One Giant Letdown; What’s The Reason Behind Big Blue’s Slow Start?
Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg
After a solid 9-7-1 campaign last season under first year Head Coach Brain Daboll, there was some welcomed optimism radiating throughout the Big Apple regarding their football Giants. After 5 straight seasons of losing games at the last minute and records with double digit losses, the Giants managed to reach the playoffs for the first time since losing to the Packers in the 2016 Wild Card round, and even stunned the world in the process with an upset over the 13 win Minnesota Vikings away from home. Led by Daniel Jones at QB who was able to severely reduce his turnover numbers and Saquon Barkley at RB having one of his best statistical seasons since his time at Penn State, Big Blue fans had reason to be Big Blue believers heading into 2023. After four weeks of play however, sitting at 1-3, the team is in a position less ideal than what fans had hoped for.
After starting the season with a 40-0 shutout loss to division rival Dallas, rumors were already stirring that the Giants success in the prior seasons could have just been lightning in a bottle. Those rumors only seemed to get louder after the Giants went down 20-0 to the Arizona Cardinals after the first half of their week 2 matchup, but the team managed to find both offensive rhythm and defensive solidarity in the second half, enough for them to come back and win the contest with a late field goal. Since then however, things have only gotten worse for Brian Daboll’s team. Star RB Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain in their win at Arizona, a black eye on their only win of the season that no doubt put a damper on their offense in the following weeks. Over the next two games, Big Blue only managed a combined 15 points and 4 turnovers against the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, and through four weeks their offense currently ranks 31st of 32 NFL teams.
Photo Credit: Godofredo A. Vásquez
Is there a single reason to point to for the Giants sudden downturn, or is it perhaps a mix of factors? The piece of the puzzle that fans and media alike seem to gravitate towards the most is starting QB Daniel Jones. As mentioned before, Jones managed to elevate his play significantly in 2022: putting up career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns, while also posting career lows in interceptions with 5, and fumbles with 6. In the short duration of the 2023 season that has been played thus far, Jones has already exceeded his previous interception total with 6 and has fumbled the ball 4 times.
Many will debate whether Daniel Jones has truly regressed or if others factors should be taken into further consideration. While there is no denying that Jones has statistically taken a dive thus far, there are of course, many other pieces of their offense such as the aforementioned Saquon Barkley, offseason acquisition Darren Waller who many are saying should be getting the ball much more than he has been, and star tackle Andrew Thomas who is expected to miss a fourth straight game with a lingering hamstring injury. Besides Saquon’s injury, Thomas’s absence in particular could be seen as a major reason for the offensive downturn, as Daniel Jones has been sacked 22 times thus far, an average of almost 6 sacks per game, and one that almost any coach would say is unacceptable.
Photo Credit: Robert Deutsch
The other major factor to consider is the Giant’s schedule, both the games they have had to play thus far and the ones that they have fast approaching. An argument that many have made is that so far, the team has played the Cowboys and their top-ranked defense, the 49ers and their elite defense, and a Seahawks team expected to fight for a playoff spot this season. With the Giants previously mentioned key injuries, those games certainly weren’t made any easier for their offense, let alone the team as a whole. The sad reality for Big Blue is that their schedule won’t get any easier from here on out, as they will have to travel to take on the 3-1 Miami Dolphins this week and 3-1 Buffalo Bills in the near future, the Cowboys at least one more time, and the currently undefeated Philadelphia Eagles twice this season.
In the overall picture, the Giants have already had to play some of the best opponents in the NFL this season and have faced adversity in many different forms, and it would seem that the road is only going to get harder for them as the weeks go on. Whether or not their season is considered “over” already is a classification that varies from person to person, but one thing that can be said is that the odds will only continue to pile up against them if the team cannot get healthy and get themselves back to a comfortable standing in an NFC East division that is not slowing down for them.
