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 where 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 more 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 how he rarely gets the ball in the first half, the rookie receiver saw more early action than usual — getting 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 just 32 net passing yards at the break. Still, Nabers did mildly factor into the Giants’ one first-half touchdown, with catches of two and nine yards to help them set up the big play of the drive — Drew Lock’s 28-yard scramble, which took them to the 1-yard line. Nabers finished with eight catches for 69 yards.
2. It's (still) not the quarterback
Well, it’s not only the quarterback. The Giants were forced to start Lock after Tommy DeVito was listed on the injury report, but not much changed. 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. This one was there for the taking
Even when things go the Giants way, they really don’t. The Giants had every opportunity to snatch this one from an uninspiring Cowboys team, but they once again showed they simply couldn’t finish when it counts. They got the ball back with at the first-half two-minute warning with three time outs left and as the second-half receiving team, and still got a whole lot of nothing out of it, going three-and-out in just 14 seconds. They opened the second half with a turnover, as Lock was sacked on the third play of the third quarter and fumbled. They suffered a tough break minutes later, when it looked like they had recovered a Cowboys fumble in their own end zone for a touchback, but the call was overturned when a review showed that Cooper Rush went down at the 2-yard line. The Cowboys scored on the next play to make it 20-10.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
