After marching down the field en route to a Golden Tate III toe-tap touchdown, the Giants found themselves trailing 25-23 with an opportunity to tie the game.
Daniel Jones took the snap on the two-point conversion attempt and looked towards running back Dion Lewis. Buccaneers rookie safety Antoine Winfield Jr. collided with Lewis just before the ball arrived, and a flag was thrown.
Photo: Corey Sipkin/AP PhotoAfter deliberation, the refs decided to pick up the flag, no pass interference.
Game over, Giants fall to a frustrating 1-7.
This game gets added to the quickly growing laundry list of heartbreak losses the Giants have been on the wrong side of this year.
Of their seven losses, five have come by just one possession.
It’s heartbreaking.
Giants’ head coach Joe Judge felt that picking up the flag was a mistake.
“I thought Nate [the referee] made the right call when he threw the flag, I’m not sure why it got picked up,” Judge said. “We had a pretty good view, I know they can’t use the jumbotron to replay, we had a pretty clear view of that as well.
“I thought Nate [the referee] made the right call the first time, and I thought normally your first instinct is the right one.”
Judge also added that the Giants cannot leave the game up to the referees.
“I thought our guys played hard, we have got to put ourselves in the position where we can have success and not bring a third party into the factor,” he said. “It’s tough enough to beat the Bucs.”
As for the Giants play on the field, the first half went well.
Big Blue went into the break holding a 14-6 lead. Two scores coming via a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dion Lewis, and a two-yard touchdown run by the fourth year running back Wayne Gallman.
The Giants then opened the half with a 44-yard kick return by Dion Lewis, the momentum was shockingly in New York’s favor. However, just two plays later, defensive back Carlton Davis hauled in an interception which would eventually lead to a Ryan Succop field goal, cutting the Giants lead to 14-9.
Later in the game, as the Giants held a 17-15 lead, the turnover bug would bite again as defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting intercepted a pass. This one stung, as the Buccaneers drove down the field and took the lead, a lead that they would not relinquish.
When asked if it all comes down to turnovers, coach Judge gave his take.
“Not completely, but turnovers are obviously a major factor in any game,” Judge said. “But there’s a lot of things we have to improve on.”
The Giants take on the Washington Football Team next week as they look to bounce back from two disappointing losses in a row. While it sounds absurd, the division is still not out of reach. These next two games against Washington and Philadelphia are incredibly important if the Giants want any hope at stealing a division crown.
As the Giants go deeper into the season, Daniel Jones does not have to worry about being benched. All he has to worry about his play on the field, his job is safe.
Coach Judge made sure everyone knew that in his post-game press conference.
“Daniel’s our quarterback,” Judge assured.
Featured Image: Corey Sipkin/AP Photo
