The scoreboard doesn't always tell the whole story, but lately, for New York fans, it’s been screaming it. If you're looking for the score on giants game from this past Sunday, the reality is a 17-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that felt even heavier than the ten-point margin suggests. It was a primetime slog at MetLife Stadium that left plenty of people heading for the exits before the fourth quarter even really heated up.
Honestly, it’s getting hard to watch.
The defense showed up, holding a high-powered Joe Burrow offense to just 17 points, but the offense? Total ghost town. When you look at the score on giants game statistics, you see a team that outgained their opponent 309 to 291 in total yards but couldn't find the end zone more than once. That is the quintessential 2024 Giants experience in a nutshell.
The Numbers Behind the 17-7 Score on Giants Game
Numbers are weird. Sometimes they lie, and sometimes they expose every single flaw a roster has. In this specific matchup, the Giants’ failure came down to "expected points added" (EPA) in the red zone. They had chances. They really did. But between a missed field goal by Greg Joseph and a failure to convert on crucial fourth downs, the points just evaporated.
Daniel Jones finished 22 of 41 for 205 yards. No touchdowns. One interception. Those aren't "franchise quarterback" numbers, especially when you're playing at home in front of a crowd that is increasingly losing patience.
Meanwhile, the Bengals didn't even play that well. Joe Burrow had a 47-yard touchdown run—the longest of his career, which tells you everything you need to know about the Giants’ gap discipline in that moment—but otherwise, the defense kept him in check. Dexter Lawrence is basically a one-man wrecking crew right now. He’s the only reason the score on giants game wasn't 35-7. He’s playing at an All-Pro level, consistently collapsing the pocket, yet it feels wasted because the other side of the ball is stuck in neutral.
Why the Third Down Conversions Killed the Vibe
You can't win in the NFL if you can't stay on the field. The Giants went 5-for-15 on third downs. That’s a 33% clip. In a league where the elite teams are hovering around 45-50%, you're essentially asking your defense to play 40 minutes of football. They get tired. They break.
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And let’s talk about the fourth downs. Brian Daboll is aggressive. We know this. But going 0-for-2 on fourth down in your own territory or the "four-down territory" of the opponent's 30-yard line is a backbreaker. It's a turnover without the stat credit. It shifts momentum faster than a fumble ever could.
The Malik Nabers Void and Offensive Struggles
It’s no secret that the score on giants game would likely have looked different if Malik Nabers wasn't sidelined with a concussion. The rookie has been the entire identity of this offense. Without him, Wan'Dale Robinson is forced into a WR1 role that doesn't quite fit his skill set as a gadgety, slot-first player.
Darius Slayton tried. He had a couple of big catches. But there’s no vertical threat that scares defensive coordinators right now.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. was a bright spot, though. Let’s be real—seeing a rookie RB step up and provide some semblance of a ground game (17 carries for 50 yards and a score) gives you a glimmer of hope for the post-Saquon era. But one rushing touchdown isn't enough to overcome a stagnant passing attack.
Brian Daboll and the Hot Seat Rumors
People are starting to talk. You hear it on the radio, you see it on Twitter, and you definitely feel it in the stadium. When the score on giants game consistently reflects an inability to score more than 10 or 15 points, the head coach eventually takes the heat.
Daboll took over play-calling duties this year to "fix" things. Has it worked?
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The Giants are currently averaging among the lowest points per game in the league. While the offensive line has actually improved significantly compared to the historical disaster of last year—thanks to guys like Jermaine Eluemunor and Jon Runyan Jr. stabilizing the unit—the output hasn't followed.
The nuance here is that the Giants aren't "bad" in the way the 2017 team was bad. They are competitive. They stay in games. Their defense is legit. But the NFL is a scoring league, and right now, the Giants are bringing a knife to a gunfight every single Sunday.
Defensive Silver Linings
It feels wrong to talk about a loss without giving flowers to Shane Bowen’s defense. They sacked Burrow four times. They hit him consistently. Azeez Ojulari stepped up with Kayvon Thibodeaux on IR, proving there is some depth there.
But if the score on giants game is 17-7, and your defense only gave up 17, they did their job. You cannot ask an NFL defense to do more than hold a Joe Burrow-led offense to under 20 points. That is a winning performance 90% of the time in this league.
What This Means for the Rest of the Season
Looking ahead, the schedule doesn't get much easier. They have the Eagles coming up. Then the Steelers. If the offense doesn't find a way to manufacture points—not just yards, but actual points—the season is going to spiral quickly.
Fans are looking at the 2025 NFL Draft order already. That's the sad reality of being a Giants fan in October. You start scouting quarterbacks because you know the current ceiling. You start wondering if Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders looks better in Big Blue.
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It’s a cycle. A frustrating, repetitive cycle.
How to Track Future Giants Scores and Stats
If you're trying to keep up with the team without the headache of watching every snap of a 17-7 loss, there are better ways to digest the data.
- Focus on Success Rate per Dropback: Don't just look at passing yards. Look at how often Daniel Jones is actually putting the team in a "pro-success" position.
- Watch the Injury Report: The score on giants game outcomes hinge almost entirely on Malik Nabers' availability right now. He is the "X-factor" in the literal sense.
- Keep an Eye on the Defensive Pressure Rate: As long as Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns are healthy, the Giants will be in games. They just might not win them.
The reality of the New York Giants in 2026 is that they are a "middle-of-the-road" team with a "bottom-of-the-barrel" scoring output. It’s a strange paradox. They aren't getting blown out 40-0 like they were against the Cowboys last year, which I guess is progress? But a loss is a loss, and 17-7 feels just as empty when you're sitting at the bottom of the NFC East.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at the final score as the only metric of health for this franchise. Look at the red zone efficiency. Look at the separation the receivers are (or aren't) getting. That’s where the real story of the New York Giants is written.
Actionable Insights for Giants Fans:
- Audit the Film: If you have NFL+, watch the "All-22" footage of the red zone failures. You'll see several instances where receivers were open, but the timing was off or the protection crumbled at the last microsecond.
- Manage Expectations: Until Nabers returns, expect low-scoring affairs. The betting "under" has been a frequent friend to Giants games for a reason.
- Focus on the 2025 Cap Space: The Giants are finally moving into a position where they can be aggressive in free agency again. This season is about evaluation of the young core (Tracy, Nabers, McFadden, Banks) rather than just the final win-loss record.
- Track the Pressure: Watch Dexter Lawrence's snap count. The team is leaning on him heavily, and his efficiency late in games is a direct indicator of whether the defense can hold a lead—if the offense ever gives them one.