As I sit here writing this on my drive back from Buffalo, I can’t help but think back to all the opportunities that the Giants had last night. Obviously, there was some blatant ones, and we’ll get to that. But being able to hold your own that long, on the road, against one of the best teams in the NFL and not being able to score a touchdown is just so incredibly frustrating. But before I get too heated, let’s get into the game.
The first half was extremely slow with
two Graham Gano field goals in the first and second quarters respectively being
the only points scored. These were set
up by Big Blue’s d-line getting significant pressure on Josh Allen, that
resulted in Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden linking up on two turnovers that
gave the Giants good offensive field position. New York’s defense pitched a
shutout in the first half and got the ball back to Tyrod Taylor and company
with surprising 6-0 lead late in the second quarter. They had the ball on Buffalo’s
one yard line with 14 seconds left in the half and no timeouts.
Everybody knows that in that situation you take two shots at the endzone and then take the points to bring the lead a 9-0 . Well, everyone except Tyrod. After OC Mike Kafka called for a pass play, the Giants QB audibled to a run at the line of scrimmage. The handoff to Barkley ended up getting stuffed by the Bills defense and the clock expired before the Giants could get set and spike the ball. “Thought I saw a look that was beneficial for us and it wasn’t the right call”, Taylor said after the game when asked about that costly decision. He wasn’t the only one unhappy about that choice, NY’s head coach Brian Daboll was visibly aggravated with Taylor and gave him an earful on the way to the locker room.
In the second half, The Bills offense looked to be much more in sync, taking their first drive and second drives all the way down the field for touchdowns. NYG (New York Ganos) sandwiching a field goal in between making it 14-9. The Bills D made a huge stop on fourth down essentially ending the game. But time mismanagement by Buffalo, a drop by Dawson Knox, and a missed FG gave the G-Men one last shot to win. The Giants put together what was ironically probably their best drive of the game and a pass interference penalty against Darren Waller gave them an untimed down from the one. In what was eerily similar to the end of the first half, they needed a yard and didn’t get it. Tyrod floated it up to Waller who made a one-handed attempt but was unable to come down with it.
(Image via Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)
And yes, it sure looked like a holding and every replay I’ve seen on Twitter has confirmed to me that it was absolutely a blown call. Plus, there was a horrendous roughing the passer call earlier in the half that gave the Bills a first down when there was clearly no foul. But having said that, I don’t like blaming the refs for a loss. New York had so many different chances to win that game and they simply didn’t do so. Can’t put it all on officiating when you miss so many chances throughout the other 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
On a more positive note, the Giants defense finally put together a solid all-around performance, holding Josh Allen and the Bills to just 14 points. Plus, NY’s offensive line let up just 3 sacks despite being down 2 starters and having to deal with the injury to Ezeudu in the first quarter. Bringing back Justin Pugh did wonders for the Giants and he seems to already be a difference maker for Big Blue’s O-line.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the performance of Tyrod Taylor. He made some big time throws on third and fourth downs and was able to be elusive in the pocket and make some plays with his legs as well. With that said, this talk of Tyrod starting from here on out is just nonsense to me. Taylor played well but there were also some pretty big mistakes. Jones simply gives them a better chance to win and they paid him $40 million to do so. If the Giants want to turn their season around, they will need him back next week at home against the Commanders. So hopefully he’ll be healthy and ready to go as he’ll face a team he’s lost to just once in his entire career.
PS: Be on the lookout for a review of the stadium experience in Buffalo later in the week, as well as some videos from the pregame. Until then here is of pic of me and my pops on the field from last night.
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