New York Giants Week 11 Storylines: An Uncertain Future

As the New York Giants 2023 season continues to sink to new lows, the challenge of getting up for the remaining games seems to be harder and harder.

But don't tell that to head coach Brian Daboll, whose message to the team has been consistent, win or lose, since Day 1: Come to work ready to roll and focus on what you can control.

"We have control over our actions and our attitude and our emotions, and that’s what we control," Daboll said Monday. "So, we control how hard we work, we control how hard we prepare, we control our approach, coming in with a positive attitude."

That might be a tough sell, what with the Giants repeatedly looking overmatched to the point where even the odds makers doubt they can pull off a win against a Washington Commanders team this week that they have historically had success against.

"Look, no one’s happy. I’m at the top of that list," Daboll said, adding that he takes full ownership of how this season has gone. "You don’t work as hard as you work in this business to be where we are, but we are there and make no excuses.

"We haven’t been good enough; that starts with me, and we’ll continue to work the right way with a positive mindset, and a great approach, continue to evolve our processes, and get ready to play this week."

They have no choice short of forfeiting the remaining seven games, which they won't do. And while they might not have the manpower to win many more, if any, games, Daboll will be watching to see who comes in with the right attitude and who begins to mail it in.

Here are some other storylines to watch for this week.

The State of the Locker Room

The tension and frustration among the players over how this season has continued to build to a point where it's now starting to spill over to where the television cameras have captured guys like the normally mild-mannered Darius Slayton having a spirited conversation with receivers coach Mike Groh only to have Sterling Shepard try to calm him down, and running back Saquon Barkley being caught on camera looking like he was about to blow a gasket.

Then you had some curious interactions among the coaches, such as Daboll having what looked to be an intense conversation with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. All this coming a week after safety, Xavier McKinney popped off about the coaches not listening to the leaders the week prior, comments that drew pointed pushback from Martindale.

Daboll has tried to downplay the entire matter, saying that spirited discussions are common. But when a team is getting its lunch money taken from them like opponents have beat up the Giants, we're probably talking about more than just a spirited debate.

That said, Daboll understands that frustration exists. "I’d say that any time you lose, it’s tough," he said on Monday. "Take a lot of pride in what you do and what we do and how we go about our business, and we’re not always going to get the results that we want. So the challenging part is coming back in after that and moving on to next week, and that’s the National Football League."

The Offensive Line

I feel as though we're talking about the Giant offensive line every week because of injuries and performance, and this week is no different.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas hurt his knee in last week's game, and although he could return, it would not be a shock if he lands on the injury report as limited and eventually questionable.

Right tackle Evan Neal is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him out of practice last week and in a boot and on crutches, so barring miraculous progress, his return to the lineup doesn't sound promising as of this writing.

If Thomas and NEal have to miss this week's game, figure on Justin Pugh (on last week's injury report with an ankle issue) and Tyre Phillips replacing them again. Pugh's moving to left tackle would mean he's playing out of position again--according to Pro Football Focus, nine of the 16 pressures he's allowed this year have come with him playing left tackle. Meanwhile, Phillips has allowed 11 pressures in 117 pass block snaps.

The good news is that the Giants won't have to worry about Montez Sweat or Chase Young this week, both players having been traded away by Washington.

One other notable thing about the offensive line is that guard Mark Glowinski missed last week after being excused for a personal matter. It's believed he'll be back this week, but we'll have to wait and see if that's the case.

The Other Injured Players

Beside Thomas, corners Deonte Banks (ankle) and Cor'Dale Flott (shoulder) were dinged in the game, as were receiver Jalin Hyatt and outside linebacker KAyvon Thibodeau, the latter two having suffered concussions.

Daboll predictably didn't have an update on any of the newly injured players, so we'll have to see how much, if any, work Hyatt and Thibodeaux, both of whom are in the protocol, do this week. But if you want an encouraging sign for Thibodeaux, he was out doing work on behalf of his JREAM Foundation on Tuesday.

The Giants also hope to get cornerback Adoree' Jackson and running back Deon Jackson, both of whom have been in the protocol after getting dinged against the Raiders, back this week.

Adoree' Jackson's return would be especially huge if Flott and/or Banks miss time. Meanwhile, Jackson could help lighten the load on special teams for Jashaun Corbin, who's been dealing with a hamstring issue.

Tommy DeVito Part 2

Daboll confirmed that he will stick with Tommy DeVito, who, while statistically wasn't horrible against the Cowboys, predictably looked like a rookie as the game continued to whiz by him.

But with Tyrod Taylor on injured reserve for at least another three weeks and veteran Matt Barkley apparently not up to speed on the offense, the Giants don't have much choice.

The plan with DeVito has to be to continue having him get the ball out of his hand as quickly as possible. Of course, that plan last week was scrapped when the Giants offense was backed up near its end zone, and the defense struggled to stop the Cowboys from scoring.

As the coaches and DeVito continue to try to get the game to slow down for him, perhaps they'll lean more into his rushing ability, in which he went for 41 yards on seven carries. But make no mistake, the rookie's debut as an NFL starter was exactly what you'd expect from an undrafted player being thrust onto the big stage before he was ready.

That said, DeVito competed and with another week of taking the first-team reps, who knows? Maybe the results will be better against a defense that's not quite as dangerous as the one he faced last week.

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