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The Giants owe the home crowd so much more than this rotten display
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The Giants owe the home crowd so much more than this rotten display

One touchdown.

That’s what the Giants’ offense has delivered to fans at MetLife Stadium through three home games this season.

Unsurprisingly, the Giants have lost all three of those games, the last of which was Sunday night’s uninspiring 17-7 loss to the Bengals.

The good news is that one touchdown occurred in Sunday night’s game.

Brian Daboll looks on during the Giants’ loss to the Bengals on Oct. 13, 2024. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

The bad news is that it wasn’t nearly enough — even on a night when the defense played well against an explosive Cincinnati offense that averaged 35 points in the previous three games.

One touchdown in three home games.

“Really unacceptable,” Giants guard Jon Runyan Jr. said. “We’re not going to win any games on field goals.”

Well, the Giants couldn’t even do that on Sunday night, with replacement kicker Greg Joseph missing field goal attempts from 47 yards out (potentially tying the game at 10-10 in the fourth quarter) and then 45 yards out late in the game.

“I know the home crowd wants to see us win games and we need to score points at home,” said Runyan. “The (home) crowd was very good. We can feel the energy of those supporting us and it means a lot. We have to give them something to cheer about.”

The Giants gave the home fans little to cheer about this evening, and they did so on a day when their NFC East rivals were battling each other – Dallas and Washington lost and Philadelphia scraped by to beat Cleveland.

Daniel Jones is fired during the Giants’ loss to the Bengals on October 13, 2024. Robert Sabo for NY Post

A Giants win on Sunday night would have put them at 3-3 in the thick of the division race. Now at 2-4, they need to beat the Eagles at home next week to stay relevant.

This obviously requires a few touchdowns on home field.

“It’s hard to win games when you score seven points,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “That’s the reality of it. That starts with me.”

Daboll did everything he could to jump-start his sputtering offense.

He raised some eyebrows when, trailing 7-0, he opted to go for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 38-yard line during the Giants’ first offensive series of the second half.

The Giants were outplayed in the first half – largely due to their own blunders, including a terrible interception by Daniel Jones in the red zone and later a killer penalty from Andrew Thomas that canceled out a 56-yard Jones pass play to Darius Slayton deep . in Bengali territory.

Daboll had clearly seen enough of the stops and starts and decided it was time to shake things up. He wanted more. He needed more. He needed points.

“We had no points,” Daboll said.

The Giants failed on that fourth-and-2 from their own 38, essentially putting the ball within field goal range already, making the move look like a risk that backfired and could have cost the Giants the game.

Moments later, however, linebacker Bobby Okereke threw Daboll and the offense a lifeline, forcing a Zack Moss fumble that was recovered by Micah McFadden.

And because that’s how life works sometimes, on the Giants’ ensuing possession they were faced with a fourth-and-2 from their own 40 just a few minutes later.

Daboll was already all-in at that point and the cards were pushed to the center of the table. So he went for it again, and this time rookie running back Tyrone Tracy got the first down, took an option throw from Jones and gained 4 yards.

Six plays later it was fourth and one from the Cincinnati 35 and Daboll opted not to settle for a field goal and Tracy got five yards and a first down.

The gambling led to a one-yard Tracy touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with 5:48 left in the third quarter.

Wan’Dale Robinson reacts during the Giants’ loss to the Bengals on Oct. 13, 2024. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

That could all have to do with the Giants’ offense.

The only touchdown.

Daboll and Giants players said after the game that the game plan needed to be more aggressive. It worked for a short period of time, but wasn’t close enough.

Greg Joseph misses a field goal during the Giants’ loss to the Bengals on Oct. 13, 2024. Robert Sabo for NY Post

After the Bengals took a 10-7 lead on a 37-yard Ryan Rehkow field goal, Daboll was on fourth down again, this time for the fourth time, on fourth-and-1 from the Cincinnati 46.

This time, Jones, on a keeper, was given the yard to keep the drive alive.

But this time the drive stalled on a fourth-and-5 from the 28, with Daboll having no choice but to go for the points to tie the game.

At that point, Joseph missed his first of two attempts, hooking a 47-yard effort wide to the left.

Joseph would later miss a 45-yarder with 51 seconds left as the Giants desperately tried to cut the lead to 17-10.

Two missed field goals…and one touchdown.

“It sucks,” Runyan said. “We felt like we had built something over the last few weeks, and especially last week (a 29-20 win in Seattle). And to come here and not play at a level when we’re at home on Sunday Night Football… it’s really disappointing.”

The Giants owe their home fans more. Much more.