The New York Giants’ morale was at an all-time high coming into Denver. After a tough start to the year, the Giants promoted rookie first-round pick Jaxson Dart, a quarterback from Ole Miss, to start week 4 against the Chargers. This came after a miserable 0-3 start with veteran QB Russel Wilson leading the way. Dart made a splash in his debut, with an impressive win over the 3-0 Chargers. After a rocky performance against the Saints, he and rookie running back phenom Cam Skattebo led the Giants to an impressive upset over the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Going 17/25 with 195 passing yards and one touchdown pass, along with 58 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, Dart had given Giant fans something they haven’t had in years-something to be hopeful about, especially since his impressive performance wasn’t even the best that night. Cam Skattebo, who looks like he can run through a brick wall, rushed 19 times for 98 yards overall and scored 3 touchdowns. The Giants looked impressive and looked like they were capable of turning it around. There really isn’t anything else a team can do to convince a fanbase they have something special-beating the champs at home on primetime. This gave the Giants and their fans huge levels of confidence going into the game against a team that only beat the 0-6, now 0-7, Jets by two points.
The Giants started with a 44-yard touchdown pass from Dart to tight end, Daniel Bellinger, which was the longest touchdown pass Bellinger has caught and the longest caught by a Giant tight end since 2019. With eight minutes left in the second quarter, Dart found Skattebo on a 13-yard pass to take a 13-0 lead. However, in a strange sense of foreshadowing, Giants kicker Jude McTammany missed the extra point. Tyrone Tracy would later break out for a 31-yard touchdown run to give the Giants a 19-0 lead going into halftime after they failed the two-point conversion.
Denver would not score until the fourth quarter, when Bo Nix found Troy Franklin in the end zone, and after a two-point conversion, the score sat at 19-8. The Giants responded after they found another tight end, Theo Johnson, for a Giant touchdown, giving them a commanding 26-8 lead with ten minutes left. Bo Nix would rush seven yards for a touchdown, making it a ten-point game. With the lead getting smaller and smaller, the Giants suffered after Jaxson Dart threw an interception that allowed the Broncos to inch closer. They eventually took the lead on a Bo Nix rushing touchdown; however, the Giants took it right back, as Dart rushed in for a touchdown to make it 32-30. However, Jude McTammaney once again missed the extra point, which ended up costing the Giants the game as Denver was able to kick a game-winning field goal to cap off a historic blown lead.
NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final six minutes. The Giants put an end to that streak. After the game, Brian Daboll was seen screaming at defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, and Brian Burns was caught on video screaming in anger about the play calling. Whether it be Dart’s pick, McTammaney’s missed extra point, or the defensive coordinator, this loss of epic proportions cannot happen to any team, even the Jets. The Giants, who were not supposed to be competitive for anything except the first overall pick, have played competitive games every week except week 1. Despite still performing above expectations, this loss is brutalizing to a fanbase. The road does not get any easier for the Giants, who need to decide what they want to do soon. After last week’s win, there were talks of the Giants trading for a wide receiver like Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins. With this loss, the Giants now have a decision to make on whether they should still try to be semi-competitive or allow this year to be a year where they allow the young talent to get reps. Either way, they need to decide soon, as the schedule does not get any easier. They have the Eagles waiting for them in Philly, before they go home to face the Niners, and then they take on Chicago on the road. This loss is a huge morale crusher, and we will see how the Giants bounce back against their rivals in Philly.
