Giants Country

Giants Schooled by Cowboys 44-20 in a Potentially Costly Game

Giants defense has no answers to slow down Cowboys offense in an embarrassing and injury-filled showing.

Patricia Traina

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

 

The New York Giants lost a costly 44-20 game to the Cowboys--and not just because the loss dropped the Giants to 1-4 on the year and 0-2 in division play.

The Giants lost their offensive engine--running back Saquon Barkley (ankle), quarterback Daniel Jones (concussion), and receiver Kenny Golladay (hyper extended knee)--in the second quarter.

If that wasn't bad enough for the Giants offense, which entered the game with receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton inactive, left tackle Andrew Thomas, who dealt with a foot injury all week, was active but didn't play.

But it wasn't the offense that struggled to slow down a Cowboys offense who posted 515 yards of offense and who, for the second week in a row, rushed for over 200 yards (201).

As has been the case for most of the year, the Giants defense had coverage breakdowns, such as on CeeDee Lamb's 49-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter that gave the Cowboys a 10-0 lead.

Quarterback Dak Prescott, who almost one year to the day suffered a horrific looking and season-ending injury against the Giants on the AT&T Stadium field, had himself a NFC Offensive Player of the Week worthy type of showing, finishing 22 of 32 for 302 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

Besides the touchdown to Lamb, Prescott connected with Amari Cooper on a 24-yard score and Elliott on a 4-yarder as the Giants had no answers for the Cowboys offense.

Kicker Greg Zuerlein added field goals of 31, 38, and 31 yards to round out the Cowboys' onslaught.

The Giants offense wasn't without its share of the blame in the loss. New York failed to capitalize on an interception by linebacker Lorenzo Carter on the Cowboys first drive, the scoring drive stalling at the Cowboys' 36-yard line. Rookie Kadarius Toney, who would go on to have a big day, dropped a third-down pass, and then and kicker Graham Gano missed his second field goal attempt in his last four tries.

The Giants also had to settle for a field goal on their fourth possession of the game after that drive stalled at the Cowboys' 33-yard line. They also couldn't cash in on a fumble by Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott at the Giants' 8-yard line, that drive stalling at New York's 15-yard line before they punted the ball back to Dallas.

New York's scoring came courtesy of two field goals by Gano, both 51-yarders. They also got two touchdowns from running back Devontae Booker, who filled in from Barkley after his injury.

The first came from 1-yard out on the play after Jones suffered his concussion in the second quarter, and the last one came with 3:17 left in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard pass from backup quarterback Mike Glennon.

The Giants fell to 1-4 on the year and have the Los Angeles Rams next week. The Cowboys improved to 4-1 and will visit the Patriots next week.

Andrew Thomas Active, But Doesn't Start

On Friday, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas didn't sound hopeful of his chances to play this weekend against the Cowboys.

When he was asked if his injury was one he thought he could push through, Thomas said, "Right now, I’m just focusing on everyday doing what the trainers ask me. We’ll see how it feels on Sunday, but right now just trying to treat it."

Despite being active, Thomas did not see a snap. After the game, head coach Joe Judge said that the decision was made to activate him but only play him if there was an emergency.

Other Injury News

Lost in the injury news to running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Daniel Jones was the Giants swapped out left guard matt Skura for Wes Martin.

Skura, who entered the starting lineup last week, may have suffered an injury at some point in the game, necessitating his removal and the insertion of Martin.

Rookie cornerback Rodarius Williams also left the game with a knee injury, the severity of which was not known.

More on Saquon Barkley's Injury

Giants running back Saquon Barkley can't catch a break.

After successfully coming back from a torn ACL in Week 2 of last season, Barkley lasted just a little over four games before suffering yet another lower-body injury. This one was to his left ankle when he got tangled up with Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

Barkley tried to test out his ankle on the Giant bench, but he sat down and was spotted shaking his head no after doing so. He was then carted off the field for further evaluation.

 

Jekyll-and-Hyde Day for Kadarius Toney

Giants rookie receiver Kadarius Toney, who finished with 189 yards on ten receptions, became the first Giants rookie wide receiver since Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) with at least 75 receiving yards in consecutive games.

Toney also became the sixth rookie wide receiver in Giants history with at least 75 receiving yards in consecutive games. He joined Beckham and Byron Williams (1983) as the only wide receivers in Giants history with at least six receptions in successive games.

Toney's day ended early and on a sour note when he was ejected from the game with 5:52 left after throwing a punch at a Cowboy safety Damontae Kazee after being shoved to the ground after making a reception.

Toney had to be escorted off the field by a Giants team official after head coach Joe Judge intervened following the fight and told the rookie to get off the field. The Giants will have to wait to see if Toney draws a suspension or if he just draws a fine.

Judge said Toney's throwing a punch will not be tolerated and that it would be addressed with Toney and the team. He also said he'd let the league deal wth any further punishment.   

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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