Let’s get this over with
Let’s review Sunday’s latest New York Giants debacle, a 30-7 embarrassment at the hands of the Tampa Bay Bucaneers that sank the reeling Giants to a hopeless 2-9, in our unique ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’ style.
Kudos to …
Seriously? After that game?
Wet Willies to …
Defense — The Giants gave up 290 yards in the first half. They gave up 450 total yards.
They couldn’t stop the run, giving up 156 yards, the fourth straight game in which they have given up 150 or more rushing yards. Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving had a 56-yard run.
They couldn’t cover the pass or tackle Buccaneers’ receivers once they caught the ball. Baker Mayfield was 24 of 30 for 275 yards. Of the eight tackles the Giants missed, seven came after wide open Tampa Bay receivers caught passes.
The pass rush could not get within the same zip code as Mayfield, even with Tampa Bay playing without star left tackle Tristan Wirfs. The Giants never sacked Mayfield and hit him only twice, with Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux each getting a QB hit. Even when they could, they couldn’t keep Mayfield from scrambling out of the pocket and doing damage.
The Giants gave up touchdown drives of 95, 86, 82 and 70 yards. Tampa Bay scored four touchdowns and a field goal on its first five possessions. The Buccaneers had the ball for 33:59.
Baker Mayfield — Did he really need to do this? This is why people who aren’t his teammates dislike the guy.
Baker Mayfield taunting the Giants, Tommy DeVito and all of MetLife Stadium pic.twitter.com/Db2kPnCA0V
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) November 24, 2024
Deonte Banks — The second-year cornerback was no match for Tampa Bay star wide receiver Mike Evans — or anyone else he tried to cover. Evans caught all five targets he had while lined up against Banks, for 100 yards, with four first downs and a long reception of 26 yards.
In all, Pro Football Focus had Banks giving up eight catches in nine targets for 84 yards, a passer rating of 113.0.
Offense — Aside from a couple of runs by rookie Tyrone Tracy, there was nothing to feel good about. The spark the Giants hoped to get by inserting third-stringer Tommy DeVito as the starting quarterback was non-existent.
The pass blocking wasn’t good. DeVito dropped back eight times in the first half and was sacked three times, albeit one of those might have been his own fault. The protection was better in the second half, but DeVito ended up being sacked four times in all and was hit nine other times.
Tracy has now had costly fumbles two weeks in a row.
Trailing 7-0 the Giants could not convert a fourth-and-1 from their own 37-yard line in the first quarter.
Malik Nabers ended up with six receptions, but didn’t even have a target in the first half.
The Giants failed to reach double digits in points for the fourth time this season.
Brian Daboll — The Giants were lifeless. They gave up a 14-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to open the game … and things got worse from there. They were inept on offense and defense. They have lost six straight. They can’t block, tackle, cover or hold onto the ball. They shouldn’t be this awful, and the reality that they are has to reflect on the coach. There is nothing good to say.
Kwillies to …
Some of you will complain about none of these being ‘Kudos.’ I don’t care what the stats are, when most of the offensive stats were compiled with the Giants trailing 30-0 nobody gets a ‘Kudos.’
Tommy DeVito — There was no big spark. To his credit, though, DeVito hung and did the best he could. He even returned one play after taking a big hit in the back of his own end zone from Calijah Kancey with 5:00 to go. He finished 21 of 31 for 189, never turned the ball over and finished the game in one piece. So, there’s that.
Malik Nabers — The numbers for the rookie wide receiver look OK — six receptions for 64 yards. Really, though, Nabers had no impact on the game. He wasn’t targeted a single time in the first half. The Giants seemed to spend the third quarter having DeVito throw to Nabers play after play, like they were trying to introduce them to each other.
Tyrone Tracy — The rookie running back might have been heading toward a ‘Kudos,’ until his second costly fumble in two games. In Week 10, Tracy’s costly overtime fumble set up the winning field goal for the Carolina Panthers. Against Tampa Bay, Tracy fumbled on a first-and-goal on the Giants’ first drive of the third quarter. Yes, the score was already 23-0, but it would have been nice for fans to have something to cheer about.
Now, Tracy’s ball security issue are a problem.
Tracy did have nine carries for 42 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and four receptions on four targets for 28 receiving yards.
Tyler Nubin — The rookie safety had a team-high 12 tackles and a pass defensed. Like everyone else, though, little to no impact on the game.
