The Giants dropped their first game of the 2022 season, falling in a low-scoring NFC East affair to the Cowboys on Monday night.
After the 23–16 loss, a pivotal mistake came to light that may have changed the outcome of an Ezekiel Elliott rushing touchdown late in the third quarter.
On the third-down play when Elliott scored from the 1-yard line, the Giants defense had only 10 men on the field, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan pointed out in a tweet Tuesday. Duggan explained that defensive lineman Justin Ellis and linebacker Oshane Ximines came in for the goal line personnel group while linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott left the field.
With New York one man down, Elliott punched in the touchdown to tie the game back up at 13–13 with 27 seconds reminding in the third quarter.
Giants coach Brian Daboll was asked about the lapse during his press conference on Tuesday and revealed that a player did not go into the game when defensive coordinator Wink Martindale called for a goal line personnel package. Daboll did not identify the player by name, per Duggan.
It’s difficult to know if the gaffe would have cost the Giants the game, considering that was still a quarter of football left, but the mistake is one that New York will need to prevent from happening again this season. Now at 2–1, Daboll’s club will prepare for a Week 4 matchup against the Bears this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
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