mccaf-fried

 It’s yet another disappointing Monday, as while I’m writing this, Shane Bowen still has a job.

 After yesterday’s disastrous performance, it feels like all hope is lost. The juice brought by Dart and Skattebo is all but gone now, completely sucked away by horrendous coaching. And I know I sound like a broken record, but unfortunately, the Giants are at that point in the season where losses pile up and start to blend together.

Shane Bowen’s defense, which now ranks in the bottom three in the league against the run, gave up 159 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, led by 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey.

 Not to mention, he allowed backup quarterback Mac Jones to go the entire first half without throwing an incompletion. Is all of this on coaching? Not entirely. Outside of Brian Burns, our defensive line has been flat-out underwhelming.

As many of you probably heard, Giants legend Carl Banks went as far as to call out Dexter Lawrence, saying, “Nobody respects you anymore... The pre-injury Dexter is not there anymore in their heads. You’re not making a difference.” As harsh as that may sound, he’s not wrong. Lawrence has just half a sack and eight solo tackles — and for a Pro Bowler making $90 million, that’s simply not good enough.

But the defense isn’t the only problem.

Because as bad as Bowen’s unit looked, the offense was just as incompetent. 

image via CBS Broadcast

The first drive of the game actually gave fans a glimmer of hope. Big Blue marched right down the field on a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a Theo Johnson touchdown. From there, though, everything completely fell apart.

The run game was nonexistent without Skattebo, producing just 61 yards from the running backs. Once again, Mike Kafka and Brian Daboll failed to scheme receivers open, and if they did, the passes were dropped. Most notably, Theo’s drop on a crucial third down and Darius Slayton’s drop on an absolutely gorgeous 45-yard dime to the end zone.

Another major issue was the number of times Jaxson Dart was forced to run the ball. Not only were too many QB runs called, but because of New York’s receivers’ inability to get open, Dart had to take off on his own far too often. And on more than one occasion, he took some serious hits, the kind of shots your (hopefully) franchise quarterback should never be exposed to.

I really wanted the Giants to make a push for Jaylen Waddle at the trade deadline, but with Miami reportedly asking for a first-round pick — and with New York currently projected to be picking in the top five, that dream’s dead. Still, you cannot go the rest of the season without adding another playmaker to help Dart develop. Frankly, failing to make a move before the deadline should be considered a fireable offense for Giants GM Joe Schoen.

Next week, the Giants travel to Chicago to take on the 5–3 Bears, hopefully with a new wideout.