Giants' hype can only persist if they win on the road

Like any good show, the Giants have been well-received at home since Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo debuted in their staring roles. One Instagram caption even called them “the new Blues Brothers.”

But for the show to be great, it has to be a hit on the road. For the Giants to have truly turned a corner, they have to thrive away from MetLife Stadium. So, a great test awaits in Denver.

It’s been over a year since the Giants left an opposing stadium with a win. They’ve lost eight straight away from MetLife since their upset win at Seattle last Oct. 6 (including a “home” loss vs. Carolina in Germany last year). Their most recent road game followed the high of Dart’s debut win over the Chargers at home and they gave it away with five turnovers in New Orleans.

So if the Giants believe they’ve found a new, tough identity, they have to prove it on the road, starting with a strong effort Sunday against the Broncos — owners of, perhaps, the NFL’s best defense.

“We obviously just have to take care of the football and do the right things each and every snap and the results will come from there,” receiver Wan’Dale Robinson said.

Road games haven’t been kind to coach Brian Daboll’s teams. Since the start of the 2023 season, the Giants are 4-16 in traditional road games. In those 20 games, they’ve scored 20 points or more only seven times, including 37 in their Week 2 loss at Dallas this season.

Sure, that’s an indictment of the quarterback play as much as Daboll. Yes, it’s unfair to expect Dart to fix that in his fourth start. But optimism can’t just start and stop at home. There must be some signs on the road that this team is different.

The Giants’ positive energy needs to last beyond scoring opening-drive touchdowns. If Dart and Skattebo have signaled a change for this offense, it needs to be felt for four quarters, just like it was last Thursday against the Eagles.

Unfortunately, the Broncos won’t make it easy. They’re second in scoring defense (15.8 points allowed) and total defense, third in passing defense and lead the NFL in third-down defense.

They also boast the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and the current sack leader in Nik Bonitto, whose eight sacks are one more than Brian Burns.

“Obviously, one of the most talented defenses in the league,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “They have a lot of guys up front that create havoc, and they play really well on the back end as well. I think their coordinator puts them in great positions to make plays. So, for us up front, we just got to trust our technique. It’s a tough environment to play in.”

Dart and Skattebo’s last road game was a New Orleans disaster. Both had egregious fumbles, with Dart simply dropping the ball on a scramble and Skattebo stripped for a scoop-and-score.

The receivers also let Dart down with drops. But it’s not just the offense that needs a redemption song in Denver.

The defense got zero sacks in New Orleans and was carved up on third down. It was safety Tyler Nubin who got turned around and had to chase Rashid Shaheed on his 87-yard touchdown catch.

Maybe Daboll’s message to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to be aggressive can ring true again Sunday, as it did last Thursday when they pushed the Eagles around in the second half.

That’s what the Broncos did overseas. Nine sacks and holding the Jets to minus-10 passing yards is proof that greatness travels, while “good-ness” only shines at home.

It’s a standard the Giants must strive for. They have two more chances to prove it on the road this month, and Denver comes first.

“Losing sucks, winning is a lot better,” Daboll said. “But again, it doesn’t have any bearing on what you have to do to get ready to play the next week. You have to prepare the right way.”

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.