Time To Bounce Back

The New York Giants find out what they're made of after Monday

That was painful.

We’re 24 hours removed from a crushing loss at home on Monday Night Football to the Dallas Cowboys. Some could say this was the type of loss that can test the resolve of a young team. Because like it or not, there were good signs in that swarm of negativity. Most notably the fact the Giants kept fighting, literally after the bell.

The way in which the Cowboys pressured Daniel Jones to historic numbers had an impact on the momentum of every single drive. Micah Parson was void of showing up in the stat sheet, but every Cowboy up front was in the backfield or on top of Daniel Jones nearly every play.

Unfortunately that is not hyperbole.

Giants Rookie tackle Evan Neal had a game to forget in his first prime time showing. Neal was abused all night by DeMarcus Lawrence who racked up three sacks and a ton of pressure off of the rookie tackle. In his post-game media scrum Evan Neal seemed to take the abuse as a teachable moment. One would have to assume if the talented tackle is the type of player the Giants thought worthy of a top 10 pick, he will certainly be motivated to learn from the greats and use this game going forward as a positive.

Even when there was some form of a resemblance of a pocket for Daniel Jones, the lack of talent at the wide receiver position was on full display for the entire country to witness. It was tough to watch Jones give 100% even through the punishment the Cowboys defense inflicted, only to be at the mercy of what is clearly the least talented skills position set in the NFL. When Richie James and David Sills are your blankets, you don’t have security.

Kadarius Toney was a scratch with another aggravated trip to the injury report. Shocking.

So the door was wide open for Kenny Golladay to prove the doubters wrong and secure himself some nice redemption with a big game to back up his claim that he belongs on the field. The stage was set. The lights were on. The Giants trailed by 7 in the 4th quarter and needed to drive down the field for a late comeback to tie the game. On third down with 7:49 left, Jones threw a dart right to a wide open Golladay who had room to run and pick up the first down.

So what happened? When his number was called, when it mattered most, Kenny Golladay dropped a big first down pass, killing the drive and giving the Cowboys the chance to pad on more points.

Unfortunately for Giants fans, this is what we paid for. This is who he is. A guy who capitalized on a contract year in Detroit coming off injuries who was never a legit number one threat and bent the Giants over the barrel to pay top dollar for below average production.

His future for the remainder of the season is uncertain but trade talks are reportedly well underway. The Giants should eat the contract and give a fresh start for Kenny and the team. With the loss of reliable Sterling Shepard, the Giants can’t force production from a guy that can’t produce.

Now more than ever the Giants and Daniel Jones need serious help at the wide receiver position. Perhaps the biggest gut punch in a night filled with them was the final offensive play from the Giants that brought a meaningless interception and possibly the end to the career of Sterling Shepard.

Shepard went down on a non-contact route and immediately began screaming in pain clutching his knee. The diagnosis is a torn ACL and given his previous injuries it doesn’t look good for his chances of being the player he was even after the first injury. It's a devastating blow to the locker room as Shepard is an unquestioned leader and one of the most well liked personalities on the team. How the Giants respond to his loss and to the outcome of Monday night will say everything about the team going forward.

Hopefully they will get the chance to respond with Leonard Williams on the field this week as his absence was immediately felt in the pass rush. The Giants got zero production in the pass-rush from linebackers Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux, both making their season and in Kayvon's case, NFL debut after injuries.

Despite the negatives that were hampering the team for the majority of the game, the Giants showed tremendous heart and toughness staying in this game to the very end. Hard to recall the last time the Giants had the ball and a chance to beat a good team on the final drive. Or at least it's certainly been a long time since you believed they could actually pull it off.

We’re getting there.

Game Ball goes to the home crowd of the New York Football Giants. To see a prime time game in Metlife filled with electricity and a white out from our fans was truly a welcomed sight. Giants fans have been hesitant and have resisted believing each new regime change is the time to buy in. But they know that this just feels different. The results have been different. Monday night was a culmination of all things coming together as the crowd stayed loud, proud and fought to the very end with their Giants.

When you're looking for clues of a culture change, check that one off the list.

Now we find out who is built for this. A loss like this can be the best thing possible for a young regime. I have every reason to believe the fans and the players will be equally rabid with foam at the mouth to take their frustration out on the incoming Chicago Bears this weekend.

One thing is for sure through nearly the first quarter of the season. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley will be leading the charge as always. The forever optimist in me will believe this is the week our weapons join them and defeat the injury report and finally prove themselves.

Onto week 4 we go. Can we bounce back? I had to watch the Monday Night game in front of a Cowboys fan who left my house, blasting “Shut Em Down" by Public Enemy from his Bluetooth boom box at midnight. If I want to drill anyone in a Bears shirt through a wall, I hope 53 Giants will do it for me. For the sake of the standings and because that doesn’t require bail money.

Go Giants!