The New York Giants were pounded by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-7, on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium in a lackluster effort that showed that there is a heckuva lot more wrong with this team than just Daniel Jones.
Fans booed — and many even left at halftime — as the Giants dropped their sixth straight game to fall to 2-9. They are tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in the NFL and are currently in line to select second overall in next year’s NFL draft.
But the fans weren’t the only ones who panned the Giants’ effort. They know they stink right now and weren’t shy in telling reporters that after the game.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers said he was “tired of losing” and that the reason for losing was not the quarterback.
"Same outcome as we had when DJ was the quarterback. It ain't the quarterback." https://t.co/tqW2vsBOhS
— TheGiantsWire (@TheGiantsWire) November 24, 2024
“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “Everybody knows better than me.”
Nabers, the team’s electric first-round pick, was not targeted in the first half. He wasn’t pleased as weren’t Giant fans. He also called the team “soft as (expletive).”
"I started getting the ball when it's 30-0. What do you want me to do?"
Malik Nabers follows up when asked why he didn't have a catch until the second half: "Talk to Dabs about that" pic.twitter.com/HNHOPGXysT
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 24, 2024
Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence also said the team played “soft” and admitted “they beat the (expletive) out of us.” Nabers also called the team “soft.”
Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said he personally didn’t think everyone was “giving 100 percent.”
It sure seems like this team is not functioning like one at the moment. The players don’t appear to trust the coaches any longer. That is a very dangerous position to be in.
Even linebacker Brian Burns had to take a moment to calm himself before saying something negative about the coaching staff.
“Um (long pause) I would like to think that” – Brian Burns on if the coaching staff’s message is getting through.
Said team still believes in coaching staff. #Giants
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) November 24, 2024
There is only one solution to that predicament but we’re not likely to see anyone fired until after the season, if at all.
As a person who has followed this franchise since the mid-1960s, I’ve been through some down periods but this one just might be the ugliest. The issues might just start as high as the ownership group and work its way on down.