Three takeaways from Giants' loss to Cowboys on Thanksgiving
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 28: Drew Lock #2 of the New York Giants runs the ball during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 28, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Sam Hodde
ARLINGTON, Texas — Yes, things got worse. Somehow.
The Giants (2-10) were manhandled by their NFC East rivals Thursday for their seventh loss in a row — a stretch in which they’ve used three different quarterbacks with absolutely no noticeable improvement. Here are three takeaways from their 27-20 loss to the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving.
1. Nabers involved early
Brian Daboll granted Malik Nabers’ wish, and it helped, but only a little.
Days after Nabers unsubtlely questioned Daboll’s play-calling and noted that he rarely gets the ball in the first half, the rookie receiver saw more early action than usual. He was targeted eight times, leading to five catches for 39 yards by halftime. There wasn’t much appreciable improvement in the Giants’ offense, though, as they managed only 32 net passing yards at the break.
Still, Nabers did mildly factor into the Giants’ one first-half touchdown, with catches of 2 and 9 yards to help them set up the big play of the drive — Drew Lock’s 28-yard scramble to the 1-yard line. Nabers finished with eight catches for 69 yards.
2. It’s (still) not the quarterback
Next week’s quarterback is anyone’s guess, but it doesn’t seem to matter much either way. The Giants were forced to start Lock after Tommy DeVito was listed on the injury report with a forearm issue, but not much changed.
Daboll wouldn’t commit to either Lock or DeVito for next week, but he did note that DeVito’s injury is unlikely to be a multi-week ailment.
Lock was 21-for-32 for 178 yards and an interception, plus the rushing touchdown.
The running game looked mostly stagnant against a Cowboys team that came into the day having allowed the second-most rushing yards per game in the league.
The offensive line didn’t help much, either, with Lock getting hit 14 times and sacked six times for 47 yards.
3. Losing Lawrence, too?
Dexter Lawrence looks really hurt, and that’s trouble. Lawrence wore a sling after the game and said he suffered a dislocated elbow in the third quarter.
The defensive lineman said he didn’t know if it is a season-ending injury, but it certainly didn’t sound good.
“I knew right away,” he said. “I looked at [the elbow] and I wonder if this was shock because I just got up and ran off the field . . . I’ve never had something like this before.”
If this is the end of his season, “I’ll be hurt,” he said, “because I love going out there and fighting with my guys each and every week. It brings me joy and I hate not being out there.”
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
