Five plays that doomed the Giants against the Steelers

The New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-18. Monday night football It was a game-winner considering how it unfolded in the first half, with the score knotted at 9-9 thanks to an exchange of field goals.

In the end, everything fell apart—penalties, poor Giants defense, and poor quarterback play all contributed to the loss as the Giants fell to 2–6 midway through the season, with their season about to slip away forever.

Taking a look back at the plays that were made or not made, here are five key plays that contributed to the Giants’ latest disappointing loss.

Before getting into the details of that grueling play that gave the Steelers the lead, it boggles the mind that the officials didn’t see a Steeler run into the kicker, which would have given the Giants five yards and a chance to retake the punt.

The only explanation that makes any sense is that the defender was blocked by the kicker, although from our point of view this is not the case.

Now Calvin Austin returned the punt 73 yards for a touchdown, the first touchdown of the game. The Giants didn’t help themselves at all in this game, from punter Matt Haack beating his coverage to four missed tackles in the game.

This simply shouldn’t happen at this point in the season, but every week it seems like the Giants’ special teams do something that bites them in the behind. This week was no different.

Another game-changing play came from Calvin Austin, this time in the passing game. Austin got the better of rookie nickel cornerback Drew Phillips on a corner route. He ran past Phillips and received an easy throw from Russell Wilson for a 29-yard touchdown.

This play left the Giants with a 14-point deficit, creating an uphill battle to come from behind against a defense with an outstanding passing game to put pressure on Daniel Jones in true passing plays.

After rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. scored the Giants’ first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, they decided to go for the two-point conversion instead of the extra point because that’s what the analysts and head coach Brian Daboll said. seems to firmly believe what analysts say.

The game’s challenge was mind-boggling to say the least. The Giants took advantage of the swinging net and tried to throw a screen to Malik Nabers.

The problem was that no one on the Giants was prepared for it, and although everyone seemed to be hanging around when the ball was punted, the Steelers made one of the easiest plays the guy had ever made.

The poor play, by the way, led to quarterback Daniel Jones exploding in a rare display of anger/frustration that pretty much epitomized what Giants fans were probably feeling at that moment.

With 3:04 on the clock in the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-7 from the Steelers’ 19-yard line, TJ Watt beat Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and set up a strip sack for Daniel Jones, which the Steelers recovered. .

As it turned out, Jones had to call the shift, sending in rookie tight end Theo Johnson to help Eluemunor beat Watt. Jones missed the call and the result changed the game.

The Giants’ offense moved the ball down the field, hoping to tie the game with a two-point conversion.

With 42 seconds remaining at the Steelers’ 35-yard line, Jones dropped back and threw a pass high over the head of running back Devin Singletary into the arms of rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. for a game-ending interception.

There were many problems here. First, Jones never saw Theo Johnson wide open at center. Secondly, he never set foot on his feet, feeling the pressure, which, being there, still allowed him to make a decision faster. And then there was a hasty throw to a window that he had no business throwing at, something Giants fans have seen too many times before.

This game must have been frustrating for Giants fans because there were plenty of opportunities to take advantage of them to win. Instead, the Giants withered when it mattered most, with their 2024 season on life support and fading fast.

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