After week 2’s disappointing performance against the Washington Football Team, the New York Giants were looking to get back to their winning ways versus the Atlanta Falcons. The Giants game plan for this game was simple: pass the ball. Coach Burn felt that his team would be able to pass the ball quickly and effectively against the Falcons secondary and planned accordingly.
The game started off with a bang as both offenses put up points quickly. Matt Ryan was able to use his receivers to get the ball downfield with a combination of short and deep passes. The Falcons used the tandem of Davis and Patterson to catch the Giants defense off guard as they were not expecting them to run the football the way they did. Both teams went back and forth scoring points until the fourth quarter where the Falcons were able to pull away with the game after Daniel Jones threw his 4th interception of the day when the Giants were driving down the field. After the interception, Davis broke off a big run for a touchdown and that was all she wrote.
Like week 2, Jones played carelessly with the football, throwing whenever he saw fit. Jones tried to fit throws into tight spots, as well as areas that clearly were not open. He threw four interceptions on the day to go along with his 446 yards and 3 touchdown passes. He also lost a fumble early in the game, making his total turnovers on the day five. The Giants offense passed the ball a lot, as Barkley only carried the ball for 9 attempts. He made the most of those 9 attempts, rushing for 53 yards. Going forward, the smarter game plan would be to give your superstar running the ball. Golladay, Toney, Engram all had touchdowns on the day, showing that they can all be called upon when they are needed.
The defense was shredded by the unlikeliest of opponents. Before the game, coach Burn was excited about his defensive game plan, however, after the game he could only respond with one word, “Pitiful.” The defense let up a total of over 500 yards, however, there were some bright spots. Jackson and Bradberry both had interceptions, however, those turnovers weren’t enough to win the game. The run defense was gashed all game, which ultimately was their downfall.
The Giants now sit at 1-2 for the season with a lot to think about going forward. Questions like how did we get here after a promising first game, how can we fix our defense, and how can we fix Daniel Jones turnovers have been asked. All of these questions are great questions which coach Burn didn’t have an answer for. Things don’t get any easier for the Giants going forward as next week they will face the high flying New Orleans Saints.
