The New York Giants were entirely non-competitive on Sunday, falling to the Dallas Cowboys, 49-17, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Things were ugly from the moment Big Blue took the field and they never got any prettier. In addition to being humiliated on the field, the Giants continued to humiliate themselves off of it thanks to in-fighting and sideline tantrums (more on that shortly).
With the loss, the Giants fall to 2-8 on the season and are now tied with the New York Jets as the NFL’s most-losing franchise since 2017.
Here are a look at some of the studs and duds (and studly duds) from the Week 10 loss.
STUD: RB Saquon Barkley
There wasn’t much that went right for the Giants on Sunday but at least running back Saquon Barkley was somewhat productive.
For the second week in a row, the defense loaded up knowing that Barkley was the only thing the Giants had offensively and for the second week in a row, he performed. He finished the game with 66 rushing yards and averaged 5.1 yards per attempt.
DUD: Brian Daboll
Brian Daboll won the AP Coach of the Year Award in 2022 but that seems like a distant memory at this point. Fast forward to now and Daboll is arguably among the worst coaches in the league.
Sunday was another example that the wheels have completely come off in East Rutherford, as in-fighting and sideline tantrums are now the norm.
Ignoring the fact that Daboll can’t control his coaches or players, and ignoring how wildly unprepared and non-competitive the Giants have been, what in the world was he doing to start the game? Throws a challenge flag, tries to pick the flag up, goes ahead with the challenge anyway, and loses a timeout all in under 30 seconds. Impressive.
STUD: LB Bobby Okereke
Was anyone on the defensive side of the ball really a “stud?” We’ll give the nod to veteran linebacker Bobby Okereke, who recorded a team-leading 11 tackles (seven solo) and one QB hit.
Okereke wasn’t great but he was certainly better than anyone else who suited up for the Giants defense on Sunday.
DUD: CB Darnay Holmes
Darnay Holmes came in to replace the injured Cor’Dalte Flott on Sunday and did pick up an interception, but nothing else about his day was impressive. He was regularly targeted by the Cowboys and was eventually benched in favor of Bobby McCain, who moved from safety to nickel (although some of that shuffling was the result of other injuries).
STUD: CB Cor'Fale Flott
Cor’Dale Flott has been playing better in recent weeks and that trend continued on Sunday when he picked off Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. He made a nice read and followed it up with a nicer play on the ball. Unfortunately, Flott eventually left the game due to a shoulder injury.
DUD: LB Kayvon Thibodeaux
There are going to be some hosts at WFAN unloading on linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux this week — and rightfully so. Thibs was entirely non-existent on Sunday, not factoring into the outcome of the game at all. It’s as if he never stepped onto the field and if you didn’t know otherwise, you’d think he didn’t. The second-year pass rusher was completely absent from the box score, which accurately reflects how poorly he played against Dallas.
STUDLY DUD: QB Tommy DeVito
What could really be expected of Tommy DeVito in this game? He was making his first-ever NFL start behind a terrible and injury-riddled offensive line against one of the league’s most talented front 7s.
It didn’t go well. The Giants were trounced, they were unable to convert on a single third down and most of their offense came in garbage time. Still, despite unrelenting pressure, DeVito hung in and did the best he could. He finished the game completing 14 of his 27 attempts for 86 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He added 41 yards on the ground (5.9 ypc).
Other STUDS
- P Jamie Gillan
- K Randy Bullock
- WR Darius Slayton
- TE Lawrence Cager
Other DUDS
- CB Deonte Banks
- LB Isaiah Simmons
- CB Tre Hawkins
- OL Tyre Phillips
