At 10-0 late in the second quarter, the Giants were not exactly dominating but they were in control of their game Sunday against the Saints. Allowing a 58-yard field goal should have meant the Giants went in at halftime ahead 10-3. That did not happen.
As it turned out — and this was totally, completely unexpected — that long-distance field goal opened the floodgates for 34 consecutive points for the Saints. By the time the Giants shook off those repeated body blows, they were down 34-10 and their frantic fourth-quarter comeback behind backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy fell short in a troubling 34-27 loss. The Giants had been 3-0 at MetLife Stadium but could not get to 4-0 at home for the first time since 2008.
Here are some musings about what went down and what might come next:
— Players are loyal to teammates but mostly want to win more than anything else. The guys getting the ball on offense in the fourth quarter saw how McCarthy ran around, fired fastballs all over the field and made things happen. It was street ball, desperation mode and pass-happy. This mode of operation is not sustainable, of course, but the wild fourth quarter did put some of McCarthy’s talent on display. “J.J.’s a natural leader, what he’s like in the huddle, that’s how he acts every single day,’’ running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. said. “He’s a natural-born leader. I think J.J. came in and played a heck of a game, shoot, came in there and brought us back in the game.’’ Jameis Winston is quite popular in the locker room but if John Harbaugh decides to go with McCarthy in Week 7 in Houston, there will not be a player revolt.
