7 Takeaways from Giants’ Devastating 33-32 Loss to Denver

The New York Giants fought valiantly against the big, bad Denver Broncos defense, a unit that, for the first time this season, gave up 30+ points to an opponent.

Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart delivered some “Player of the Week” heroics that included 283 passing yards and four touchdowns, one of which was a deflected pass off the hands of receiver Wan’Dale Robinson to tight end Theo Johnson to give the Giants a comfortable 26-8 lead–or so they thought.

Dart even brought the Giants back from being behind for the first time late in the game, 30-26, when he checked into the end zone on a stellar 1-yard run by reaching over the plane with the ball.

But it was not enough as the defense gave up what could be considered a game’s worth of yards (227) and points (33) to the Broncos in the final six minutes. The Broncos pulled out the improbable victory, sending the battered and bruised Giants home angry, injured and facing a lot of questions.

Some thoughts…

The Signs Were There

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Giants kicker Jude McAtamney (99) attemps a PAT during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

In retrospect, the signs were there that the kicking game might be a problem moving forward without Graham Gano given the team’s choice to replace him with an experienced veteran.

In Week 6, kicker Jude McAtamney, the same player who a couple years ago lost a kicking competition at Rutgers when he struggled with kicking PATs, missed a PAT in the win against the Eagles, a miss that barely made a blip on the radar given the outcome of that game.

But this week he had two missed PATs, making one wonder if the reason why the Giants went for two points after the touchdown run by Tyrone Tracy, Jr was to make up for the lost point.

If he can’t be trusted to convert on scoring opportunities, then why continue to carry him on the roster? What’s more, if McAtamney is beating out YoungHoe Koo in the kicking competition that this team says they’re having every week, what does that tell you about the situation?

Whether people want to admit it or not, there is a reason why theGiants didn’t get rid of Gano despite his high cap hit and injury history. They know what they have in him and what that is is consistency when Gano is healthy, which again hasn’t been all that often.

That being said, to go from having consistency and experience to a guy who might have a strong leg but who has struggled with consistency dating back to his college years is yet another head scratcher of a decision among many made by this regime.

About that Defense

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen | Patricia Traina | New York Giants on SI

Maybe it was because the Giants lost one-half of their starting defensive backfield (cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland) to injury.

Or maybe old habits die hard. Whatever it was, Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s crawling into a conservative shell late into the game was a blunder for the ages.

The Giants, who have been rather proficient in getting home with four-man rushes this season, at times rushed three to have an extra man in coverage.

A lot of good it did, as the Broncos offense ran wild in racking up the yards and the points, the Giants falling hard in a game they had won.

And why, oh why, was Dexter Lawrence not on the field for every single play during the Broncos eventual game-winning drive? He didn’t appear to be gassed or injured.

And since coordinators aren’t available after games, we’ll have to wait until Thursday when the coordinators speak to get answers (assuming no changes are made).

But perhaps an even bigger and growing concern is that the more grumbling that erupts over the coaching decisions–and there was plenty of that after this catastrophe–Bowen is putting himself at risk of losing his players.

The angrier these players get over what they’re being asked to do in a losing effort, the more likely there could be freelancing. And when that happens, when the coach loses the players, it’s time for a change.

Close This Bank(s)

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) runs for a touchdown as offensive tackle Garett Bolles (72) defends against New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks (2) in the fourth quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Cornerback Deonte Banks has the physical tools to play in this league; that’s never been the question. But the maddening thing about him is a lack of consistency that comes from a lack of grasping the mental part of the game.

Banks, whose number was called after Adebo exited the game with a knee injury, took the wrong ankle on Bo Nix’s 18-yard touchdown run, which gave Denver its first lead of the game, failing to contain the quarterback.

That was one of his mental mistakes made. Another that stands out is when receiver Courtland Sutton beat Banks on a 22-yard pass completion.

Banks has shown time and again that he’s mentally overmatched out there. Yet, perhaps because of his draft pedigree, he ends up being the first man off the bench, even after his previous play this season warranted a benching from the rotation when Cor’Dale Flott clearly outplayed him (and continues to do so).

Given the maddening inconsistency of Banks, the Giants would have been far better off putting Art Green or Nic Jones out there over the former first rounder, who clearly has no future with this team.

Go for the Jugular

When was the last time we could say the Giants went for the opponent’s jugular? It’s been a while, right? And this week was no different.

Let’s go back to when the Giants were up 26-16 with less than six minutes left on the clock. Cam Skattebo went up the gut twice, managing just five yards. Why not be a little more aggressive there and toss in a pass just to keep the Broncos on their heels?

Instead, the Broncos stopped the run, knew the Giants would have to pass, and they made sure to pressure Dart into making a poor throw that Denver picked off to set up a scoring drive.

We get it that wins don’t come often for this Giants team, but at least try a little harder to put yourselves in a position to have success by not getting cute with the decisions.

Bright Spots

New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Not all was negative for the Giants. True to form, left tackle Andrew Thomas kept Broncos sack leader Nik Bonitto out of Jaxson Dart’s face.

Eventually, Bonitto was moved to the other side to go against Jermaine Eluemunor, but the big right tackle also neutralized Bonitto, limiting him to one quarterback hit and no sacks.

Defensively, Brian Burns moved his season sack total to 9.0. It is the seventh straight season that Burns has recorded 7.5+ sacks as he continues to yield positive returns on the investment the team made in him.

Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, Burns is the fourth Giant to total 9.0 or more sacks through the first seven games in a season (also Dexter Lawrence II, 9.0 sacks in 2024, Michael Strahan, 12.5 sacks in 2001, and Leonard Marshall, 11.5 sacks in 1985).

The Good Soldier

Oct 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger (82) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

What a season for tight end Daniel Bellinger. After an impressive rookie campaign, Bellinger seemed to fall out of favor, and the team's brass looked to replace him with other talent.

To his credit, Bellinger didn’t make waves, and now that his opportunities have increased thanks to the season-ending injury to receiver Malik Nabers, Bellinger is making the most of them.

This week, he caught three passes for 88 yards and one touchdown, the score coming on a 44-yard reception.

Only three tight ends have scored on pass plays of 40+ yards this season: Bellinger, Theo Johnson (41-yard score), and Pittsburgh’s Pat Freiermuth (68-yard touchdown).

Cut Your Losses

New York Giants General Manager Joe Schoen | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are many things about the Giants’ “processes” that are frustrating, but if there is ONE thing that has to change, it’s knowing when to cut your losses.

This team, under Brian Daboll, has now changed its offensive line coach (Bobby Johnson to Carmen Bricillo) and its defensive backs coach (Jerome Henderson to Marquand Manual).

And yet two of the biggest space eaters on the roster who have given the team very little if any quality play of late, despite the change in coaching which was supposed to have helped, just so happen to be Evan Neal and Deonte Banks.

Both players, as is known, are first-round picks who are clearly on scholarship despite having not developed to live up to their respective pedigree. And does anyone think that if they didn’t have that “first round” pedigree to their respective name they’d still be on the roster?

Mistakes happen, and yes, first-round mistakes are particularly hard to swallow. But why continue to carry two guys on the roster when you have needs elsewhere? Is it really worth it just to save face?

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