The New York Giants did what they do on Sunday, turning a game they should have won into a 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Giants are now a miserable, inexcusable 2-8, have lost four straight games, have lost four road games this season they led by at least 10 points, and have now lost 11 consecutive road games.
Let’s get to the ‘Kudos & Wet Willies’.
Kudos to …
Jaxson Dart — Until he was forced to leave the game, Dart was outstanding. He did have a game-changing fumble when the Giants were on the verge of potentially taking a three-score lead in the third quarter, but otherwise the outstanding rookie quarterback did little wrong.
He completed 19 of 29 passes for 242 yards in wet, cold conditions. He ran six times for 66 yards and two scores, one of those a 24-yard scamper where he expertly maneuvered around a Wan’Dale Robinson block.
Do the Giants win the game if Dart doesn’t suffer a concussion? I don’t know. I do know the young man wasn’t going to escape without suffering one of those eventually.
Theo Johnson — The second-year tight end had a dominant first half with six receptions for 71 yards, many of them difficult catches. He finished with seven receptions for 75 yards. That was the kind of play the Giants need from him.
Darius Slayton — I have given Slayton a hard time for not making difficult plays and for dropping some easy plays this season. The spinning, left-handed catch he made in the first half to set up a Giants’ scoring drive was as difficult a catch as I can ever recall Slayton making. He finished with four catches for 89 yards, though he had only one catch for 4 yards while playing through a hamstring issue in the second half.
Brian Burns — As usual, Burns was the Giants’ best defensive player. He had five tackles, one for loss, two quarterback hits and a pass defensed. Like the rest of the Giants’ defenders, though, Burns couldn’t get Caleb Williams on the ground.
Gunner Olszewski — Forced into action at wide receiver when Slayton went out in the first half, Olszewski saved Dart a turnover and saved the Giants three points by turning into a defensive back — which he was in college — and knocking a terrible Dart pass into the end zone out of the hands of Chicago’s Nayshon Wright.
The white throwback uniforms — I love them. They are the best uniforms the Giants have. I am a big fan of ‘GIANTS’ on the helmets.
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Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles — The veteran inside linebacker played well with seven tackles, one for loss, and a quarterback hit. He nearly had a fourth-and-2 stop in the second quarter but DeAndre Swift bounced off of him for a 9-yard gain. The fact that Cor’Dale Flott missed Swift and slammed into Flannigan-Fowles didn’t help.
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Wet Willies to …
Brian Daboll — This is four times the Giants have led games on the road by 10 or more points. This time, Daboll will be heavily criticized for not accepting a fourth-and-goal penalty with 10:9 to play that would have given the Giants a chance to go for a touchdown and a two-touchdown lead from inside the 1-yard line. Instead, he accepted a 19-yard Younghoe Koo field goal that made the score 24-10.
The Giants, without Jaxson Dart, never scored again as the Bears rallied for an improbably victory.
Here is Daboll explaining taking the three points there:
Whether you think the decision was right or not, again and again we find questionable game management at the heart of losses for the Giants that should have been victories. I understood the decision. The field goal made it a two-score game, and you should be able to win at that point. I also understand the ‘go for the touchdown’ argument. It forces the opponent to get two touchdowns.
The game shifted after that. There is no argument there. Was it the fourth-down decision? The absence of Dart? Just the fact that these are the 2025 Giants, and a meltdown was inevitable?
Fourth-quarter defense — Whatever you want to say about the absence of Dart in the final quarter, the decision-making by Daboll, or even the late-game play of Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the Koo field goal gave the Giants a two-score lead with 10 minutes to play.
The defense should have been able to close the game out. It was not. Even with a win probability of 95% with as little as 8:41 to play.
The Giants still had that 10-point lead when Chicago got the ball at its own 9-yard line with 6:13 to play. They still had a 94% win probability with the Bears facing second-and-10 at their own 26-yard line and 5:35 to play.
Then, the defense fell apart. Williams consistently eluded pass rushers and made plays. The Giants pressured Williams 15 times throughout the game, but let him slip out of their grasp on a number of occasions. That happened several times in the closing minutes.
The Bears went 91 yards in nine plays for one score, then 53 yards in four plays for the game-winning score. The defense that was supposed to be the backbone of the 2025 Giants, again melted when it mattered.
Cor’Dale Flott — Not a great game for Flott in his return from a concussion. He had a third-and-9 holding penalty that negated a Dexter Lawrence sack and led to Chicago’s first touchdown. He also slammed into Flannigan-Fowles, missing Swift completely on a fourth-and-2 he probably should have stopped
Jamie Gillan — The punter took over kickoff duties a few weeks ago and had, until Sunday, done a nice job. Against the Bears, though, his kickoffs were penalized twice. One went out of bounds. One missed the landing zone. He was replaced on kickoffs by Koo. Gillan also shanked a 26-yard punt that helped set up Chicago’s game-winning touchdown.
Isn’t there always a shanked punt that contributes to a late comeback.
Kwillies to …
Kayvon Thibodeaux — In its early, unofficial grading, Pro Football Focus credited Thibodeaux with six pressures. Unfortunately, none of those turned into sacks. That is because Thibodeaux missed four tackles, most of those on Williams.
Deonte Banks — Banks had a terrific 39-yard kickoff return to set up a Giants’ scoring draft. He also gave up three receptions in four targets and committed a pair of penalties. One of those penalties negated an Abdul Carter sack. The other went for 19 yards and set up a Bears’ first-and-goal they turned into three points in the third quarter.
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