The Giants battled through the harsh conditions, but after 60 minutes of play, they did not do enough to halt the losing streak.
The Giants fell to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 31-13. The loss was the Giants' eighth in a row, representing the team's longest losing streak since 2004. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers entered this matchup with one of the best touchdown-to-interception ratios in the NFL, and on Sunday, he added to those stats by tossing four touchdowns. The Giants simply could not keep up with the two-time MVP.
"They fight and they are resilient," coach Pat Shurmur said about his young Giants squad. "That game was in the balance. We had an opportunity within one score and it got away from us. That's where I see it. They fight and some of these young players are very talented and they are learning on the job here."
Giants defense has no answer for Rodgers. It is no secret that Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He looked the part on Sunday, completing 63.6% of his passes for four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 125.4 passer rating, adding three carries for 24 yards. Rodgers opened up the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams, the first of two touchdowns. Before the end of the first quarter, the veteran QB found Allen Lazard for a 37-yard touchdown. After the Giants defense was able to keep the Packers out of the end zone during the second and third quarters, Rodgers tossed his final two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach.
"Just a true competitor. A guy that can do it all," linebacker Alec Ogletree said of Rodgers. "He obviously is going to be wearing a gold jacket when he gets done playing and he's still one of my favorite quarterbacks in the league and you know he just goes out there and does his job and gets the guys around him going, too.
Jones finishes with three turnovers. While he did not lose a fumble, Daniel Jones threw three interceptions. The rookie quarterback finished 20-for-37 for 240 yards, one touchdown and the three picks to earn a passer rating of 49.4. Jones also injured his ankle on a fourth down run, but the No. 6 overall pick was able to finish the game. Heading into Week 14, Jones leads the NFL with 21 turnovers (11 interceptions, 10 fumbles).
"Yeah, it's disappointing to come up short and play like we did," Jones said after the game about the offense's performance. "We ran the ball better today. There were a number of things we did better. But as a group, we weren't consistent enough and we weren't able to score enough. That's been the story. We have to be more consistent, we have to find ways to keep the ball moving forward and get the ball in the end zone when we have chances in the red zone. It's disappointing, but we have to stay at it."
Saquon bounces back with solid performance. Saquon Barkley had gone four straight contests averaging less than 4.0 yards per carry. The second-year running back broke that skid on Sunday, gaining 83 yards on 19 carries (4.4 yards per carry) while adding three receptions for 32 yards. Despite the solid performance, Barkley has now gone seven straight games without rushing for 100 yards after starting the season with back-to-back outings with more than 100 yards on the ground.
"Yeah, definitely getting back into a rhythm," Barkley said after the game. "I think the offensive line did a great job of establishing the line of scrimmage. We just got behind in points and when you get behind in points, you try not to go away from the run game but that naturally happens. We have to find a way to start earlier and get ahead so we can get the run game going. I know if that was the case we could have had a game in our hands."
Rookie pass-catchers lead team in receptions. With Golden Tate, Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison all sidelined, Darius Slayton and Kaden Smith were given an opportunity to play big roles in the Giants offense. Both rookies were up to the challenge, as they finished tied for the team-lead with six receptions apiece. One week after reeling in his first NFL touchdown, Smith finished with a team-high 70 receiving yards. Slayton continued his strong campaign, totaling 44 yards on his six receptions.
Rosas, kicking unit have strong day. Aldrick Rosas earned a trip to the Pro Bowl last season, so his struggles this year have been a bit of a surprise. On Sunday, the 24-year-old seemed to get back on track. Rosas drilled both of his field goal attempts against the Packers, one from 45 yards and the other from 27, while making his only extra point attempt. Longtime Long snapper Zak DeOssie was placed on injured reserve Saturday, and the team promoted Colin Holba from the practice squad to take his place.
WHAT THE LOSS MEANS FOR THE GIANTS: The loss represents the Giants' eighth consecutive defeat, dropping the Giants to 2-10. With Washington's win over Carolina, the Giants now sit in fourth place in the NFC East. They head to Philadelphia (5-7) for a Monday night showdown against the Eagles in Week 14.
WHAT THE WIN MEANS FOR THE PACKERS: The Packers' win puts them in first place in the NFC North at 9-3, a half-game over Minnesota, who plays tomorrow night. The win also puts them one game out of a first-round bye in the playoffs after San Francisco lost to Baltimore. The Packers welcome Washington (3-9) to Green Bay next Sunday.
