Giants set franchise record with 10th straight loss

ATLANTA – It didn’t happen, but for a few moments it looked like things were going downhill.

If you didn’t know any better, you would have been right to think the Giants were trying to lose. I’m trying to look bad. Trying to…tank. That’s a terrible thing to insinuate about a team and the players on that team. Fans may claim defeat for draft picks, but players want to win. If they did indeed give it their all on Sunday, then the Giants must actually be as lame as their record says.

Never say that things can’t get worse, because it can and does. The Giants were defeated by the mediocre Falcons, 34-7, inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium to mark this Giants’ 100th year as the season they set a franchise record with their 10th straight loss.

The extent of this embarrassment cannot be measured by mere words. You had to feel and experience the total domination and abject weakness of an attack that gave up more points than it scored. Drew Lock, the quarterback charged with this mission, threw a touchdown pass and threw two Pick Six interceptions to give the Falcons 14 points. Lock also lost the ball on a fumble after a sack. After the Giants took a 7-0 lead, the Falcons scored the next 34 points. Lock finished 22 of 39 for 210 yards.

Looking ahead, the Giants have maintained their hold on the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a prize for whoever can make the evaluations and the call. The fate and job security of head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen must be uncertain, as there is no sense that the Giants are on the right track and this dead team walking is a look brutal for everyone involved.

Michael Penix Jr. made his NFL debut for the Falcons (8-7) and the rookie didn’t have to do any heavy lifting. He made some nice throws, looked like a rookie at times, threw an unfortunate interception that wasn’t his fault. Above all, Penix (18 of 27, 202 yards) brought juice and was not Kirk Cousins, the veteran who fell out of favor and was put on the bench.

For the Giants (2-13), it’s almost unimaginable that they have two games left as they seemed completely incapable of competing anymore.

At least the Giants can say they made history as 2024 comes to a merciful end for them. Never before has this franchise put a team on the field that has lost 10 consecutive games. The 1976 and 2019 teams had nine-game losing streaks, and the end of the 2003 season (eight straight losses) and the start of the 2004 season (opening day loss) ended in a nine-game skid . There is now an imperfect 10, with two games remaining to add to the streak.

Daniel Jones was the starting quarterback for the first five losses of this horrible streak. Tommy DeVito got the next one, Lock the next two, DeVito again for one more (with Tim Boyle as relief pitcher in the second half) and Lock got the most recent start. He ran everywhere, under fire too often, and coughed up the ball with alarming regularity. He now has three Pick Six interceptions in his three starts.

It all started so well for the Giants. After a three-and-out on their first series, they took a 7-0 lead on a 14-play drive punctuated by Lock’s nice roll to his left to find running back Tyrone Tracy deep in the end zone for a 2-yard score catch. Tracy jumped up and kept his feet in bounds, looking like the wide receiver he was early in his college career at Purdue.

The noisy building went quiet after that, but it didn’t take long for the Giants to become what they are again and the joint was blown soon enough. Penix hit Darnell Mooney 22 yards to spark a drive that ended in a field goal to make it 7-3. The Giants got the ball back, picked up a first down and moved into Falcons territory before disaster struck. Lock was late on his throw to Wan’Dale Robinson, who was running a curl route, allowing safety Jessie Bates to easily get in front of Robinson. It was a routine interception and it was off and running for Bates, running untouched 55 yards for a Pick Six to make it 10-7.

Lock later in the second quarter was sacked by Kaden Elliss, who severely beat right guard Greg Van Roten. Lock lost the ball on a fumble with 1:21 left before halftime and the Falcons took over at the Giants 31-yard line. They reached the Giants’ 7-yard line, but failed to increase their lead when Dane Belton separated tight end Kyle Pitts from the ball and Cor’Dale Flott threw an interception at the goal line.

Two plays into the second half, Lock saw his pass deflected by defensive lineman Zach Harrison as the right side of the offensive line – Evan Neal and Greg Van Roten – gave in and allowed way too much pressure. The ball was recovered in the air by outside linebacker Mattthew Judon, who returned it 26 yards for a second Pick Six on Lock to put the Giants up 24-7. Things got worse, as they usually do for the Giants.