Giants takeaways from Monday's 20-17 loss to Chiefs, including costly late penalties

When Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham studied the Kansas City Chiefs, he decided his game plan would be “trying to minimize the game-wreckers.”

Well, they did. And they very nearly wrecked the Chiefs’ entire game.

The Giants’ defense was outstanding for a second consecutive week, this time against a struggling, but still dangerous opponent. They frustrated Patrick Mahomes, held tight end Travis Kelce to just four catches for 27 yards and a fumble, and limited speedy receiver Tyreek Hill to just 94 yards on his 12 catches. They also forced two turnovers and nearly had a third (more on that in a moment).

But it wasn’t enough because the Giants’ banged-up offense continued to struggle and couldn’t take advantage of the many opportunities it got. So instead of an impressive win, the Giants were left with a heck of an effort, but a 20-17 loss.

A win, by the way, would’ve left the Giants just one game out of the final wild card spot in the NFC with 10 games remaining. Instead, they are picking up the pieces again at 2-6.

The offensive problems were the Giants’ biggest issue, but the killer mistake was a self-inflicted wound by the defense. Late in the fourth quarter with the game tied, they got a huge interception from cornerback Darnay Holmes that would’ve set the Giants up around the Chiefs’ 30.

But on that play, linebacker Oshane XImines had his most impactful play of the season – an offsides penalty that nullified the pick. The Chiefs picked up the first down on the next play and were on their way to a game-winning, 24-yard field goal with 1:07 left in the game.

The Giants did have one more chance, but that went exactly as you’d expect.

It’s too bad, too, because had the Giants’ offense been able to do anything, it would never have come down to that. But the offense continues to struggle without most of its playmakers. Daniel Jones was 22 of 32 for just 222 yards and the Giants offense only had 300 yards total. They also played their part in a penalty fest. The Giants had 10 penalties in all for 88 yards.

The defense tried to help everyone out, though, with those two huge turnovers. One was an end zone interception on the game-opening drive. The other came in the third quarter when safety Logan Ryan punched the ball away from Kelce and cornerback James Bradberry recovered. Daniel Jones took advantage and led the Giants down the field for a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Engram that gave the Giants the lead.

But after the Chiefs tied the game and the Giants got the ball back, the offense reverted back to its anemic ways.

In the end, it was just a wasted effort where the Chiefs’ “game-wreckers” were hardly that. The Giants doubled Kelce and Hill as much as they could. And Kelce often found himself shadowed by a cornerback, either Bradberry or Adoree’ Jackson. Hill was never allowed to get deep. It was a brilliant strategy and a well-implemented one by the embattled Graham.

And it almost worked. But it didn’t. It probably should have, but that doesn’t matter now.

Here are some more takeaways from the Giants’ disappointing loss …

• How many more hits can this battered offense take? The Giants were already without running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and receiver Kenny Golladay (knee). Then in this game they lost WR Dante Pettis, who was also serving as their punt returner, with a shoulder injury. Then receiver Sterling Shepard, who had missed three of the last four games with a hamstring injury, left with a quad injury. And then rookie Kadarius Toney, who had been battling an ankle injury, left with a thumb injury in the fourth quarter. Toney did return and had four catches for 26 yards. Still, the amount of weapons they are missing is absolutely absurd.

• The two Giants mentioned most often as possible trade bait before the deadline on Tuesday at 4 p.m. certainly didn’t do a whole lot in their theoretical showcase game. Engram had just three catches for 15 yards, though one was a touchdown, and receiver Darius Slayton had no catches and was only targeted twice. One was a bad drop.

• Late in the fourth quarter, right after the nullified Holmes interception, LB Tae Crowder got called for a 15-yard facemask on Kelce. But – and this seems important – he never actually touched Kelce’s facemask. A replay showed he grabbed the ball and turned Kelce, who turned his head as if his facemask was being twisted. A brutal botched call.

• The Giants got a gift on the opening drive when the Chiefs got too cute with their offense and Mahomes ended up getting picked off by safety Julian Love on a deflected pass in the end zone. That should’ve been good for momentum. But on the Giants’ first pass, Jones just stared down receiver Slayton to his left and never saw Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay. It was an easy pick and set up an easy first touchdown for the Chiefs. Jones hasn’t had one that bad in a while.

• The Chiefs offense doesn’t look a lot like its old self these days, but their ground game was a bit unexpected. Their second touchdown drive was an 11 play, 68-yard march that featured seven runs for 41 yards. They rode Derrick Gore, a third-year pro who had two career games and zero career carries before Monday night. The Giants defense couldn’t touch him. He looked like Frank Gore in his prime and finished with 11 carries for 48 yards.

• Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is at his best when he’s a little bold and keeps his playbook wide open. He doesn’t do it enough, though in fairness to him he may not have the players to do it right now. Regardless, case in point was the Giants’ touchdown drive. On 3^rd and 11 he calls for a bomb from Jones to John Ross, who makes a nice catch on an underthrown ball for 50 yards. Next play: An option pass from Toney to Shepard for 19 yards. The Giants ended up scoring on a gutsy, fourth-and-goal play-action pass from the 1.
  

• The Giants offensive line was a bit shaky at times, but Jones did a real good job of minimizing the damage. It’s not an ideal way to run the offense, but he did a nice job of checking down and getting the ball out so he could stay out of trouble. Sometimes it worked wonders, like late in the first half when he dumped off to running back Devontae Booker who turned it into a 41-yard play.

• Booker, in what might be his last start before Barkley returns, had by far his finest game as a Giant. He ran for 60 yards on 15 carries and caught five passes for 65 yards. If he had been able to do more of that early in the season the Giants’ offense would’ve looked a heck of a lot better.

• There were some real questionable decisions near the end of the first half for the Giants. First, on a 3^rd and 4 from the Kansas City 7, they got real conservative. They ran a pointless play where Shepard ran a two-yard out route at the sidelines. He caught the pass, but left the Giants with a 4^th and 2. It’s almost impossible to believe that’s what Garrett called, so maybe Shepard ran the wrong route? Regardless, after that failure, they settled for a field goal. They had a chance to tie the game but instead went into the half down 14-10.

• The Giants' offensive problems (non-injury related) in a nutshell: A pass interference penalty by the Chiefs got them to the Kansas City 37 with 21 seconds to go in the first half – plenty of time to set up a Graham Gano field goal, right? The Giants' next two plays, though, were a false start by guard Will Hernandez and a holding penalty by right tackle Nate Solder, and just like that they were back on their own side of the field.

• On a key drive midway through the fourth quarter, Jones hit a big, 16-yard pass play to fullback Eli Penny on a third down – and then Penny gave it all back with a real stupid taunting penalty at the end. He got up, pointed for the first down, and then clearly said something to the defender. No, he didn’t do much and yes it was a weak call, but it’s also a point of emphasis this season and refs are calling it. He’s got to be smarter. As Joe Judge appeared to say to him afterwards, “Play the game.”