Giants Come Up Small in 34-27 Loss to the Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Daniel Jones threw for four touchdowns, but that was about the only thing that went right for the hapless Giants who fell 34-27 to the Jets at MetLife Stadium.

As has been the case in the Giants’ six-game losing streak, New York failed to get off to a fast start, spotting the Jets 14 points on their first two drives, a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sam Darnold and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Jamison Crowder.

The Giants, who were supposed to have come into this game with a sense of urgency, finally got on the board in the second quarter with touchdowns on back-to-back scoring drives, both touchdown passes to Darius Slayton.

However, the Giants failed to convert on the PAT on after their second score, which left them trailing the Jets by one point, a score that they took into half time.

With the Giants getting the ball to start the second half, disaster struck after Jets safety Jamal Adams sacked Daniel Jones and stripped him of the ball on the Giants opening drive. Adams returned the ball 25 yards for the touchdown to make it 21-13.

The Giants again fought back with Jones connecting with Golden Tate twice, the first one a 61-yard touchdown on which the 2-point conversion was nullified thanks to a penalty called against Tate.

The second score was a 15-yarder from Jones to Tate to give the Giants their first lead of the game, 27-21.

After the Jets got a 53-yard field goal from kicker Sam Ficken, the Giants took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.

But they couldn't hold it. Jets running back Le'Veon Bell capped a three-play, 70-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give his team a 31-27 lead, and Ficken's 35-yard field goal put the cherry on the cake, making it 34-27.

Another Sloppy, Sack Filled Game

Daniel Jones has now been sacked 32 times in eight starts. HE was sacked six times this week and has been sacked 22 times in his last four games.

The Giants also had four fumbles, two of which were lost. Jones now has 14 fumbles, 10 of which he's lost, in eight starts.

Injury Update: Solder Gets Dinged, Barkley Goes for X-Rays

Nate Solder has been an iron man for the Giants since signing here as a free agent last year, having never missed any regular-season snaps for the Giants. But there’s a first time for everything and Solder’s streak came to an end in the second quarter when he was ruled out with a concussion.

The Giants, who were already down one tackle with Mike Remmers (back) inactive, turned to second-year player Eric Smith out of Virginia, active for the first time this year, to finish out of the game.

Barkley was spotted going for X-rays after the game. Earlier, he had come up lame, grabbing his left ankle. Head coach Pat Shurmur didn't elaborate on Barkley's injury status.

Cornerback Janoris Jenkins was also spotted leaving the game early to be evaluated for a concussion.

Halftime Update

So is this how it’s going to be with the Giants the rest of the way? After falling behind 14-0 to start the game, the Giants, who have been talking about starting faster since Week 1 but who have yet to figure out how to do it, spotted the Jets 14 points on their first two drives of the game before finally waking up.

Receiver Darius Slayton caught a pair of touchdown passes from Daniel Jones

It could have easily been worse for the Giants if Darnold hadn’t overthrown Vyncint Smith in the second quarter. Smith got a step against Giants' safety Jabrill Peppers deep down the right sideline, but the pass was thrown in front of him by a mile.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that at the half, Giants running back Saquon Barkley rushed eight times for eight yards as Barkley continues to look like a shell of his pre-injury self, where he’s been unable to cut and burst through the holes when they’ve bee there.

Lineup Notes

As anticipated, the Giants were without four starters on offense, including receiver Sterling Shepard and tight end Evan Engram, and offensive linemen Jon Halapio and Mike Remmers. Halapio and Remmers were replaced by Spencer Pulley and Nick Gates, respectively. Gates, a second-year pro, made his first NFL start.

Kaden Smith and Darius Slayton got the start for Engram and Shepard, respectively.

The rest of the inactive list included quarterback Alex Tanney, linebacker Chris Peace and offensive lineman Chad Slade.

Cornerback Sam Beal made his NFL debut in relief of Janoris Jenkins, who left the field in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.

Up Next

The Giants have a bye week to figure out where they go from here.