Giants to Go Back to the Drawing Board in Hopes of Fixing Team Struggles

There was some frustration in the locker room after a 27-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but the Giants players say they can't dwell on what did and didn't happen, that they have to buckle down and get back to work.

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The Giants' Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals had the potential to be a turning point, a game in which had they won, they could have gained some ground in the NFC East division race. 

Instead, the Giants failed to capitalize on the opportunity losing 27-21 in a rainy, sloppy game against an opponent that they were favored to defeat heading into the matchup, their third straight loss of the year. 

“Yeah, we’re frustrated,” quarterback Daniel Jones said. “ But I don’t think we’re discouraged at all. We’ll be back to work (Monday). We all know we can play better, and we’re determined to play better.”

The rookie's performance left many fans wondering if they will ever again see the Jones that led his team to victory against Tampa Bay. 

Against the Cardinals, Jones threw one interception, was sacked eight times, and fumbled the ball three times. He now has 11 turnovers in five starts, with the Giants having a league-worst 18 turnovers.

Wide receiver Golden Tate spoke to the mistakes throughout that killed momentum for the Giants offense.

“There are times where we get something going and we have a penalty or we would drop the ball or we would get sacked or something like that,” Tate said. 

“I thought special teams came up and made a big play for us, Rhett made a big play for us and put us back in the game. We come back out after halftime and we’re getting the ball and I think we were, what? Three-and-out? Is that right? You can’t do that.”

Head coach Pat Shurmur did not have much to say following the loss, only that the team is “disappointed.” 

Tate however, appeared to struggle at times with expressing his thoughts.   

“People spend their hard-earned money to sit in the rain and watch us do that; it’s just unacceptable,” Tate said. 

“I think, from top to bottom, we’ve got to be better. I thought we had a really good week at practice, but we just gotta do the simple things right.”

The Giants offensive struggles show in the numbers. They rank 25th in points scored (18.9), 24th in total yards (328.6/game), and 23rd in passing yards (223/game).

Has the offense taken a step backward?

Tate paused to collect his thoughts before answering.

“We didn’t perform like we wanted to, but I don’t want to say we’ve taken steps back,” he said. 

“We just didn’t get it done today and I know we’re capable and I know it’s important to every person in this organization. We are going to stay focused, we’ve got another opportunity next week and, by no means are we out of this. We’re not going to tank. 

"We’re going to show up (Monday) and we’re going to be very critical of this film, and we’re going to be ready to go on Wednesday. That’s the only thing we can do.”

Tight end Evan Engram, who returned after suffering from a knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings, said that he felt most frustrated with himself and his performance in the game.

“I have to play better,” Engram said. “I have to be better for my team. I put a lot of pressure on myself. There are no excuses, but we have to play better together.”

In his first start back since suffering from an ankle injury against the Buccaneers, running back Saquon Barkley said that he does not feel frustration, only a desire to improve.

“I think we just have to go back to the drawing board,” he said. “I know you are going to say what you want to say about us being 2-5, but our season is not over. We still have a positive mindset in this locker room, we always will no matter what. We just have to get ready for the next game.”

Safety Jabrill Peppers is also choosing to look ahead rather than dwell on past losses.

“We just need to stay focused,” Peppers said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Obviously, we didn’t get the end result we wanted. But we have a lot of season left. We just need to band together and execute better on game days.”