Thirty-seven points should have been more than enough for the New York Giants to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
But when your defense doesn’t hold up, in part due to execution and in part due to the scheme, well, then you have what happened to the Giants: a gut-wrenching 40-37 loss and a 0-2 start to a season that was once filled with so much hope.
What went wrong this week? Let’s count the ways.
The Giants had way too many of these this week. / Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
By the time the smoke cleared, the Giants had posted 14 penalties for 160 yards. Yes, you read that correctly: 14 penalties for 160 yards.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, they lost 213 additional yards that were nullified due to the penalties, such as large yardage gains. Eventually, they ran out of time to make up for all the yardage they wasted due to their own foolishness.
Breaking that down, the Giants had seven offensive penalties, six defensive, and a big one on the opening kickoff on special teams.
That penalty count did not include seven additional flags thrown that the Cowboys declined.
The Cowboys were no better, committing 12 penalties for 106 yards. But we’ll leave that for our Cowboys colleagues to dissect.
Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Make that the “dead zone” because once again, the Giants struggled to convert on touchdowns. They went one of five this week, bringing their season total to one of seven.
The sad thing is their two losses haven’t been major blowouts, so just think what might have been had they been better in the dead, er, red zone.
Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) runs with the ball against New York Giants cornerback Cor’Dale Flott (28) during the fourth quarter at AT&;T Stadium. / Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
The Cowboys ran 28 times for 135 yards. That’s a 4.8 yards per carry average. The Giants don’t have the worst run defense in the league–yet.
But they’re at No. 31 and falling fast at this rate. We’re not sure why this is, at least not this week, and having not looked at the film, but this defense better find an answer sooner than later.
When four of your team’s top tacklers are from the defensive secondary, as was the case of the Giants this week, it’s only fair to ask what the guys up front were doing–or is that what they weren’t doing?
New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas will hopefulyl be back next weekend. / Kevin Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
I have no idea if Andrew Thomas is going to be ready to go next weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs (I think he has a pretty good chance of returning then, barring any setbacks this week).
But this team cannot trot James Hudson III out there anymore at left tackle, not after this week’s performance.
There’s being aggressive and there is being smart. Hudson was the former but not necessarily the latter, and even head coach Brian Daboll, who tends to give guys the benefit of the doubt, had enough after Hudson committed four penalties on the team’s opening drive that forced them to settle for a field goal.
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