Behind inept line, Giants offense reaches new level of hopelessness vs. Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 08: Da'Shawn Hand #93 of the Miami Dolphins hits Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants after throwing a pass during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
By Dan Duggan
Oct 9, 2023

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — All Giants coach Brian Daboll could say after yet another lopsided defeat was, “We got to do better.”

There’s no arguing that after the Giants dropped to 1-4 with a 31-16 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday that never felt close. The question is if this team is capable of better as currently constructed.

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The Giants offense has reached new levels of hopelessness. They’re averaging 12.4 points per game, which ranks 31st in the league. Setting aside their 31-point explosion in the second half of their comeback win against the Cardinals in Week 3, the Giants have scored 31 points in the other nine halves this season.

“I try to make sure I go let the defensive players know that as an offense we have to do more to help you guys out,” tight end Darren Waller said. “They forced three turnovers today. You have to convert; you have to play complementary football, and you have to turn those into more scoring opportunities — 24 (offensive) points in nine halves is just not acceptable.”

It sounds impossible, but the Giants’ defense didn’t play that poorly despite allowing 524 yards. Miami’s offense is just that explosive. The Dolphins entered Sunday averaging 511 yards per game and had erupted for 726 yards and 70 points in their last home game.

At least the Giants defense made plays with their first three takeaways of the season, including a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Jason Pinnock late in the second quarter. The defense couldn’t keep up with Miami’s speed, but the biggest problem was an impotent offense that had no chance of keeping pace.

“What we’re not gonna do is keep blaming the defense,” safety Xavier McKinney said in response to a question about Miami’s big plays. “We lost as a team, and it is what it is.”

As if things couldn’t get worse, the ineptitude of the offensive line finally resulted in an injury to quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones left early in the fourth quarter with a neck injury after taking a crushing blindside hit from linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel after backup left Josh Ezeudu completely whiffed on his block.

“Got hit pretty good,” Daboll said. “He’s been getting hit quite a bit.”

There was simply no way Jones’ body could hold up to the punishment he had absorbed this season. Jones, who missed the final six games of the 2021 season with a neck injury, has been sacked 28 times and taken countless other hits after he released the ball or on scrambles.

For all of the valid criticism of Jones’ play this season, he hasn’t been given much of a chance behind this offensive line. Left tackle Andrew Thomas suffered a hamstring injury on the first drive of the season opener and has missed the past four games.

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It would be difficult for any team to replace an injured All-Pro at such an important position. But it’s shocking how disastrous the replacement plan has been.

A 2022 third-round pick who mostly played guard in college, Ezeudu worked exclusively at guard this offseason. It was a major disappointment that he couldn’t win a starting job in a competition with Ben Bredeson and Mark Glowinski, who was so bad that he was benched after one game.

Somehow, the Giants decided Ezeudu was their best option as Thomas’ backup. Matt Peart ostensibly made the roster as the swing tackle, but he was so shaky in camp and during the preseason that the coaching staff recognized they couldn’t trust him to protect Jones’ blind side.

After a solid showing against the Cardinals, Ezeudu has been overwhelmed. Ezeudu, who was flagged for consecutive false starts and a hold on Sunday, was benched and replaced by Peart after allowing the sack that led to Jones’ injury.

Ezeudu’s performances have left him in tears at his locker after the past two games. It’s hard to imagine the Giants trusting him at left tackle again, so Peart will likely be the starter next Sunday at Buffalo unless Thomas, who wasn’t on the practice field at all last week, makes an incredible recovery.

“Those guys have worked their tails off at practice,” Daboll said of Ezeudu and Peart. “They have certain skill sets. They’ve got quick feet. They’ve got some length. But it takes everybody.”

Meanwhile, rookie center John Michael Schmitz was sidelined by a shoulder injury, which forced Bredeson to shift from left guard to center. Glowinski then was inserted at left guard, while right guard Marcus McKethan left with a knee injury in the second quarter. He was replaced by Jalen Mayfield, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday because another backup guard, Shane Lemieux, is out with a groin injury.

It’s such a calamity that it would almost make one laugh if the stakes weren’t so high. The Giants have had a horrendous offensive line for a decade, and the current group is probably the worst unit they’ve put on the field.

It’s a stunning weakness that has contributed to fired general managers and fired coaches. And so much losing. And now an injury to their $160 million quarterback.

Here are five more takeaways from the loss:

Not enough help

Jones completed 14-of-20 passes for 119 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He made a bad throw to Wan’Dale Robinson on third-and-6 at Miami’s 44-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but otherwise, it didn’t feel like there was much more he could have done.

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Jones’ playmakers certainly could have helped. Tight end Darren Waller slipped behind Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard with a double move in the second quarter, but he failed to haul in a potential 26-yard touchdown pass as the cornerback got his hand in for a pass breakup. Waller said he “absolutely” should have made the catch.

Waller also failed to come down with a well-placed deep ball from Jones along the sideline earlier in that drive, which finished in a field goal. Neither was an easy catch, but the Giants traded for Waller to make game-changing plays, and he hasn’t delivered.

The Giants did a better job giving Waller opportunities, as he had season-highs with eight catches for 86 yards. Waller frequently lined up wide, and he was far more productive than any of the Giants’ wide receivers.

Darius Slayton led that group with a modest 35 yards on two catches. He also didn’t go above and beyond to make a play, failing to get his feet inbounds on a deep pass from Jones early in the fourth quarter.

Sterling Shepard got more playing time as promised, and he delivered just one catch for 13 yards. The limitations in rookie Jalin Hyatt’s game have been revealed in an expanded role. Hyatt didn’t have a target Sunday, and he has been held without a catch in three of five games this season. He’s exclusively a deep threat at this stage, and this offense isn’t equipped to launch the ball downfield.

Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor looked just as hopeless behind the offensive line after replacing Jones for the final 12 minutes. Taylor was running for his life and nearly left the game after getting the wind knocked out of him when he landed on the ball at the end of a scramble. It’s hard to imagine Taylor surviving a full game behind this line if Jones misses time.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

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No ground game

The Giants tried to run the ball against a mediocre Dolphins defense but had no success. Rookie Eric Gray got the first carries of his career, but poor blocking limited him to 25 yards on 12 carries. Gray’s special teams ball security issues extended to offense, as he was fortunate Ezeudu recovered a third-quarter fumble. Matt Breida was equally ineffective, with 21 yards on nine carries.

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The Giants desperately need running back Saquon Barkley to return from the high-ankle sprain that has sidelined him for the past three games. It seems to be trending toward Barkley returning next week against the Bills.

No contest

The contrast between the offenses was startling. The Giants had to grind for every yard, while the Dolphins picked up chunks effortlessly. Miami totaled seven plays of 20-plus yards, including three of 60-plus yards.

De’Von Achane boasted the type of stat line that is typically reserved for star high school running backs. The rookie had 11 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 76-yard blur in the second quarter when linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Isaiah Simmons couldn’t get off blocks and McKinney took a poor angle. That’s all it took for Achane to go the distance to give Miami a 14-0 lead.

The Giants surrendered a 69-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill early in the third quarter. The circumstances on that play only happen to 1-4 teams.

The Giants’ No. 1 cornerback, Adoree’ Jackson, had been shadowing Hill throughout the game. But Jackson noticed that his chinstrap was ripped exiting the locker room at halftime, so he was getting that fixed as the Dolphins were on the field for the first drive of the third quarter.

By the time Jackson’s chinstrap was repaired, it was third down and rookie Tre Hawkins, who had been benched for the past two games, came running onto the field in the Giants’ dime defense. Hawkins looked confused from the moment he touched the field, needing to sprint across the formation to line up with Hill before the ball was snapped. Hawkins missed his jam at the line, which was all Hill needed to blaze past the rookie for the easy 69-yard score.

“I put that one on me,” Jackson said. “I shouldn’t have had him out there.”

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Hill finished with eight catches for 181 yards and a touchdown, so it didn’t really matter who was covering him.

Finally some takeaways

The one redeeming aspect of the defense’s performance was the three turnovers it forced. Linebacker Bobby Okereke, who flew around the field for a team-high 10 tackles, was in the middle of a pair of interceptions.

Okereke jumped a curl route to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle at the goal line late in the second quarter. Okereke wasn’t able to hold onto Tua Tagovailoa’s forced pass, but the deflection went to Pinnock, who raced 102 yards for a touchdown. It was the Giants’ first touchdown in the first half this season.

Okereke was in the right spot to collect the fourth interception of his career on an errant pass from Tagovailoa in the third quarter. Okereke returned the interception 7 yards to the Miami 23, but the offense could only muster a field goal to pull within 24-13.

McKinney stripped Achane, and Thibodeaux recovered early in the second quarter for the Giants’ first takeaway of the season. The Giants hadn’t forced a turnover in six  games, including playoffs, dating back to Week 18 of last season.

Tagovailoa finished 22-of-30 for 308 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It’s scary to consider what the outcome would have been if he hadn’t thrown the two careless interceptions.

Injury update

Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari said he felt his ankle got caught in the grass late in the first half and twisted. He felt “a little pop,” and he expects an MRI on Monday to reveal a sprain. Ojulari played the first two snaps of the second half, but he felt he didn’t have the stability to plant, so he was removed from the game.

“I don’t know what to say,” Ojulari said of suffering yet another injury.

Cornerback Deonte Banks’ left ankle was rolled into on the second-to-last play of the game. Banks was hopeful the injury was minor.

(Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)

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Dan Duggan

Dan Duggan is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the New York Giants. He previously covered the Giants for two years for The Star-Ledger. He has also worked for the Boston Herald. Follow Dan on Twitter @DDuggan21