EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Notes and statistics from the Giants' 27-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in MetLife Stadium:
*The Giants lost their third consecutive game and fell to 2-5, including 1-3 at home.
*The Giants totaled 265 yards, their third consecutive game with less than 300. Before the current streak, they had no less than 370 yards in six straight games, dating back to last season.
*The Giants ran for 107 yards, almost matching their total from the previous two games combined (116 total vs. Minnesota and New England).
*The Giants finished with 156 net passing yards, the third consecutive game they fell short of 165 yards through the air.
*Daniel Jones was sacked eight times – four by Chandler Jones – the most sacks allowed by the Giants since Oct. 12, 2014, when Eli Manning (six) and Ryan Nassib (two) were sacked eight times in Philadelphia. This was the first game in which a single Giants quarterback absorbed eight sacks since Manning was dropped eight times at Dallas on Dec. 14, 2008.
*Arizona totaled 245 yards, the second-lowest total by a Giants opponent this season; Washington gained 176 yards on Sept. 29.
*The Cardinals' 89 net passing yards were the fewest allowed by the Giants since Dec. 16, 2018, when the Tennessee threw for 86 yards in a 17-0 victory in MetLife.
*Arizona's 156 rushing yards was second among Giants opponents this season to Minnesota's 211.
*The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead on the game's first series when running back Chase Edmonds scored the first of his three touchdown runs on a 20-yard run. Arizona joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams to score opening-possession touchdowns against the Giants this season. The Cards were just the fourth team to do it in Pat Shurmur's two seasons as coach. The Giants are 1-3 in those games.
*The Giants committed a turnover on their first possession when Jones' third-down pass for Golden Tate was intercepted by linebacker Jordan Hicks, the Cardinals' first pick of the season. Hicks returned the ball 14 yards to the Giants' 32-yard line. It was the Giants' first turnover on their opening offensive drive since Dec. 30, 2018, when Manning's pass to the end zone for Sterling Shepard was intercepted by Dallas' Chidobe Awuzie. The Cowboys punted on their ensuing possession.
*Edmonds ripped off his second 20-yard touchdown run on the third play after Hicks' interception to give Arizona a 14-0 lead. The Cardinals were the first Giants opponent to reach the end zone on each of their first two possessions since…the Bucs last month, when Jameis Winston threw touchdown passes of 36 and three yards to Mike Evans.
*The Cardinals led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. It was the first time the Giants trailed by that score after one period since Sept. 8, 2014 at Detroit.
*The Giants later fell behind 17-0, the first time they trailed by that score since their loss to Tennessee last season.
*The starting quarterbacks, Kyler Murray of Arizona and Jones, were the first and sixth players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. This was the first matchup of rookie starting quarterbacks in the NFL this season.
*This was the first game in which the first two quarterbacks chosen in their draft squared off since Sept. 13, 2015, when Winston (No. 1) played against Tennessee's Marcus Mariota (No. 2).
*In addition, it was just the ninth game since the 1970 merger in which rookie quarterbacks selected among the first 10 choices in the draft will started against each other:
ROOKIE QBS EACH SELECTED IN TOP 10 STARTING AGAINST EACH OTHER SINCE 1970
| Date | Higher Drafted QB | Lower Drafted QB |
|---|---|---|
| 11/07/1971 | New England’s Jim Plunkett (No. 1) | Houston’s Dan Pastorini (No. 3) |
| 09/19/1993 | New England’s Drew Bledsoe (No. 1) | Seattle’s Rick Mirer (No. 2)+ |
| 10/04/1998 | Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning (No. 1) | San Diego’s Ryan Leaf (No. 2)+ |
| 10/10/1999 | Cleveland’s Tim Couch (No. 1) | Cincinnati’s Akili Smith (No. 3) |
| 09/25/2011 | Carolina’s Cam Newton (No. 1) | Jacksonville’s Blaine Gabbert (No. 10) |
| 11/04/2012 | Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck (No. 1) | Miami’s Ryan Tannehill (No. 8) |
| 09/13/2015 | Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston (No. 1) | Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota (No. 2)+ |
| 12/09/2018 | Jets’ Sam Darnold (No. 3) | Buffalo’s Josh Allen (No. 7) |
| 10/20/2019 | Arizona’s Kyler Murray (No. 1) | Giants’ Daniel Jones (No. 6)+ |
+Matchup of the first two quarterbacks selected in that year's draft.
*The higher draft choice is now 6-3 in those games, while the quarterback playing at home is 4-5.
*Jones completed 22 of 35 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a passer rating of 78.6. He also fumbled three times, losing two. Murray hit 14 of 21 throws for 104 yards and threw neither a touchdown pass nor an interception. His rating was 78.3.
*Jones has thrown at least one touchdown pass in each of his five starts.
*Saquon Barkley returned to the field after missing three games with a sprained ankle and led the Giants with 72 rushing yards on 18 carries, including a seven-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Jones was the only other Giants player with a rushing attempt. Barkley also had three receptions for eight yards.
*Reserve running back Wayne Gallman returned to action after missing most of two games while in the NFL concussion protocol but had neither a carry nor a catch.
*Golden Tate led the Giants with six catches for 80 yards, his second straight game with six receptions. Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer each caught four passes.
*Tight end Evan Engram was back in uniform after missing the game at New England with a knee injury but caught just one pass for six yards.
*Tight end Rhett Ellison scored the Giants' first touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Jones. It was the seventh receiving touchdown of Ellison's eight-year career (he also has one rushing), his fourth in three seasons with the Giants, and his first since Sept. 23, 2018 (on a 16-yard pass from Eli Manning in a victory at Houston).
*The Giants scored their second touchdown with 9:52 remaining in the second quarter, when Michael Thomas blocked Andy Lee's punt in the end zone and Eli Penny recovered the ball for the score. It was the Giants' first blocked punt since Sept. 24, 2015, when Rashad Jennings got his hands on a kick by Washington's Tress Way and the ball bounced out of the end zone for a safety. The touchdown was the Giants' first on a blocked punt since Nov. 10, 2013, when Damontre Moore interrupted a kick by Oakland's Marquette King and Cooper Taylor scooped up the ball and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown.
*Penny scored the Giants' first special teams touchdown of any kind since Sept. 18, 2016, when Janoris Jenkins returned a blocked field goal attempt 65 yards vs. New Orleans. Johnathan Hankins had blocked 31-yard attempt by Wil Lutz.
*The touchdown was the third of Penny's three-year career and first for the Giants. He scored his first two touchdowns as a rookie playing for the Cardinals in 2017, on runs of one yard vs. the Rams on Dec. 3, and four yards at Seattle on Dec. 31.
*Linebacker David Mayo and former Cardinal Olsen Pierre each sacked Murray. It was the first full sack of Mayo's career.
*Safety Antoine Bethea led the Giants with nine tackles (five solo). Jabrill Peppers (four solo) and Alec Ogletree (three) had eight tackles apiece.
*Bethea played in his 200th career game and made his 191st start. He is the 36th player in NFL history whose primary position was defensive back to play 200 or more games.
*Rookie receiver Darius Slayton returned the first four kickoffs of his career, for 87 yards (21.8-yard avg.)
*Aldrick Rosas missed his only field goal attempt when his 37-yard try late in the third quarter hit the right upright.
*Running back Buck Allen made his Giants debut on special teams. He was signed on Oct. 11.
*The Giants inactive players were wide receiver Sterling Shepard (concussion), cornerback Corey Ballentine (concussion), tight end Garrett Dickerson, offensive linemen Chad Slade and Eric Smith, linebacker Chris Peace and quarterback Alex Tanney.
*Shurmur threw his red challenge flag with 45 seconds remaining in the first quarter, after Janoris Jenkins was penalized for pass interference while covering Trent Sherfield. Shurmur believed Sherfield slipped and fell without help from Jenkins. But after review, referee Adrian Hill announced that ruling on the field stood as called. The Giants were penalized 25 yards. Shurmur is 0-5 this season and 2-8 in two years on replay challenges. Four of the five this season were unsuccessful challenges to pass interference calls or non-calls.
*David Johnson, Arizona's star running back, had just one carry, for two yards. He wasn't missed because Edmonds ran for 126 yards and three touchdowns on 27 attempts. Edmonds, a second-year pro from Fordham who was selected on the fourth round of the 2018 draft, scored on 20-yard touchdown runs on each of the Cardinals' first two offensive possessions and a 22-yarder in the third quarter. He is joins Evans as players to score three touchdowns against the Giants this season. Edmonds is the first Giants opponent to rush for three scores since New Orleans' Alvin Kamara on Sept. 30, 2018.
*Edmonds joined Minnesota's Dalvin Cook as the only players to run for more than 100 yards vs. the Giants this season.
*The Giants have lost their last three and four of their last five games to the Cardinals, but lead the series, 80-45-2.
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