The Giants had more than enough chances to truly inject some traction into their season. They had plenty of opportunities to finally win a game in prime time. It was all out there for the Giants and they could not grasp it.
Once again, they were unable to generate enough points to carve out a victory.
“It’s very frustrating to not score more than seven points,” a frustrated Daniel Jones said.
One touchdown is not going to cut it in the NFL, not even when your defense is making all sorts of plays and harassing the opposing quarterback, Joe Burrow, for long stretches of the action Sunday night.
In the end, the Giants ran out of time and found a way to lose, going down, 17-7, to the Bengals to continue their ineptitude at MetLife Stadium.
It is the same old song for a team that for far too long hits a roadblock when points are needed.
“The ultimate deal is scoring points,” head coach Brian Daboll said. “Whether it’s run, pass, whatever it may be. When you’re inconsistent with the things that we’re inconsistent with right now, the result is seven points. That all starts with me.”
Jones — now 1-15 under the lights in his career — threw a brutal first-quarter interception and kicker Greg Joseph missed a 47-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Giants were ultimately not able to overcome these lapses.
Trailing 10-7, they had the ball and were driving, but Jones’ predictable fourth-down pass to Darius Slayton was broken up by DJ Turner with 3:01 left to play.
The Giants had a chance to get the ball back, but Burrow on third-and-12 hit Andrei Iosivas for 29 yards. The Giants had another chance to get the ball back when Micah McFadden reached in and forced a fumble by Chase Brown but Jason Pinnock was not able to pounce on the loose ball.
There are only so many chances a team gets. Chase Brown raced 30 yards with 1:52 remaining for a game-sealing touchdown. The Bengals (2-4) saved their season with the victory.
Instead of moving into their much-anticipated clash with Saquon Barkley and the Eagles (3-2) in Week 7 riding high, the Giants (2-4) remain entrenched in last place in the NFC East. The division is wide open, with the Commanders (4-2) and Cowboys (3-3) losing this weekend but for now, the Giants are looking up at everyone else.
The Giants managed just 119 total yards of offense and no points in the first half and they trailed 7-0 because of one defensive lapse that allowed Burrow to sprint 47 yards for a first quarter touchdown. Burrow had never rushed for more than 47 yards in any game in his career.
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“I’m pretty sure he knew we were in man and the DBs would be chasing their guys,” defensive end Brian Burns said. “He saw an opening and he took it.”
The Giants were looking dead in the water, as far as their ability to get in the vicinity of the end zone. Daboll, sensing he needed to score points against the potent Bengals offense, decided he would go for it on fourth down every chance he could — he did so five times in the second half.
Their first series of the third quarter ended with a three-and-out and they were desperate for something to happen when they took over on their 21-yard line early in the third quarter, getting the ball back after Bobby Okereke forced a fumble on Zack Moss that was recovered by McFadden.
What followed was a grinding 16-play drive that featured two fourth-down pickups — both by rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. — and an 18-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone on Turner against Slayton.
Tracy took it in from a yard out and with 5:48 left in the third quarter the Giants finally had their first points.
Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for 33 yards, beating Cor’Dale Flott, on a Bengals drive that got to the Giants 1-yard line.
A holding penalty and sack by Dexter Lawrence forced the Bengals to settle for an Evan McPherson field goal for a 10-7 Giants deficit.
The Giants had a chance to tie it up, but Greg Joseph was wide left on a 47-yard field goal try with 10:27 remaining. He missed a 45-yarder wide left with 51 seconds remaining.
Down 7-0, the Giants picked up four first downs and Jones was getting into a passing rhythm — until the bad DJ surfaced.
He was pressured by former Giants defensive lineman B.J. Hill and foolishly chucked the ball while backpedaling and getting hit in the arm by Hill. The ball floated over the middle and never got close to the intended target, rookie tight end Theo Johnson.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt made the easy interception. It was the sort of unwise play Jones had mostly purged from his game this season but it reared up at a bad time.
“I was trying to get the ball out the back of the end zone and got hit,” Jones said. “Got to throw the ball earlier or get it down.”
It was a blown opportunity. The Giants specialized in those in their latest loss.
