It’s fitting that on a day when families across the country gather to eat turkey, the New York Giants are on the Dallas Cowboys’ menu. The 2024 season has rolled over into 2021 for this team. They may be injured, but even last week and for most of today it seemed as if the season was inevitably heading towards a disastrous end that could have implications for the future of the coaching staff and front office as well as many of the players. Still, after trailing 27-10 early in the fourth quarter, they came back to tie the game, lost only 27-20, and came within two minutes of a narrowly failed defensive stop on third-and-1 third places have a chance of a draw or a win. What did we learn from the Giants’ 27-20 loss to the Cowboys?

Chris Hubbard and Evan Neal can’t block Micah Parsons, Chauncey Golston and Carl Lawson

It’s not an embarrassment. Offensive tackles across the league have struggled with Micah Parsons since he entered the league, and Golston and Lawson are no slouch either. The Giants thought they had solved their offensive tackle problem when they signed Jermaine Eluemunor this offseason. But then Andrew Thomas suffered another injury in his unpleasantly injury-plagued professional career, and Eluemunor was eliminated last week against Tampa Bay. That left Even Neal and Chris Hubbard on their own, as Tire Phillips was recently added to the training squad following his own injury rehab.

You knew it wouldn’t end well, and it didn’t. Parsons in particular wreaked havoc, but earlier in the week Drew Lock fled the pressure all night. Lock didn’t look any better than Tommy DeVito last week – what was all the fuss about who was No. 2 and who was No. 3? But both QBs could reasonably complain about a lack of support up front. Lock was sacked six times and pressured at least three times as many times. He’s not the answer, and he took a beating, but I commend him for hanging in there and leading a late drive that almost gave the Giants a chance to tie the game at the end.

The inside run defense is non-existent

I mean, I could design an offensive game plan against the Giants defense. Just run it anywhere, but especially in the middle. Rico Dowdle, who hadn’t rushed for 100 yards all season, managed 112 yards tonight, an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

However, there were extenuating circumstances. I thought Rakeem Nunez-Roches came to play, but he left with a neck injury. Dexter Lawrence left with an elbow injury and DJ Davidson with a shoulder injury. In the end, Elijah Chatman and Jordon Riley were in charge of the interior, and Joe Schoen roamed the stands looking for volunteers to dress and activate.

(Maybe) the children are fine

Tae Banks was unable to play tonight due to a rib injury he sustained in the game against Tampa Bay. This forced Cor’Dale Flott and Adoree’ Jackson to play at CB1 and CB2 on almost every snap. Flott, who in my eyes is still considered a kid since he’s on a rookie contract, only missed balls on three of the seven throws that came his way and broke up two passes. He did give up a big play for 36 yards, but he competes. Unlike Banks, who watches his man catch the ball, Flott plays the ball and tries to raise his hand to interfere with him at the catch point.

Malik Nabers was reduced to just a possession receiver rather than a downfield threat in an offense that was almost quarterbackless, but despite another loss, he had eight catches on 13 targets and helped the Giants move the chains. Meanwhile, Theo Johnson, no stranger to dropping early in his career, caught all five balls that came his way. Tyler Nubin had seven tackles and five assists and allowed just one reception for 3 yards. Tyrone Tracy had just 32 yards on nine carries, but he scored a touchdown, didn’t fumble after fumbling three times in the last two games and made several nice moves to gain yards after initial contact (24 of his 32 yards they were). after initial contact).