Daniel Jones’ first turnover of the day couldn’t have come at a worse possible time when he was intercepted by Darious Williams with 52 seconds remaining in the game deep inside Los Angeles Rams territory, securing the Giants’ 17-9 Week 4 loss out west to drop to 0-4 on the season.
Jones and the offense’s inability spoiled the Giants defense’s best effort of the season as it was the second full game New York (0-4) were unable to find the end zone. Their touchdown-less streak dates back to the final quarter of their Week 2 loss to the Chicago Bears.
A trio of Graham Gano field goals accounted for all of New York’s points on the day, which was good enough to keep the Giants in the conversation of Week 4 given their defense’s performance.
Entering the fourth quarter down 10-9, the Giants held Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense to just 151 total yards, but they finally broke through with seven minutes left in the game as the Los Angeles quarterback connected with Cooper Kupp for a 55-yard touchdown.
The eight-point gap was far too much for the sputtering Giants offense to overcome, especially with Jones struggling to accrue any sort of momentum against an aggressive Rams pass rush.
While his offensive line did not allow him much time in the pocket, the second-year quarterback’s internal clock had trouble getting in sync as he was sacked five times on the day.
The fifth takedown was the most costly as the Giants drove down to the Rams’ 30-yard-line with four minutes to go. But on a 1st-&-10, he was sacked for five yards that stymied the drive and ultimately led to a turnover-on-downs.
After a late defensive stand, the Giants got one more crack to get back in it with just over two minutes remaining — once again flirting with the end zone before ending in bitter disappointment.
Jones hooked up with Darius Slayton for a 34-yard possession before magically escaping a potential sixth sack of the day — spinning away from pressure and picking up 13 yards to get inside Rams territory.
Inside Los Angeles’ 20, the turnover bug finally bit Jones when his throw intended for Damian Ratley was picked off by Williams on the four-yard-line with 52 seconds to go.
Jones went 23-of-36 for just 190 yards, but once again was at the top of his team’s leaderboard in rushing, tying Wayne Gallman for a Giants-high 45 rushing yards in the loss.
