The New York Giants were already out of playoff contention entering Sunday’s matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams. But, they could still play spoiler versus them and knock them further out of a playoff spot.
They played hard. They did. New York generated 389 yards of total offense against Los Angeles, led by quarterback Tyrod Taylor and his 319 yards passing. Defensively, the Giants forced three turnovers including two interceptions off of Matthew Stafford. Most importantly, they had a chance to win the game on their last drive as they were able to get into field goal range.
THE RAMS SURVIVE
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) December 31, 2023
Mason Crosby misses the game winning FG
pic.twitter.com/O5afqCr5gG
If that doesn’t sum up the Giants’ season, I don’t know what will. Sure, they could have tried better plays to make the field goal closer. Instead, they relied on a 39-year-old kicker who was picked up off the market two weeks ago.
In the end, the Giants fall to 5-11 with a chance to possibly clinch the second overall pick in the 2024 draft if they lose to the Eagles next week (among other things too). Let’s break down some positives and negatives from this one.
Kyren Williams Had A Day, While Puka Nacua Continues To Shine
Funny enough, the Rams and Giants both ran for 105 yards on the ground. Yet, it was Los Angeles that did something with those yards. Williams scored three times on the ground while rushing for a total of 87 yards on 20 carries.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Puka Nacua continues to have a stellar rookie season as he led the team with 118 yards receiving on just five receptions. Big plays from the wideout out of BYU.
It doesn’t mean that Matthew Stafford had a perfect day against this Giants defense. New York was able to pick him off two times (more specifically, safety Dane Belton had those two interceptions). But, those two turnovers only led to just three points scored by the offense.
Tyrod Taylor Shows The Giants Need A Strong-Arm QB
Taylor isn’t going to be the long-term solution at quarterback. We all knew that from the start. But, his performance against the Rams just shows GM Joe Schoen needs to get a quarterback in this year’s draft.
The veteran completed 27 of his 41 passes for 319 yards, including hitting wide receiver Darius Slayton for an 80-yard touchdown.
Tyrod Taylor just threw the prettiest deep-ball TD of the season to Darius Slayton.pic.twitter.com/DT2CGadfzt
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 31, 2023
Looking at the play, even with the pocket collapsing and all, Taylor was still able to hit Slayton in stride for the score. If Daniel Jones or even Tommy Devito were in that situation, likely, they would not sit in the pocket for that long and have the guts to throw that ball. Yet, we have Taylor making a great play and finding his guy for the score.
That’s the thing with this Giants team. They have playmakers, whether it’s Slayton, Jalin Hyatt or even Wan’Dale Robinson. Saquon Barkley too, but let’s fix that offensive line first okay? The point is that the Giants have three competent receivers who can make big plays down the field when given the football. We have seen it with Slayton in two straight weeks now, and Robinson in the game against Green Bay.
In all, this Giants team needs a strong-arm quarterback who is willing to trust himself and throw the ball down the field. Whether it’s someone like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels, a young and talented signal-caller is needed in East Rutherford to get the ball to the weapons around him. Maybe a quarterback does cover some of the team’s flaws, as Taylor showed on Sunday.
Oh, And Get A Kicker.
No, seriously. I don’t even care if Graham Gano is healthy next season. Draft a kicker, please. Or, at least bring in some young competition because I am tired of this kicking carousel. I don’t want to see 39-year-olds getting signed off the market to be depended on in critical moments like this. It’s ridiculous. The Giants should have won this game. Instead, the only thing we can celebrate is getting better draft position.
Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter/X! Also, check out my podcast “Backup to the Backup” on Spotify and YouTube for more NFL content.
Featured Image: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
