Five things we learned as the Giants drop their sixth straight

The first half of the New York Giants 2019 season is finally, mercifully, in the books as they extend their losing streak to six games as they lose 34-27 to the New York Jets.

There are precious few positive takeaways to losing a game like this, but we are learning more about the 2019 Giants. Granted, most of the things we are learning are all the ways they can come up with to lose games, but there are things to which we should be paying attention.

2019 Aldrick Rosas is looking like 2017 Aldrick Rosas

Slipping through the cracks in the muck and mire of the Giants’ abysmal 2019 season is the troubling regression of Aldrick Rosas.

In 2018 Rosas emerged as one of the best kickers in the league. He has the leg to be a legitimate weapon as soon as the offense crossed the 40-yard line and he had the accuracy to be automatic on anything inside of a 55-yard attempt.

While Rosas isn’t quite at the level he was his first year, he is missing routine kicks far too often and it is costing the Giants points they need. It isn’t as major a problem as some of the others the Giants are going to have to solve, but it is a definite concern that needs to be addressed.

The Giants just can’t start fast

Week after week we see the Giants seem to forget that there is a football game being played until the second quarter. Then we see the offense and defense click and start to do some good things.

But still, it seems as though every week the Giants are spotting even bad teams two scores before their offense even realizes they’re allowed to convert a third down. The Giants just are not good enough on offense or defense to routinely be playing from behind like that.

That was put on stark display when the Giants let a Jets’ offense that was averaging 12.0 points per game utterly dominate the first quarter and come away with 14 points. Had the Giants come up with a stop and have some offensive production of their own, this might have been a very different game — the same which could be said for a number of games this season.

Darius Slayton is the Giants’ offense

If we are looking for positive developments from the Giants’ 8th loss of the season, it is the emergence of rookie receiver Darius Slayton in the absence of Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and (effectively) Saquon Barkley.

Granted, the Jets’ secondary is in a similar state as the Giants’ offensive line. They have a great player in Jamal Adams, but are scraping the bottom of a thin depth chart at cornerback. But still, credit where credit is due, and Slayton has emerged as a legitimate bright spot on the Giants’ offense. His speed gives them a deep threat as well as a player who can create offense after the catch, and he knows how to position himself where he needs to be to make a play for his quarterback.

Slayton is obviously still a work in progress and needs to continue to hone his craft as a receiver. And he may never be the true “Number one” receiver the Giants’ offense needs, but if they can develop him correctly, he stands the chance to be one of the better second or third options in the NFL, and that is a great thing to have.

Thank God the bye week is here

These first 10 games have been an absolutely miserable slog. The emergence of Darius Slayton has been a bright point, but Murphy’s Law has ruled the Giants. Injuries to key players, players who were expected to be core contributors not playing up to expectations, turnovers and mistakes... We have seen all of them, and seen them all nearly every week of 2019.

We knew the Giants weren’t going to be a terribly competitive team this year but even the games we thought would be “winnable” have been rough (at best).

This game was such that had either team been competent it would have been an absolute blow-out.

Fortunately, it’s impossible for the Giants to lose this week.

Lamar Jackson is absurd

Yeah, this has nothing to do with the Giants or this game. But I wanted to end on a high note and right now Lamar Jackson is on another level ... This looks like something In-His-Prime Michael Vick would do in Madden.