If the Giants can win their last three games and have a combination of teams ahead of them lose all of their games then they have a shot at making the playoffs. It all starts with this week versus the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers currently have the number one pick in the draft, however, they are still competing in every game they play. The game plan versus them is to contain the run and pass quickly versus their unique blitzing scheme.
Daniel Jones and the Giants got off to a strong start scoring 14 straight points. On their third possession, the Panthers with nothing to lose called a fake punt run and ran it in for a touchdown. This caught Coach Burn and the Giants completely off guard and on the next drive, the Panthers tied up the game. With the playoffs on the line, the Giants regrouped and were able to score two more touchdowns, while playing lights off defense for the rest of the game resulting in a 28-14 win.
Daniel Jones continued to wow the Giants front office and showed why they were right to re-sign him to a big contract. He threw for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns on only 11 completions. He was in sync with all of his receivers as 4 different players had touchdowns. The defense settled in and had a good day limiting the Panthers offense to only 14 points. This win was just one of three that was needed, however, it gave the Giants the life they needed to continue on.
After the Panthers game, the Giants needed to win a game against the Football team, a team who they had just beat who would be looking to destroy their playoff hopes. The Giants came into the game with the same game plan as before, to contain the run game and force Willis to beat them through the air.
This game went downhill fast for the Giants as Daniel Jones threw multiple interceptions in the first half and the Giants defense let Willis run over them for multiple touchdowns. Willis did a great job at extending plays with his feet and the Giants somehow forgot to run contains on their defense. The Giants found themselves down 31-14 late in the fourth quarter however, Coach Burn told his team not to give up. After scoring 7 to only be down 10, the Giants defense made a huge stop and with about 2 mins left gave their offense a chance. Jones was able to take the offense down the field, hitting Toney for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the game. With the Giants down only 3 they tried an onside kick but the Football Team was able to recover and win the game with a score of 31-28.
Daniel Jones decided to replay the days of old, forcing his team into a bad spot by throwing unnecessary interceptions. He did play better and almost win the game for them after the half, however he ended the game with 306 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions on 41 pass attempts. The running game for the Giants hasn’t been good of late and teams are keying in on Barkley and forcing the Giants to pass.
The defense which should have gameplanned and set contains on every play had a mental lapse and let Willis get out of the pocket on almost every play especially in the red zone. This resulted in Willis having a career day rushing for 4 touchdowns on 9 attempts. The defense did settle down and made a stop when they had to, however, this was a little too late.
This loss has officially kicked the Giants out of the playoffs. This was a disappointing loss for a team that was playing so well down the stretch. The Giants will play their final game against the Jacksonville Jaguars who will be playing hard as they still have something to fight for. Coach Burn said after the game that the Giants will be playing their starters in this final game.
