3 takeaways from the Giants vs. Lions
New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) misses a catch during overtime against the Detroit Lions in an NFL football game in Detroit on Nov. 23, 2025. Credit: AP/Ryan Sun
DETROIT — The Giants’ losing streak reached six games Sunday as they fell to the Lions, 34-27, in overtime. Here are three takeaways from another collapse in a game in which the Giants led by double digits:
1. Malik Nabers vents frustration
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers wasn’t at the game because he’s recovering from ACL surgery, but he let his frustrations spill out in a now-deleted post on X that questioned interim coach Mike Kafka’s play-calling.
“Sometimes I think they b makin us lose on purpose! Cause it’s no way, bro you throw the ball instead of runnin it to make em burn 2 timeouts??” Nabers wrote. “Then you dnt kick the field goal.?? Then they have to go down and score!!! Football common sense!!! Am I missing something?”
To be fair, Kafka was right to not kick the field goal with a 27-24 lead and 2:59 left. He went for the touchdown and a two-score lead because the defense has been awful at protecting leads all season, and it happened again on Sunday. Yet Nabers, who has never been shy about expressing his frustration, gave more fuel to those who also are fed up with the final results.
Losing is contagious. Mistakes snowball into more mistakes. It’s fine that players aren’t happy with it, and the ones in the locker room weren’t. It just speaks volumes that a player who wasn’t there felt the same anger. The Giants need to fix things quickly.
2. Another week, another running back goes off vs. Giants
What do you get when a porous run defense meets maybe the NFL’s fastest tailback? You get what Jahmyr Gibbs did to the Giants.
Gibbs, who gained 219 yards on 15 carries, had a 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime and two 49-yard bursts, one for a score. The 69-yarder came with Dexter Lawrence not on the field.
Lawrence and Kafka said he got nicked up during the game without giving further details. Yet the problems go beyond one man. Every week, a new running back feasts on the Giants.
“I just brought the defense up and told them we played well,” Lawrence said. “Just those explosive plays got us, and that pretty much was the game.”
The Giants had three sacks — two by rookie Darius Alexander — and Jevon Holland had an interception, the team’s first takeaway in three games. But those plays get negated because teams run wild on them. Every week it becomes more embarrassing for this unit, and one wonders when defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will take the fall for it.
3. Will the Giants win another road game?
The Giants’ last road win was Oct. 6, 2024, at Seattle. It’s not just that they’ve lost 11 straight away from MetLife Stadium, it’s how they’ve lost some in mind-blowing fashion.
Five of their seven road losses this year came despite holding a double-digit lead. Sunday was the third loss in which they led by at least 10 points in the fourth quarter.
With two road games left, the Giants are staring at bad history. The last time they had a winless road season was 1976 (0-7). If they lose at New England next Monday night, they’ll have eight road losses in a season for the first time in franchise history (it could be nine if they also lose at Las Vegas in Week 17). It’ll be one more black mark on this era of futility with eight seasons of double-digit losses in nine years.
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.
