3 takeaways from the Giants vs. the Patriots
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka speaks with his staff during the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Monday. Credit: Getty Images/Winslow Townson
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The Giants' 33-15 loss to the Patriots extended their losing streak to seven games. Here are three takeaways from their unlucky 13th straight road loss:
Abdul Carter’s second benching is a problem
Carter's benching against the Packers in Week 11 could’ve been excused as a rookie mistake. When it happened a second time Monday for an entire quarter, it began looking like a bad pattern.
When he was asked what happened, he didn’t elaborate beyond saying, ''[Expletive] happens.'' Yet he knew earlier this week it would happen.
“It’s sickening," he said. "Sick to my stomach. They know how I feel, they know where I stand. I let them down today."
Interim coach Mike Kafka said 11 times that it was “my decision” to bench Carter. The rookie responded with his first career sack, which Carter dismissed afterward. However, the first-round pick has more work to do to prove the message has been received.
Discipline is magnified when losing happens. It’s up to Carter to end his first season showing he got the message and avoid being branded for bad decisions.
“He’s human. He makes mistakes,” linebacker Brian Burns said. “At the end of the day, he does have to be a pro and he does have to take accountability, which he did for what happened."
Special teams was a disaster
Save for the Week 7 collapse at Denver in which two missed extra points were costly, the Giants’ special teams unit has mostly been clean this season. Monday was their turn to struggle.
Missed tackles led to Marcus Jones scoring on a 94-yard punt return. Younghoe Koo planted his toe in the turf and couldn’t follow through on a 47-yard field-goal attempt. That sequence led to a turnover on downs and the Patriots scoring a touchdown that made it 24-7
Gunner Olszewski took a hard hit on a kickoff return in the first half and left the game with a concussion. He also fumbled on the play, leading to a Patriots field goal.
It was just another example of how the Giants have lost seven in a row. Losing is contagious and the Giants’ special teams finally got caught up in the losing woes with terrible play.
Jaxson Dart’s defiance reaches new levels
Jaxson Dart had little use for questions about changing his playing style. Responding to questions about being smashed by Christian Elliss on his 12-yard run, a hit that sent him flying over the sideline, he told everyone to check his history and realize that this is normal.
“Turn on my high school tape, turn on my college tape, it's not a shocker to anybody,” he said. “It’s how I've played. I felt like if you just watch the game, like, I did slide. I did avoid a lot of hits, so you're going to get hit. It's football.”
The difference is Dart isn’t playing against high school or college kids. He’s playing against a select group of defenders who are powerful and fast, and he is coming off his first diagnosed concussion. He’s the franchise quarterback, so his health is paramount not just to his own future but to the Giants as well.
Nobody wants Dart to play scared. But there are plenty of mobile quarterbacks who used their legs yet learned to be smarter about taking hits. Dart has to figure that out before the game decides for him with another serious collision.
“He’s a tough kid, and love to see that in a quarterback. We also need him for the long run,” guard Jon Runyan Jr. said.
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.
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