3 takeaways from the Giants' Week 7 loss to the Denver Broncos
Jaxson Dart of the Giants looks to pass in the third quarter of a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on Sunday in Denver. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Edmonds
DENVER — What could’ve been an inspiring Giants win turned into an incredible collapse. A 33-32 loss to the Broncos had a fourth quarter to forget for the Giants. Here are three takeaways:
1. The kicking game is now a problem
Jude McAtamney missed two extra points after missing one against the Eagles. That proved to be the difference, especially when he missed the PAT after Jaxson Dart gave the Giants the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left.
“Honestly, when it came off the foot, I thought it was good,” McAtamney said. “Went for it, looked up and it was wide right. I was as shocked as everyone else.”
Coach Brian Daboll said that play didn’t change the outcome. Nevertheless, they have an issue: McAtamney can’t be trusted.
It may be time for the Giants to explore other options. Younghoe Koo was signed to the practice squad after Graham Gano got hurt. Gano will be re-evaluated soon after he was placed on injured reserve on Sept. 28
With all that said, the Giants may not have lost solely because of missed kicks, but they sure didn’t win because of them.
McAtamney took his share of the blame.
“I’m not going to shy away from my mistakes. I let my team down,” he said.
2. The defense looked gassed in the fourth quarter
Through three quarters, the Giants led 19-0 and held the Broncos to 180 yards of offense. Bo Nix looked rattled with 105 passing yards and his offense went 2-for-10 on third downs.
Then the switch flipped. The Broncos gained 227 yards in the fourth quarter and Nix accounted for four touchdowns as the Giants couldn’t get the stops they got before.
Was it Denver’s high altitude? Maybe, although players wouldn’t say so. Was it attrition? Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland left the game with injuries. Deonte Banks came in for Adebo, and his poor coverage led to Courtland Sutton’s 21-yard catch that set up the winning field goal.
“It just comes down to finish,” cornerback Dru Phillips said. “When you get down to that fourth quarter, when it’s time to stand up and you need a stop, we gotta be better. I gotta be better.”
It’s something the Giants haven’t done enough defensively in tight games. They didn’t do it in Dallas and they didn’t do it in Denver.
3. Jaxson Dart showed poise in the clutch after his interception
Dart’s fourth-quarter interception could’ve been a back-breaker for the rookie, especially given that the Broncos scored on their next drive. Instead, he responded with the first clutch drive of his career.
He led the Giants 65 yards, and his 1-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds left should have been the game-winner. The drive featured a fourth-and-19 conversion against a defense that was second in yards allowed per game and first in fourth-down defense.
It was a good coming-of-age moment and also a learning lesson. Dart has four total turnovers in two road starts, and his interception was a bad mistake on third down. But the poise he showed on his final drive was something to build on, too.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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