Big Blue View
To his credit, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen did not hide on Thursday from his role in the New York Giants’ failure on Sunday to protect a three-point lead over the Dallas Cowboys in the final :25 of regulation, ultimately leading to a 40-37 overtime defeat.
The play that has been discussed again and again is an 18-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Jake Ferguson that moved the ball from the Dallas 33-yard line to the Giants’ 49-yard line. It got Dallas in position to set all-world placekicker Brandon Aubrey up for a game-tying 64-yard field goal.
“Credit to him making a 64-yarder, but we knew that was his range,” Bowen said. “Just trying to defend the line as best we could.
“Wish we would have been tighter. A little bit tighter. Again, just like all these calls that don’t work, second guess that you probably wish you went a different direction. A tough, tough situation to come down to that one play. I got to be better.”
Bowen admitted that “how the call worked out, I would have liked to have a different call.”
Safety Jevon Holland said on Monday that the Giants were trying to keep the Cowboys from reaching the 5-yard line.
“Everybody knew what the line was going to be for him,” Bowen said. “Any call you make, if it doesn’t work, you second guess it. You got to look at them all and evaluate what’s best for the situation, what’s best for these players and go from there.”
Bowen acknowledged it was not fun to watch the play on film with the players on Monday morning.
“It’s tough,” Bowen said. “All of us are accountable for it. To everything, obviously I’m accountable to that and that call. I told them I wish I would have been a little bit tighter and made a little bit different call for you guys.”
The Giants poured significant resources during the offseason into a defense co-owner John Mara had called out at the end of last season, saying “I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us.”
The Giants signed Holland, cornerback Paulson Adebo, defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris and edge defender Chauncey Golston to significant free-agent contracts. They drafted edge defender Abdul Carter with the No. 3 overall pick, and defensive tackle Darius Alexander in Round 3.
The results through the first two games have not been good. The Giants are:
