Giants routed by Patriots as Jaxson Dart's return, new DC do little to help

FOXBOROUGH, Mass — The Giants got Jaxson Dart back Monday. It couldn’t save them from another dreadful performance, this time at Gillette Stadium.

They were battered and bruised by the hard-hitting Patriots, who showed why they’re the class of the AFC. The Giants’ 33-15 loss was their seventh consecutive defeat, dropping them to 2-11, and they remained winless on the road.

With interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen calling plays for the first time in his career, the Giants trailed 30-7 at halftime, their largest first-half deficit this season.

Dart was 17-for-24 for 139 yards in his return after missing two games while in the concussion protocol, and the rookie quarterback’s first carry was a reminder of why his coaches spent more time telling him to protect himself.

Dart escaped for a 12-yard run down the right sideline, but he was blasted by linebacker Christian Elliss, who sent him flying in the air. Dart popped up quickly and Theo Johnson raced in to shove Elliss, starting a scuffle on the Giants’ sideline.

Johnson was given an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, and after the game, a defiant Dart said he isn’t going to change his aggressive playing style.

“I feel like I’ve played this way my whole entire life,” he said. “It shouldn’t be any shock to anybody if you followed along with my career. We’re not playing soccer out here. You’re gonna get hit, things happen, just part of the game.”

Dart didn’t attempt another run until the Giants’ second drive of the third quarter. He finished with only four carries, his fewest since inheriting the starting job in Week 4.

It didn’t help that the Giants fell behind 17-0 in the first quarter. Dart relied more on his arm and handoffs to try to fuel the offense, but very little worked. The Giants finished with 239 yards and Dart stayed in the pocket more than usual.

Interim coach Mike Kafka said Dart did “everything we asked him to do” to protect himself. He also defended Dart’s decision to run on the play in which he was smashed and knocked out of bounds.

“Jaxson’s an aggressive football player,” Kafka said. “He’s on the sideline, trying to get himself out of bounds. Takes a hit. He bounced up. He’s a tough kid.”

The Patriots (11-2) had no issues moving the ball in their 10th straight victory, scoring on five of their first six possessions.

Marcus Jones returned the Giants’ first punt 94 yards for a touchdown and quarterback Drake Maye heard “MVP!” chants in the second quarter after his 33-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Williams made it 24-7. Maye finished 24-for-31 for 282 yards and two touchdowns.

As for Dart, his only touchdown pass came in the second quarter, a 30-yard catch-and-run by Darius Slayton. He was sacked twice.

“I just think we got down big early,” said Dart, who also threw a two-point conversion pass to Slayton after the Giants’ second touchdown. “Game plans have to change. You’re just playing catch-up the rest of the game. It’s a little bit different when it’s a tight game.”

Making things worse, Younghoe Koo botched a 47-yard field-goal attempt in unusual fashion. His kicking foot got stuck in the turf and he couldn’t follow through to the ball. Holder Jamie Gillan was brought down for a 13-yard sack on the play, with the broadcast showing Dart mouthing “oh my God” while turning away in disgust.

It was a low moment in a season that made more bad history. The Giants fell to 0-8 on the road, a first in franchise history. They’ve lost 13 straight road games to extend their franchise record, with one more road game left against the Raiders.

Running back Tyrone Tracy left the game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. Devin Singletary rushed for 68 yards on 12 carries, including a 22-yard touchdown on which he took a direct snap in the fourth quarter.

Adding insult to injury, rookie Abdul Carter was benched for the second time in three weeks in what Kafka called a coach’s decision. Zaire Barnes started at linebacker and Carter missed the Giants’ first two defensive series, sitting out the entire first quarter.

Neither Kafka nor Carter elaborated on what happened, aside from Kafka saying it was his decision. Carter, who had the first full sack of his career in the second quarter, took the blame for the Patriots’ early scoring.

“I let my team down today,” Carter said. “First two drives, I was out. They scored 17 points. I take responsibility for that. I gotta be out there. I gotta do better.”

The Giants as a whole need to do better. Dart preached patience in terms of turning things around, but he vowed to stay true to his playing style despite absorbing another hard shot.

“I took one hit that people are talking about,” he said. “I slid. Got out of the way of a lot of hits. I appreciate people wanting me to be healthy and all that stuff and I want to be healthy too. I play this game aggressively. I’m not going to just change how I play the game.’’

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.