ClutchPoints
The New York Giants are running out of excuses. In front of a national audience on Sunday Night Football, they were overwhelmed by the Kansas City Chiefs. That game revealed just how far they still have to go. A revamped roster, a veteran quarterback, and returning talent at nearly every position should have meant progress. Instead, the Giants delivered another lifeless performance that dropped them to 0-3. Patience is wearing thin in New York, and this latest defeat only deepened the frustration.
The Giants fell 22-9 to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. They were undone by a dominant second half from Kansas City. After limiting the Chiefs to field goals before halftime, New York’s defense collapsed after the break. They gave up two touchdowns that put the game out of reach. Quarterback Russell Wilson never found his rhythm. He threw two interceptions and failed to engineer a single touchdown drive.
Star wideout Malik Nabers, who entered the week as the NFL’s leading receiver, was also bottled up. He had just two catches and 13 yards on seven targets. The lone bright spot came from running back Cam Skattebo. He racked up 121 scrimmage yards and the Giants’ only score. However, his effort wasn’t enough to overcome an offense that sputtered all night and a defense that kept surrendering big plays.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the New York Giants most to blame for the discouraging loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kicker Graham Gano suffered a groin injury during pregame introductions. His absence left the Giants without a reliable option for much of the game., That echoed a similar situation last season in Washington that also proved costly. With Gano sidelined, punter Jamie Gillan stepped in as an emergency kicker. Meanwhile, wide receiver Gunner Olszewski serving as the holder. The experiment quickly went south. Gillan had an extra point blocked in the first half.
Gano eventually returned in the fourth quarter and managed to hit a 25-yard field goal. By that time, though, the damage had been done. For the first three quarters, the Giants were forced to play without a primary scoring weapon. It limited their options and stalled drives that might have otherwise produced points.
After a promising Week 2 showing, Russell Wilson regressed sharply in Kansas City. He completed just 18 of 32 passes for 160 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Most of those yards came long after the outcome was clear. Under pressure much of the night, Wilson failed to push the ball downfield and never gave his receivers chances to make plays in the red zone.
The low point came in the fourth quarter. Down 13 points with goal-to-go opportunities, Wilson threw three straight passes that offered little hope for a score. Giants fans, already restless, booed each time he returned to the huddle after being briefly spelled by backup Jaxson Dart....
