After putting up a fight in 1st two losses, Giants can’t compete vs. 49ers’ backups
By all accounts, there was not much in the way of discussion in the Giants locker room following a truly down moment for a franchise that has had a whole bunch of them the past few years. “Everyone was just listening to what the head guy had to say,’’ defensive tackle Leonard Williams said, referring to head coach Joe Judge. “Everyone else was
Silence of the Giants. Good teams win. Bad
That is about all there is to know about what went down Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium.
It did not matter that the good team, the 49ers, was using a reserve at quarterback and at so many other starting spots. It did not matter that the bad team, the Giants, had enough of their most important players on the field. It did not matter that they were without Saquon Barkley and Sterling Shepard. Nothing
What mattered is the Giants three games into this season are a disaster. They were manhandled and embarrassed at their fan-less home, dominated by an opponent using backup after backup. Daniel Jones turned the ball over two more times, the running game was nonexistent, the defense made Nick Mullens look like Joe Montana and the visitors toyed with the team in blue. It added up to a terrible and telling 36-9 loss for the Giants and, if you can see where they will get their first win, text us the information,
“It was definitely disappointing. … I don’t think any of us came in expecting this,’’ Jones
“Obviously we all have to do our job better, it starts with coaching better,’’ Judge said.
How can this not be viewed as a setback for the entire operation? After a decent first half against the Steelers and a solid second half in Chicago, there were at least some signs of progress. There was nothing
This was a bloodletting. Mullens was 26 of 36 for 343 yards. Jones, (17 of 32, 179 yards) with one more fumble and one more interception, was overmatched. The running backs, Wayne Gallman, newcomer Devonta Freeman and Dion Lewis, ran the ball 10 times for 17 yards.
The 49ers did not punt. Not once. The Giants did not take one snap on offense in the red zone. Not one.
“We’re not looking for excuses, we’re not pointing fingers, we’re not looking for shortcuts,’’ Judge said. “We’re working on building this thing the right way for this area for the families that this team represents.’’
The Giants are 0-3 for the first time since 2017.
That the Giants lost to this depleted 49ers team begs the question: Who can they beat? The 49ers were without 10 players who are starters or key contributors. The Giants were beaten with Mullens filling in at quarterback for Jimmy Garoppolo and with backups filling the field on both sides of the ball for the 49ers. They were without star defensive end Nick Bosa and also defensive lineman Solomon Thomas, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon and Richard Sherman on defense and tight end George Kittle, running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman and receivers Deebo Samuel and Tavon Austin on offense.
The 49ers (2-1) routed the Jets and Giants in back-to-back weeks in East Rutherford and, despite despising the new turf at MetLife, might want to consider making it their East Coast home away from home.
“Obviously it sucks to lose,’’ linebacker Blake Martinez said. “Any competitor would handle it in a professional way, knowing that it’s not good enough. Knowing what we’ve been doing isn’t it.’’
Down 16-6 after a desultory first half, the Giants were outscored 30-3 after halftime. At 23-9, Judge decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 on the Giants’ 30-yard line. Jones on a brutal quarterback sneak was stuffed and soon after Mullens flipped to Jeff Wilson on a 19-yard screen for a touchdown. It was ugly and embarrassing and any other damning indictment you want to heap on Judge’s team.
The question whether Jones can get through a game without a turnover was answered with a resounding ‘No,’’ as the second-year quarterback did not make it past one quarter. Trying for some misdirection, Jones’ pitch to tight end Evan Engram was high and wide — but still should have been secured. “Just a poor pitch,’’ Jones said. “Just didn’t execute it,’’ Engram said. “Worked on it all week.’’
Nothing worked. “There’s no magic formula to this, there’s no magic wand,’’ Judge said. “You don’t go out and just solve every problem today.’’