The Giants set a franchise record with their tenth consecutive loss

ATLANTA – It didn’t happen, but for a while it looked like things were actually going downhill.

If you didn’t know better, you would have correctly thought the Giants were trying to lose.

I’m trying to look bad. I’m trying to…refuel. This is a terrible insinuation towards a team and the players who are part of that team.

Fans can demand defeat when it comes to draft picks, but players want to win.

If they actually played their best on Sunday, then the Giants must actually be as lame as their record claims.

Never say that it can’t get worse, because it can, and it does.

The Giants were beaten 34-7 by the mediocre Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, marking their 100th year for the Giants as the season in which they tied a franchise record with their 10th straight loss.

“What do I think about this?” said rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers. “Disappointed.”

The extent of this embarrassment cannot be measured by mere words.

It had to be felt and experienced, the total dominance and the abject weakness of an offense that gave up more points than it scored.

Drew Lock, this week’s quarterback, threw a touchdown pass and threw two pick-six interceptions to give the Falcons 14 points.

Lock also lost the ball with a fumble after a sack.

After the Giants took a 7-0 lead, the Falcons scored the next 34 points.

“Wasn’t good enough and that’s my fault,” head coach Brian Daboll said.

There were nine “not good enough” or “leave it on me” refrains from Daboll, and it remains to be seen how much the Giants brass takes all of these mea culpa moments to heart.

Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are at the helm of a team that is 2-13 and faces a real chance that the Giants end their third season with a 12-game losing streak.

Looking forward, this loss, combined with the Raiders’ victory over the Jaguars, means that for now the Giants are the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a prize for whoever gets to make the evaluations and the decision.

The fate and job security of Daboll and Schoen must be in limbo because there is no sense that the Giants are on the right track, and the fact that the team is dead looks brutal for everyone involved.

After last week’s 35-14 loss to the Ravens, receiver Darius Slayton said he still believes in Schoen and Daboll. He was no longer interested in saying supportive words after this conversation.

“Um, right now I’m just playing,” Slayton said. “I can’t really control what happens to it.”

Never before has this franchise put a team on the field that has lost 10 games in a row.

The 1976 and 2019 teams struggled through nine-game losing streaks, and the end of the 2003 season (eight straight losses) and the start of the 2004 season (opening day loss) added up to a nine-game losing streak.

“Obviously that’s not a record you want to break,” Slayton said. “All we can do is try not to increase it further in the future.”

Michael Penix Jr. made his NFL starting debut for the Falcons (8-7) and the rookie didn’t have to do any heavy lifting.

He made some nice throws, looked like a rookie at times, and threw an unfortunate interception that wasn’t his fault.

Most of the time, Penix (18 of 27, 202 yards) provided some juice and wasn’t Kirk Cousins, the veteran who fell out of favor and was benched.

In contrast, Lock proves he is not the answer. He had three pick-six interceptions in his three starts.

“When you give up 14 points on offense, it’s hard to win a game,” Daboll said.

It all started so decently for the Giants.

After a three-and-out on their first series, they took a 7-0 lead on a 14-play drive, punctuated by Lock’s deft throw left to running back Tyrone Tracy in the back of the end zone to make it 2-0 find. Yard scoring catch.

The Giants were up 7-3 when disaster struck. Lock was late on his throw to Wan’Dale Robinson, making it easy for safety Jessie Bates to step in front of Robinson.

It was a routine interception and Bates took off, running untouched 55 yards to make it 10-7.

At halftime it was 17-7 and soon the Giants were out of action. Two plays into the second half, Lock’s pass was deflected by defensive lineman Zach Harrison as the right side of the offensive line – Evan Neal and Greg Van Roten – gave way and allowed way too much pressure.

The ball was plucked out of the air by outside linebacker Mattthew Judon, who returned it 26 yards to Lock for a second pick-six, putting the Giants on the clock. Things got worse, as they usually do with the Giants.

“It would put a strain on everyone,” said Nabers about the many defeats.

How does he deal with it?

“Like a man,” said the 21-year-old, “that’s how I should deal with it.” “I can’t take it any other way.”