The New York Giants had the Detroit Lions on the ropes for much of Sunday’s game but failed to deliver the knockout blow, allowing the Lions to bring the game to overtime and then losing on another huge play from running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
After the game, injured Giants star Malik Nabers let his frustrations out, drawing some criticism after publicly calling out the team’s approach.
Lions Loss Leads to Frustrations for Giants Star
Nabers was lost for the season after suffering a torn ACL in Week 4, but remains keenly interested in the team’s season. After the Giants lost 34-27 to the Lions on Sunday, the talented wide receiver took to X to question his team’s approach.
Nabers called out the team’s decision to go for it on fourth down late in the game instead of kicking a field goal that would have given them a six-point lead.
“Sometimes I think they b makin us lose on purpose!” Nabers wrote in the post, which was quickly deleted. “Cause itâs no way, bor you throw the ball instead of runnin it to make em burn 2 timeouts?? then you dnt kick the field goal.??? Then they have to go down and score!!! Football common sense!!!!”
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka defended the decision, saying the team needed to score as much as possible to beat the dangerous Lions.
âWeâre trying to win the game, so we want to score as many points as possible,â Kafka said. âWe thought that was a place to be aggressive.â
The Giants had several chances to knock off the Lions, a team that has won the NFC North in each of the last two seasons and moved back into the division lead again after Sunday’s win. But the Lions scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying 59-yard field goal with 28 seconds left.
Gibbs, who finished the game with 264 total yards and three touchdowns, iced the game with a 69-yard touchdown run in overtime. The Lions held the Giants on the next possession to win the game and move to 7-4.
Lions Take ‘Must-Win’ Game
The Lions had fallen out of the playoff bracket after last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but surged back to the top of the NFC North with Sunday’s win.
The Lions have now gone more than three full years without losing back-to-back games, and Gibbs said the team entered Sunday’s game against the Giants with some desperation.
âIt was a must-win,â Gibbs said, via ESPN.
The Giants held three separate 10-point leads, but the Lions came back through some aggressive play-calling from head coach Dan Campbell.
âThat very easily â a number of times â couldâve gone the other way, but it didnât,â Campbell said. âWe made the plays we had to make.â
The Giants have now lost five games this season after leading in the fourth quarter, including a blown 18-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos.
âWe need to find a way to finish them off, and I really believe our players can do that,â Kafka said.
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