voodoo blues

Just when I thought the stink surrounding the New York Giants had finally vanished, it came right back in the Bayou. After taking down the previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers, the G-Men followed it up with an embarrassing loss to the winless New Orleans Saints.

The Giants came out hot, marching down the field on their first two offensive drives, which were both capped off with Theo Johnson touchdown catches. For a moment, they looked so dominant I started to believe they might have a real shot at taking down the Eagles on Thursday. But reality hit me pretty quickly after that. From there, the Saints rattled off 26 unanswered points, and the Giants’ brief spark was put right out.

Darius Slayton kicked off the fumble parade just as the Giants entered field goal range late in the first half. In the third, Jaxson Dart coughed up the ball on a play where he was quite literally untouched, and Cam Skattebo added a costly red-zone fumble as the Giants were driving to retake the lead ( which the Saints took back for a TD). But Dart's two fourth-quarter interceptions are what officially sealed their fate. 

(image via Michael C. Hebert/New Orleans Saint)

Looking at the box score, two things immediately stand out: the Giants’ defense looked awful, and Jaxson Dart had a rough game. While those statements aren’t entirely false, they don’t tell the full story. The G-Men just shot themselves in the foot over and over again.

Despite the chaotic circumstances, given to them by the offense, I thought the defense held up well. They bent a lot, but allowed just one touchdown all game. This one, yet again, is on the offense and the coaching staff. Watching that game live, Dart was scrambling for his life, looking to find open receivers that just weren't there, making the absence of Malik Nabers painfully obvious.

I choose to blame this on offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Early on, he fed the tight ends, and the offense looked balanced, confident, and productive despite not having their top target. Then, for reasons unknown, he completely abandoned what was working, and the offense absolutely collapsed. 

As most of you know, I have never truly been a fan of either of the Giants' Coordinators, but this week, after crumbling against the league's worst team, I think I'm ready to say it's time to move on from Brian Daboll, too. I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to say about that on Friday, when the Giants host the Eagles on Thursday night in primetime. Philly’s coming off their first loss of the season, and it just so happens to fall on my birthday. Happy birthday to me… I guess.