A Horrible Loss for the Giants, however Not the Worst Ever

The Giants received the kickoff at house on Sunday night time and superior to the Dallas Cowboys’ 8-yard line in 9 performs. What a begin to the season!

What a begin certainly. Graham Gano’s discipline aim attempt was blocked and returned for a landing by the Cowboys’ Noah Igbinoghene. The reversal appeared one way or the other to bless Dallas and curse the Giants. After 60 minutes, the Giants had scored 0 factors, and the visiting Cowboys had scored 40.

“We got beat all the way around, from coaching to playing,” Giants Coach Brian Daboll mentioned. “Don’t sugarcoat it, it was a bad game,” he added, displaying a eager skill to learn a scoreboard.

Daniel Jones handed for less than 104 yards for the Giants, had two interceptions and two fumbles (each had been recovered) and was sacked seven instances. Saquon Barkley might do little to assist: He managed solely 51 yards on 12 carries.

Dallas took a 26-0 halftime lead with out even placing collectively a protracted landing drive, as an alternative scoring on the blocked discipline aim return, a discipline aim, an interception return, one other discipline aim and a 38-yard drive following one other choose. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had solely 143 yards passing. He didn’t want any extra and will have received the sport with far much less.

It was the fifth lowest passing complete for a group successful by 40 or extra factors. (In 2005, the Seattle Seahawks protection overwhelmed the Philadelphia Eagles by 42-0, whereas Matt Hasselbeck handed for 98 yards for the winners.)

Coming off a 9-7-1 playoff season, the Giants weren’t essentially anticipated to win the N.F.C. East. But in addition they weren’t anticipated to be flat-out unhealthy. And they had been on Sunday night time.

“This wasn’t our best game, there’s no doubt about it,” Jones mentioned. On the plus aspect, it additionally was not their worst.

As terrible because it appeared, the sport was not largest shutout loss for the Giants. That was a 45-0 shellacking in 1948 in opposition to the Eagles. “The New York Football Giants had little going for them today,” The Times sports activities part helpfully identified the subsequent morning.

But amongst video games in Week 1, when hopes are typically excessive even for essentially the most pessimistic fan bases, it was the worst for the Giants and fifth worst general.

If there’s a signal of hope for the Giants, and their followers may want an electron microscope to identify one right now, it is likely to be present in historical past. Two of the 4 groups with worse opening week shutout losses ended up having good seasons.

Bad can nonetheless portend unhealthy, after all: The 1954 Baltimore Colts, who misplaced to the Los Angeles Rams of their first recreation by 48-0, ended up 3-9, and the 1999 Cleveland Browns, who misplaced by 43-0 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, completed 2-14.

But the 1989 Steelers rebounded from a 51-0 loss to the Browns to complete 9-7, and in 1991 Detroit misplaced by 45-0 to Washington however completed 12-4. Both these groups received a playoff recreation as nicely. (The Lions haven’t received one since.)

As unhealthy as Sunday was, it was removed from the worst shutout loss in N.F.L. common season historical past That got here in 1934 when a group known as the Cincinnati Reds misplaced to the Eagles, 64-0.

The Reds had been kicked out of the league after that recreation and by no means performed once more. Say what you need concerning the Giants’ effort on Sunday night time, however they are going to line up in Arizona to face the Cardinals subsequent Sunday.

Right?