EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Brian Daboll loves to talk about playing complementary football. What his New York Giants did on Sunday was the polar opposite.
Mistakes on offense, defense and special teams doomed the Giants in a 34-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers that was not as close as the score indicated and was played in front of a crowd that sounded as if the game was being played in the Bay Area instead of the Meadowlands.
“I’ve never played in a home game that was lopsided in that department," rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart said. "But they have a big fan base.”
Theo Johnson and Wan'Dale Robinson dropped passes thrown right at them by Dart. Christian McCaffrey was left wide open for one of the easiest touchdowns of his career, and he and Brian Robinson Jr. carved through would-be tacklers all afternoon.
If that wasn't enough, Graham Gano was wide left on a field goal attempt in the final minute of the first half, and Zaire Barnes ran into returner Gunner Olszewski on a punt in the third quarter.
“We have to keep believing that we will win," Dart said. "It’s not fun to lose. We missed out on certain phases of playing complementary football. You have to win at least two of those areas, and we didn’t.”
It added up to New York's third consecutive loss to drop to 2-7 this season, with the NFL trade deadline looming Tuesday. And it came after a plane flew over the stadium that read, “Mr. Mara enough is enough — clean house," with frustration boiling within the fan base. Another wished owner John Mara well in his fight against cancer.
“Look,” Daboll said, "we’re not where we need to be.”
Adding injury to insult, starting center John Michael Schmitz, inside linebacker Darius Muasau and rookie receiver Beaux Collins all left the game. The Giants were already without their top two cornerbacks, Paulson Adebo and Cor'Dale Flott, and starting free safety Jevon Holland, and that's without mentioning the season-ending injuries to Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo.
Dart and the energy he has brought is the biggest reason for long-term optimism, and he showed flashes against San Francisco. He was 3 of 4 with a TD pass to Theo Johnson on the opening drive, and that was the high point.
The Niners scored on their first possession and rolled from there. The Giants have allowed at least 33 points in each of their past three games on this skid.
“Nothing was good enough,” said Daboll, who defended his decision to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line and causing home fans to boo. “We have to keep working on our tackling. whether it's finishing tackles or finishing catches, we have to do better.”
Dart and Daboll have worked closely together since the Giants traded back into the first round to draft the Mississippi product as their future at football's most important position. Asked about pressure for a coaching change, Dart deferred.
“I can only control what I can control,” he said. "As a team, we should be thinking the same way.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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