The New York Giants fell to 2-10 after yet another blown double-digit lead, this time to the Detroit Lions in overtime. But despite the 34-27 loss to Detroit, the offense opened up and had one of its most productive outings of the season with 517 total yards.
Jameis Winston made magic despite being pressured, as he repeatedly found his receivers downfield, and the quarterback even caught a touchdown pass of his own. The Giants had an offensive eruption despite the loss, and even better, they had fun doing so in another lost season.
Big Plays Dominate The Day Across The Giants’ Offense
Jameis Winston threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns while catching another one, while Wan’Dale Robinson had a career-high 156 receiving yards on nine catches, including a 39-yard touchdown pass on a flea flicker to open the scoring on the day.
Robinson hauled in a 40-yard pass on the next drive and continued to make crucial catches on his career day, but he was far from the only Giant to make big plays. Theo Johnson had three catches for 77 yards, including a 24-yard and 39-yard completion in big moments for New York.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. had a volume day on the ground with 62 yards on 20 carries, but was the team’s third-best receiver with 68 yards. Forty of them came on this catch-and-run, with Tracy taking advantage of the open space in front of him. Isaiah Hodgins also had a 30-yard reception downfield and an acrobatic touchdown grab from 12 yards out, continuing to show his prowess within the Giants’ system.
But the most impressive play of the day came on another trick play, with Gunner Olzewski taking a pitch from Jameis Winston, climbing the pocket, and finding the quarterback up the sideline. Winston did the rest of the work as a receiver, breaking a tackle and finding the end zone for his first career reception. It was emblematic of the day the Giants had on offense, full of trickery, big plays, and most importantly, excitement.
Giants Failed To Hang Onto Double-Digit Lead Yet Again
On a rare day when Brian Burns was limited to just two tackles and zero sacks, other players on the Giants’ defense stepped up in his place. Defensive tackle Darius Alexander had two sacks in the first half for New York, as the third-round draft pick played the best game of his young career.
Meanwhile, safety Jevon Holland made his return to the lineup and notched an interception that went off the hands of Amon-Ra St. Brown on a third down for Detroit. With the Lions threatening to take the lead, the Giants took the ball away and scored on Winston’s TD reception, pushing their lead to ten points.
However, in a tale that is all too familiar to Giants fans this season, the defense was unable to hold on to the lead. The Lions answered with running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who took off for a 49-yard burst up the right side to cut New York’s lead to 27-24 with 10:50 on the clock.
Despite Jameis Winston throwing an interception on his next possession, the Giants’ defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense drove down the field. But the Giants were stalled inside Detroit’s 10-yard line, and Mike Kafka’s fourth-down gamble resulted in an incomplete pass.
The Lions took advantage, as Jake Bates hit a 59-yard field goal after New York forced the long field goal attempt by getting a third-down stop from their own 41-yard line. Bates curled his attempt just inside the right upright despite the attempt originally curving outside the goalpost.
On the first play of overtime, Gibbs burst through the middle of the field and towards the right sideline with his breakaway speed for a 69-yard touchdown. Notably, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was not in the game, as he would have likely been able to stuff Gibbs’ run. Without him anchoring the interior of the line, Gibbs was home free for the second time this game.
Jameis Winston kept the Giants’ response drive alive multiple times with third and fourth-down completions, but Detroit got Big Blue behind the sticks again, and Aiden Hutchinson iced the game with a fourth-down sack on Winston. With New York trailing by a touchdown, they were forced to keep the chains moving on offense, and they were unable to do so in the end.
Despite the frustrating loss, the Giants have found a spark behind Jameis Winston, as he has unlocked the best in Isaiah Hodgins, Theo Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson, and the team’s other playmakers. With Jaxson Dart likely returning next week, it will be interesting to see how he can take that spark to the next level.
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