CHICAGO — The details change from one Giants collapse to the next, but the outcome always remains the same.
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tRY IT NOWUp until this point, so has the coaching staff.
The Giants are the scriptwriters of an episode of “The Twilight Zone” featuring characters trapped reliving a nightmare where a promising double-digit lead is revealed through a sick plot twist in the final scene to be a curse.
This time, head coach Brian Daboll pushed all the wrong buttons, Jaxson Dart was lost to a concussion so the one-man band offense collapsed without its rookie orchestrator, and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s defense surrendered two touchdowns in the final four minutes of a 24-20 loss Sunday to the Bears at blustery Soldier Field that felt like it could come with job repercussions.
Jaxson Dart (6) was sacked by the Bears in Week 10. Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images“Nobody is going to save us,” edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “This is a war that we’re in, and it’s going to be on us to get ourselves out of it.”
The Giants (2-8) blew a double-digit lead on the road in a loss for the fourth time this season and tied the longest road losing streak (11) in franchise history.
Not that the Giants are better at home in the Daboll and Joe Schoen era, with overall records of 5-22 since the start of 2024 and 11-33-1 since the start of 2023.
The Giants rookie QB exited the game early with a concussion. Getty Images“I wish I had the answer,” edge rusher Brian Burns said when asked what needs to change. “It’s like the fourth game we beat ourselves. Putting together three great quarters and then not finishing, I don’t know. It’s a tough question to answer.”
It’s fitting because these are tough games to stomach.
The Giants look broken, no?
“If I can help it, this s–t ain’t going to be broke,” Burns said. “We’re going to stick together and come back and fight.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams looks to pass. APThe Giants led 17-7 and were in the red zone late in the third quarter when Dart’s head smacked into the grass and the ball popped loose for a lost fumble.
The beauty of Dart’s legs was on display with his two rushing touchdowns — including a 24-yarder — but the cost is the increased risk for injury and his four in-game concussion tests dating to the preseason.
“It’s a tough, tough way to lose,” Daboll said.
The Bears converted the turnover into three points, Dart came back onto the field for the final two snaps of the third quarter — an egregious miss by the NFL’s independent concussion spotter — and then failed a sideline concussion test between quarters.
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“As he was going back out on the field, just didn’t seem right,” said Daboll, who was fined $100,000 last month for violating the NFL’s concussion protocol for interfering with Dart’s test. “So, we [coaches] called the trainers over and said, ‘Let’s get him out.’ ”
Daboll’s offense and Mike Kafka’s play calling went into a shell when Russell Wilson replaced Dart.
Only an incredible effort by Devin Singletary to bounce off a tackle and high-step through another for a 41-yard gain looked like it might be enough to get by.
But Daboll elected to kick a 19-yard field goal from the 1-yard line to stretch the lead to 20-10 with 10:19 remaining rather than go for the kill with a touchdown.
The Bears celebrated a touchdown in their win against the Giants. APEven a penalty against the Bears that would’ve moved the ball one-half yard closer didn’t change his mind — strange considering that Daboll went for a fourth-and-1 and bypassed a 37-yard field goal in the first half.
Keeping the offense on the field would’ve added 2.1 percent win probability and given the Giants a 91.7 percent chance to win, per ESPN analytics.
“We needed a touchdown there,” Wilson said.
Caleb Williams got his reckless act together just in time.
He directed a 91-yard touchdown drive capped by his 29-yard scramble and 2-yard touchdown pass.
Wilson took two sacks on the next three and out and Jamie Gillan shanked a 26-yard punt.
By then, any Giants fan who saw the team give up 33 fourth-quarter points to the Broncos or 23 fourth-quarter-and-overtime points to the Cowboys knew what was coming: Williams ran for the game-winning 17-yard touchdown with 1:47 to go.
Fourteen points in 129 seconds.
Here we go again.
“I haven’t really been a part of games where we lose the way we have this season,” ninth-year right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “It’s probably a combination of reasons why we lose these games.”
Wilson threw six passes for a total of 11 yards (four incompletions) as the offense flailed helplessly on its final possession.
It looked nothing like it did when Dart — playing with third-stringers at running back and receiver because of injuries — accounted for 308 yards from scrimmage before he was called for his fourth concussion test since the preseason.
The Giants didn’t record a sack — two were negated by penalty, as Thibodeaux and Burns ran Williams into circles, but couldn’t end the play — or a takeaway, but committed four penalties to offer free first downs, including two on Deonte Banks during the Bears drive to make it 17-10.
“This is football: It’s not really about the [coaches’] message,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s more about making plays.”






