either convert first downs and potentially draw the Giants closer to points on the board that could decide games in their favor. 

As the season moves forward, starting with Seattle in 10 days, the Giants have a good chance to compete with many of the teams standing in front of them. They will be facing offenses that are by no means stacking 40+ points a game, meaning that even a slightly more efficient offense could flip the tables and put New York into the win column. 

Nights like Week 4 though, against a Cowboys team that can put up 30+ points in their sleep, isn’t going to cut it in this era of football. The Giants must overcome their allergy to the endzone and finish their drives in the paint more often. They have the time and talent to get it done, and it’s one area of growth that needs to occur if the Brian Daboll regime wants to strengthen its case to stick around beyond the 2024 season. 

If they don’t, you’re going to get more nights like Thursday, where Giants fans will have to watch their team settle for field goals and, in frustration, see their potential seep away. It’s the next step towards being a good football team again and not one that has to look back on its history to feel that sense of pride anymore. 

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