Five Takeaways from Giants' 13-10 Overtime Loss to Jets

The Giants had their game against the Jets in the bag until they didn't. What did we learn about the Giants?

One of the things I try to do to be fair with my reporting is to attempt to look at both sides of the coin regarding why a decision was made or wasn't made. I think it's important to do that with a clear and objective mind rather than running high on emotion, which can sometimes cloud one's judgment.

Well, as I was driving home from the Giants' sixth loss of the 2023 season, a 13-10 overtime dud that they should have won, there were still some things I was having trouble wrapping my head around.

The biggest one was the decision on 4th-and-1 late in the game. With 28 seconds left in the game, the Giants faced a 4th-and-1 and decided to send kicker Graham Gano out to attempt a field goal.

Normally, this isn't a big deal and would be a move I'd applaud, given how this offense has struggled to score. But the problem is that Gano, who revealed to NorthJersey.com that he will need surgery on his left knee, which landed him on the injury report the last two weeks, appeared to be compromised on his kicking as the game went on. 

So why not, then, in knowing your kicker is ailing, go for it on 4th-and-1 with the very same running back you were leaning on virtually all of the second half? Or, at the very least, why not have him take the handoff and burn as much time off the clock as possible?

In the best-case scenario, the Giants get the first down, and they're running the victory formation. Worst case, they burn additional time off the clock. 

Instead, the missed field goal took four seconds off the clock, leaving the Jets with 24 seconds (not to mention a free timeout that came with the change of possession for the Jets, who at that point had no more timeouts) to at least tie the game, which they did to send it into overtime.

After the Giants won the toss in overtime and came up empty, the Jets ended up winning on a 35-yard field goal.

Daboll was asked about the decision after the game and said, "Kick a field goal there, and they have 24 seconds with no timeouts, and they need a touchdown. So, counted on making the field goal, and then they’d have 24 seconds with no time outs, still have to drive it the length, and our defense was playing well all game. That’s why I made the decision.”

Yes, but why not try to gain the yard needed for the first down by going with Barkley, the hot hand at the time? 

 “Completely legit question, but it’s a decision that we made to try to kick a field goal with Graham. They were, like, 0-for-12 on third down. They were playing well. That’s the decision we made. It didn’t work out.”

Again, I can understand the logic of leaning on the only guy who's generated points for your team on a fairly consistent basis. But I find it very hard to believe that, in this case, any analytics that the Giants might have used to help Daboll make this decision took into consideration the compromised state of Gano's plant leg, which is why common sense should have taken precedence over everything else.

What's done is done, but I think back to last year and how the coaching calls were a bit more gutsy in situations like these, and I can't help but wonder where that bravado has gone.

---

I have no idea what the future holds for running back Saquon Barkley and the Giants, but if he hasn't by now convinced general manager Joe Schoen that he's worth retaining, then I don't know what else to say.

Barkley loaded the team on his back and 128 of the Giants' 194 net yards of offense. When he's been in there, he gives opponents something to think about. He remains this team's best player, and it's not even close.

I don't necessarily think Barkley is worth Christian McCaffrey money, but surely he's gotta be worthy of being a top-five earner at his position.  

---

Can we all agree that second-year outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux isn't a bust like some seem to think he is? The young man has been playing with his hair on fire and has a good chance of becoming the first edge rusher to play in a Wink Martindale defense who hits double-digit sacks. 

---

The Giants are going to make moves this week. They have to, if for no other reason than having just $508,243 of cap space per Over the Cap. And suppose general manager Joe Schoen isn't planning on re-signing pending free agents like defensive lineman Leonard Williams, cornerback Adoree Jackson, or receiver Parris Campbell. Why not look to move then to begin loading up on draft picks, especially since it looks as though the Giants are heading for a top-10 pick next year?

---

I initially vented in my podcast about why the Giants, who knew that for as long as Daniel Jones was sidelined, they were always one snap away from having to put Tommy DeVito in the game, reached that point only to keep the ball out of DeVito's hands as much as possible.

With DeVito, an undrafted rookie free agent, here since the spring, one would think he knows the system well enough to function in it, right? So you'd think.

But in mulling this over, perhaps it was a case of either DeVito not getting many, if any, of the team reps in practice last week to where perhaps the coaches were uncomfortable with him leading that part of the offense, or DeVito just isn't developed enough for their liking. 

And if that's the case, then why didn't the Giants look to add a veteran quarterback to the practice squad? 

Now? With Taylor potentially looking at missing next week's game and Jones's status still up in the air, the Giants are almost certainly going to have to address the quarterback spot. 

---

• Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
• Follow and like us on Facebook
• Submit your questions for our mailbag
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
• Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
• Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14-Day Trial!