Giants rally late, then fumble in OT to lose to Carolina Panthers in Germany

MUNICH, Germany — The Giants crossed an ocean to show the world how large a gulf exists between them and NFL respectability.

By losing to the hapless Panthers, 20-17 in overtime, at Allianz Arena on Sunday, they could stake a claim as the worst team in the NFL — or at least as a serious contender for the first pick in the 2025 draft.

It was an embarrassing debacle in the second NFL regular-season game played in Munich and the Giants’ first in Germany.

The Giants seemed more stunned than angry, facing a long flight home and an even longer bye week sitting on a 2-8 record and a five-game losing streak.

The Panthers (3-7) have won two games in a row after becoming the first team to face the Giants as an underdog since Week 2 of last season.

“Obviously, we’re not where we want to be,” coach Brian Daboll said. “We’ll go back. We’ll have our bye week . . . We’ll practice a couple days next week and evaluate everything.”

Giants president John Mara already has announced that Daboll will not be fired during the season. Had Mara not done so, there would be plenty of speculation about the coach’s status in the coming week.

As for Daniel Jones, who knows? Daboll stuck with him after a first half that ended with the Giants scoreless and Jones with a passer rating of 24.1.

He improved in the second half as the Giants rallied for 10 fourth-quarter points, tying it on Graham Gano’s 42-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation time.

The Giants won the overtime coin toss, and it appeared that given their late momentum, they might escape Europe with a win.

But rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr., who rushed 18 times for 103 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown run, fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Former Giant A’Shawn Robinson forced the turnover and Josey Jewell recovered at the Giants’ 23-yard line.

That set up Eddy Pineiro’s 36-yard field goal to win it with 7:53 left in overtime.

Tracy was devastated, putting a towel over his head on the bench. “I just didn’t hold the ball correctly,” he said. “I was trying to make a move, so I got in a hole. Got to get the ball up. That’s on me. I’ve got to live with it.”

Asked about his emotions, he said, “It was hard. I put a lot into this game, blood, sweat and tears, the same way everybody says, but I play with passion . . . All of my emotions kind of came out of me at that moment.”

Said Robinson: “Coming from that team from last year, I had a little extra fire, and [told teammates] nothing would be better to end the game.”

Daboll was blunt about Tracy’s fumble. “The job is to make sure we maintain possession of the ball,” he said, adding, “We can’t turn the ball over in this league three times and expect a different outcome.”

Jones was intercepted twice, at the Carolina 22 with the Panthers leading 10-0 late in the second quarter and at the Carolina 9 with the Giants trailing 17-14 and 5:56 left in the fourth quarter. He finished 22-for-37 for 190 yards.

Chuba Hubbard rushed 28 times for 153 yards and a touchdown for Carolina.

As with all international games, the stands were a mishmash of replica jerseys for every team in the NFL. Fans sang along to songs during TV timeouts, creating a hybrid football / soccer atmosphere in the crowd of 70,132.

Carolina’s Bryce Young threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders with 7:48 left in the first quarter. Pineiro made it 10-0 with a 53-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

Gano, playing for the first time since Week 2, missed wide right on a 43-yard attempt. Things got worse after that.

Later in the quarter, the Giants tried a flea-flicker from Devin Singletary back to Jones on a third-and-1, but Jones was sacked, ending another drive.

Jones appeared to have Wan’Dale Robinson and/or Malik Nabers open on the play.

“When you look at it, you can see that we were open,” Nabers said, “but there’s many things that are going on in Daniel’s face that us receivers don’t see.”

Daboll said of the play: “I wish I had it back. Bad coaching.”

A 19-yard run by Tracy got the Giants to the Carolina 18 late in the first half, but after a 3-yard loss by Tracy, Jadeveon Clowney leaped to tip a pass by Jones and it landed in the hands of Carolina’s Xavier Woods.

Tracy’s touchdown run made it 10-7 midway through the third quarter, but the Panthers answered with Hubbard’s 1-yard TD run to make it 17-7 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

The Giants mounted a 13-play, 96-yard drive that ended with Jones running it in from the 2 with 8:33 left, and it was 17-14.

With 8:01 left, Hubbard fumbled and D.J. Davidson recovered at the Panthers’ 22. But on third-and-7, Jones threw to Tracy, who had the ball ripped out of his hands by Jewell for a crushing interception at the 9.

“Kind of fell into my lap there,” Jewell said.

Tracy credited Jewell with an excellent play. Jones said he “threw hot off the blitzer . . . Probably need to put the ball in front more.”

The Giants took over at their 21 with 2:23 left and no timeouts, and Jones moved the ball down the field to position Gano for a 42-yard field goal to tie it. Then disaster struck in overtime.

“Another loss, a losing season,” Nabers said. “It hurts.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.