Daniel Jones
(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Thanks to Chase Edmonds’s 126 rushing yards and three touchdowns, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the New York Giants, 27-21, Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Jason Leach

  • New York Giants 21 (2-5)
  • Arizona Cardinals 27 (3-3-1)
  • NFL, Final, Box Score
  • MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ—Having 10 days to prepare for their game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and the return of Saquon Barkley, fans were expecting to see the New York Giants put forth one of their best performances of the season.

Instead, Giants fans were thoroughly disappointed as they saw their team lose their third-consecutive game, 27-21, in a rain-soaked MetLife Stadium.

The final score doesn’t reflect how the Giants were outplayed on Sunday. If Michael Thomas didn’t block an Andy Lee punt that was recovered by Elijhaa Penny in the end zone in the second quarter, the two-possession lead probably would have lasted.

https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1185979420453982208?s=20

The first possession of the game would be indicative of how the afternoon would go for Big Blue. The Cardinals took the opening drive on the game 75 yards on 13 plays that ended with a Chase Edmonds 20-yard touchdown run. That would be the first of three touchdowns that Edmonds would score on the day. He finished with a career statistical day, rushing for 126 yards on 27 carries as the Giants defense had no answers on how to stop him.

https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/1185970011392876544?s=20

The fact that all three of Edmonds touchdowns were at least 20 yards is alarming and may put defensive coordinator James Bettcher on the hot seat.

The Giants’ offense also put forth a poor effort, especially the offensive line, one that allowed Daniel Jones to be sacked eight times. Four of those came from Chandler Jones, who was unstoppable on Sunday.

Saquon Barkley had a solid game, gaining 72 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown, but it was clear that he was still favoring his ankle.

For the fourth game in a row, Daniel Jones struggled, particularly in the area of ball security. He was intercepted once and lost two fumbles. Jones has to do a much better job of ball security and his pocket presence. Yes, his offensive line failed him on Sunday, but some of those sacks could have been avoided if he took off and ran or threw the ball away.

https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/1185969316891680768?s=20

Jones finished the day completing 22 of 35 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. But aside from his perfectly placed 28-yard touchdown pass to Rhett Ellison, he hasn’t resembled his performance in Week 3 against the Buccaneers when the Giants won 32-31 and Jones was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

If the Giants were going to have any chance of a winning season, they had to defeat the Cardinals. Everything was set up in their favor to win. They were playing at home after having 10 days off, Barkley and Evan Engram returned back to the lineup, and they were facing a rookie quarterback in Kyler Murray and a rookie head coach in Kliff Kingsbury.

Losing to the Cardinals it doesn’t bode well or give fans confidence in what will happen in the remaining nine games when the schedule gets tougher.

Now, more than any time in his tenure as head coach, especially after making some questionable play calls, Pat Shurmur must rally his troops or else the season will continue to spiral downward and the Giants will once again finish the season with double-digit losses.

Make no mistake about the Giants game next Sunday against the (2-3-1) Detroit Lions. It’s a must-win.

Jason's first love was football while growing up in northern New Jersey. For the past three years, he has covered the New York Giants, as well as several boxing events along the East Coast.