FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In what feels like a lifetime ago, the Giants were winning legendary Super Bowls against the Patriots. This once proud franchise has since lost its way. It’s been left bruised and beaten, throwing head coaches and general managers overboard like a rudderless ship stuck in the abyss of the ocean.
The blueprint that the Giants hope to emulate one day was on display Monday night at Gillette Stadium. But there’s no telling when that day will come.
New England continued one of the fastest turnarounds in NFL history by whipping around New York, 33-15, for its league-leading 11th win after going 4-13 last season.
And the 2-11 Giants? It’s crystal clear that ownership’s half measure from three weeks ago, when it fired the head coach but retained the general manager, simply will not do.
Interim replacements at head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator have made no difference. This is an abysmal roster, one which blew fourth-quarter leads against the Packers and Lions before the bottom fell out against the Patriots. It was the team’s seventh straight loss and franchise-record 13th straight road loss dating back to last season.
Here’s a recap of what transpired in the first half alone, when the Giants allowed 30 points for the first time in 16 years:
Outside linebacker Abdul Carter, the No. 3 pick in the draft, was benched for the first quarter after violating team rules for the second time.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart, who just returned from a concussion after missing two games, recklessly ran down the sideline and failed to get out of bounds before taking a vicious hit.
Kicker Younghoo Koo slipped on a field-goal attempt, resulting in a sack.
And just to name a few other debacles: The Giants’ special teams allowed a 94-yard kickoff return, tight end Theo Johnson dropped a touchdown, cornerback Paulson Adebo blew the coverage on a 33-yard touchdown pass, and wide receiver Gunner Olszewski fumbled a kickoff.
It was a circus act that few teams are capable of performing like the Giants, who now have a pathetic 20-43-1 record in four seasons under Schoen’s leadership.
While the Patriots came into the game with nine straight wins, they lost their starting left tackle and left guard to injuries last week, and they narrowly beat nonplayoff teams like the Falcons and the Bengals in recent weeks, particularly because of struggles in the red zone.
The Giants were seemingly catching the Patriots at the perfect time. It was a prime opportunity to end their losing streak with Dart back in the lineup, to remind the world in primetime that the NFL is all about parity.
But the Giants have been disappointing their fans for nearly all of the past decade, and Monday was no exception.
So it begs the question as the Giants enter their bye week: What leg does GM Joe Schoen have to stand on?
The last chance at a signature win this season has vanished as the Giants will end their schedule with four mediocre-to-bad opponents.
Ownership operated with the premise that head coach Brian Daboll was to blame for wasting Schoen’s roster. John Mara deemed it to be “a good young nucleus of talent.” But it’s regressing — not getting better — with Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen no longer employed.
No matter what happens in the final month of the season, Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch must undergo extensive soul-searching. They have no choice but start over again with yet another regime and hope their franchise can finally emerge from the darkness.
Maybe one day the Giants can resume their once epic rivalry with the Patriots.
