The New York Giants got exactly what they deserved after being dominated by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday, the Giants suffered a humiliating 30-7 loss, with Mayfield mocking them after a touchdown run just before halftime. As the Bucs stretched their lead to 30-0, Giants fans began walking out, and the team (2-9) suffered its sixth consecutive loss.
This losing streak is the Giants’ longest since 2019, when they lost nine straight games and ended the season 4-12. That led to the firing of head coach Pat Shurmur after two years.
Now, third-year coach Brian Daboll is clearly under pressure, and the Giants are set for a second straight losing season after going 6-11 in 2023, which was filled with injuries.
Daboll, who denies that he has lost the team, isn’t the only one facing uncertainty. General manager Joe Schoen is also under fire, and the entire franchise, which is celebrating its 100th year, is in trouble.
Losing is one thing, but giving up is another. The Giants practically did that when they decided to bench quarterback Daniel Jones a week ago and then released him on Friday after the 27-year-old asked co-owner John Mara to let him leave.
Although Jones wasn’t playing well, he was still the Giants’ best quarterback. He gave the team a better chance of winning than either Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock. Letting him go pretty much guaranteed that the Giants would be worse, even if it was a sound business move.
If Jones was hurt and unable to pass his physical before the 2025 season, the team would have faced a $23 million cap hit.
The issue is that players care about now. By letting go of Jones and promoting DeVito to the starting role, the front office sent a message that it didn’t care about winning with seven games left in the season. As a result, the players gave a lackluster performance.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence called the team soft. Rookie receiver Malik Nabers said he was tired of losing. Left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor noticed a lack of effort from some players.
What they were all expressing was frustration at feeling betrayed. The players felt that winning was more important than money, but the Giants made the mistake of prioritizing business decisions over the team’s success.
