MUNICH – John Mara said he had no intention of changing general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll during this season and “didn't expect” changes with them in 2025.
Well, I'm sure the Giants co-owner didn't expect the Giants to become a laughing stock. I didn't expect to experience loss and disappointment after loss and disappointment almost every weekend. And he certainly didn't expect his team to go on the international stage, do so badly in a foreign country, and look worse than the worst teams in the NFL based on most statistical metrics. .
In a season filled with terrible football, the Giants saved the worst for a showcase game in the Bavarian capital. They were unable to match up against the normally docile Panthers, losing 20-17 in overtime in an embarrassing performance at Allianz Arena.
The Giants trailed 10-0 at halftime and 17-7 in the third quarter, but Graham Gano's 42-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation tied the score at 17. The Giants got the ball first in OT and had a chance to win it when Daniel Jones called tail and it became tail.
Instead, they lost it. Rookie Tyrone Tracy lost the ball on a fumble on the first snap of overtime, and Panthers linebacker Josey Jewell recovered the ball at the Giants' 23-yard line. Eddie Pineiro's 36-yard field goal moments later ended the game. Finito.
The Giants continued to have hits, and those hits continued to devastate the Giants, but the Giants lost five in a row. They entered the bye week trailing with an unsightly record of 2 wins and 8 losses.
The Giants continuing to win may be the definition of insanity. Daniel Jones struggled early, but by halftime he was 6-of-14 for 54 yards and intercepted a pass deep in the Panthers' territory. The pass was thrown into the air by Jadeveon Clowney and picked off by safety Xavier Woods. The Giants trailed 0-10 and were held scoreless against one of the league's stoutest defenses. The Panthers allowed 32.6 points per game. But the Giants made them look like the Bears of '85.
Jones completed 22 of 37 for 190 yards, two interceptions, and one rushing touchdown. Tuba Hubbard beat the Giants with 153 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.
The Giants trailed 10-0 at halftime, but rookie Drew Phillips forced a fumble on Hubbard that was recovered by DJ Davidson at the Carolina 22-yard line with 8:01 left to cut the lead to three points. I took a shot. The Giants got as far as the 6-yard line, but then melted away. Malik Nabors was dropped for a 2-yard loss, and then disaster struck. On third-and-7 at the 8-yard line, Jones threw a 1-yard pass that hit rookie Tyrone Tracy in the hand, but linebacker Josey Jewell missed the pass for a spectacular interception with 5:56 left. I decided.
The Giants got the ball back, but it was a three-and-out. They didn't call a timeout and got it back with 2 minutes and 30 seconds left. Jones completed eight short passes, forcing Gano to make a 42-yard field goal. Gano, playing for the first time since Week 2, missed a 43-yard attempt early in the game. He hit it to send the game into overtime.
Jones was benched at halftime, and the Giants scored on their first possession of the third quarter thanks to Tracy's 32-yard touchdown run. Losing 10-7, the Giants were unable to get a foothold in the game as Hubbard ran through the Giants on an 80-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard run by Hubbard.
The Giants broke out early on the first snap of the offense when cornerback Mike Jackson was called for a 43-yard pass interference penalty on a deep route to Jarrin Hiatt. This gift did not produce a present. On third down, Jones left Nabors open on the right side for a first down, and he made the throw so high that Nabors didn't even try to jump on it.
Backed to their own 10-yard line, the Panthers (29th ranked offense in the league) looked like a dynamo with a 90-yard drive, starting with Bryce Young's 23-yard strike to rookie Xavier Leggett and a run fake by Young. It ended with that. He then hit wide-open tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders for an easy 5-yard touchdown flip.
On the next series, Jones on third down was painfully late on a pass to Wan'Dale Robinson, allowing Jackson the time he needed to break up the play.
Suddenly the mighty Panthers are back. Jalen Coker outscored linebacker Micah McFadden for a 24-yard gain and then Eddie Pineiro's 53-yard field goal made it 10-0.
Jones completed 1 of 6 hits for 3 yards early in the second quarter, eventually moving the ball through the air for a 19-yard completion to Hyatt. This was his second catch of the season. The drive stopped, and so did Graham Gano. Gano missed a 43-yard field goal to right in his first game since Week 2.
