The New York Giants provided little to be thankful for on Thursday evening at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, falling to the Dallas Cowboys, 27-20, in front of a national audience.
With the loss, the Giants became the first NFL team officially eliminated from playoff contention while extending their league-leading seven-game losing streak.
Seats are certainly warming in East Rutherford and tension is thick. How things go in the coming days and weeks remains to be seen but it’s not getting any less ugly.
Here’s a look at some of the studs and duds (and studly duds) from Thursday’s Week 13 loss.
STUD: K Graham Gano
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It was the kind of game where the kicker gets some praise since few others are worthy of it. Graham Gano booted all of his kickoffs out of the endzone to avoid the Cowboys’ dangerous return game, while connecting on his lone point-after attempt and both of his field goal attempts (46, 47).
DUD: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
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In his second game back from wrist surgery, linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux was more of a detriment than a help. He committed three penalties — two offsides and one roughing the passer — and likely should have been called for a third offsides penalty. He finished the game with one tackle, one pass defensed, and two QB hits.
STUD: CB Cor’Dale Flott
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Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott played relatively well on Thursday despite surrendering a big third-quarter reception. He was targeted seven times and gave up just three receptions while recording five tackles (four solo) and two passes defensed.
DUD: RB Eric Gray
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Running back Eric Gray touched the ball just a single time against the Cowboys — a second-quarter kickoff return. Any guesses about what happened? That’s right, another fumble. Luckily, this one was recovered by linebacker Matthew Adams. That’s three fumbles this season.
STUD: S Tyler Nubin
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Rookie safety Tyler Nubin again took 100 percent of the defensive snaps and his standout play was assisting a fourth-and-1 stop to force a turnover on downs. He finished with a game-leading 12 tackles (five solo, one for a loss) and is now tied for the team lead with 93 tackles this year.
DUD: Head coach Brian Daboll
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Where to even begin? The decision to put Gray back as a return man was baffling. Why does Brian Daboll continue doing things that don’t work? And how about team discipline? The Giants were penalized 13 times for 98 yards. They missed 10-plus tackles for the second game in a row. They dropped three passes. They turned the ball over twice. These are all effort/execution issues traced directly back to the man in charge. Yes, the Giants played harder for Daboll this week, but they still struggle with the basics.
STUDLY DUD: WR Malik Nabers
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Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, much to his delight, was involved early and often on Thursday. He hauled in a team-leading eight receptions for 69 yards, including a pair of impressive plays where he displayed good field awareness to get his feet down in bounds. But he also had two more drops, bringing his season total to seven (second in the NFL). Perhaps worse? He admitted after the game he doesn’t care how many passes he drops.
More STUDS
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- TE Theo Johnson
- RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.
- WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
- CB Andru Phillips
- P Jamie Gillan
- LB Matthew Adams
More DUDS
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- OL Chris Hubbard
- OL Evan Neal
- OL John Michael Schmitz
- WR Darius Slayton
- RB Devin Singletary
