After the 30 minutes, the New York Giants were playing well against the DallasCowboys on Thursday and had a 13-7 lead at the break, but an NFL game is 60 minutes, and the second half was all Dallas.
The Cowboys scored on three straight possessions in the second half and dominated the Giants. Ultimately, they would defeat New York 28-20 at AT&T Stadium to sweep the season series.
New York(7-4) has now lost two straight and three out of their last four. The theme of the last two games is their inability to run the ball. Last Sunday, the Lions held Saquon Barkley to 22 yards on 15 carries, and it wasn’t much better on Thursday, as Barkley had only 39 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. If New York is not running the ball at a high level, more than likely, they will lose. The Giants have been held to under one hundred yards in their last three losses. Due to injuries and quarterback play, New York is not built to throw the ball a bunch of times. They need their running game, and that running game is just not getting it done right now.
“We’ve been missing some bigger plays that usually help in the run game,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said after the loss. “We just haven’t popped through there. The blocking, the running, the design, we have to do a better job all the way around with the run game. Coaching it, executing it.”
Barkley says it’s on him.
“When the running game is not working, it starts with the running back,” Barkley said. “I’ve got to be better.”
It all starts upfront, and the Giants are banged up on the offensive line. Three of the team’s five starters on the offensive line were out against the Cowboys.
The running game is on everybody; the coaches, offensive line, and running backs, but again it has to be better if New York hopes to finish the season strong. Barring a late-season collapse, the Giants still should make the playoffs. However, this is not the most talented team to begin with, so they have little margin of error.
They hope to regroup and be better against the Commanders next Sunday.
