EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants and co-owner John Mara probably learned a few things in tying their franchise record with a ninth straight loss on Sunday.
The first is fans are unhappy and rightly so. A 2-12 record in the franchise's 100th season is a disgrace. So are seven losing seasons in eight years.
There's no need to fly small planes with banners over MetLife Stadium week after week, imploring Mara to change everything. Everyone associated with the Giants is disgusted with the results.
The bigger lesson that came out of Sunday's 35-14 loss to the Ravens is the need to find a quarterback who can extend plays or make something out of nothing.
Baltimore's Lamar Jackson was all that and more Sunday. He hit 21 of 25 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on six carries. He was the difference.
New York seems destined to get a top-two pick in next year's NFL draft. The problem is this isn't a quarterback-heavy draft. Most of the projected top 10 picks are defensive players.
The Giants, whether it's general manager Joe Schoen or a successor, should wheel and deal and get as many assets as possible to build the team. At some point, they're going to have to take a quarterback, but they can't afford to overreach to get one.
There are a lot of candidates: Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, Cam Ward of Miami, Dillon Gabriel of Oregon, Quinn Ewers of Texas and Jalen Milroe of Alabama.
The best piece of advice for them is to take the best player in the draft regardless of position. Defense was the driving force in the Giants four Super Bowl wins with timely plays by quarterbacks Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler and Eli Manning.
Maybe the Giants should return to being a defensive team, like the ones Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick built in the 1980s.
Not every quarterback has to be a No. 1 overall pick. Outstanding quarterbacks can be found later in the draft. Josh Allen of Buffalo was taken No. 7 overall. Patrick Mahomes was a No. 10 pick, Jackson was a 32nd pick and Jalen Hurts was taken at No. 53. Tom Brady was No. 199 when he was taken in the sixth round.
What’s working
WR Malik Nabers is the key to what little offense the Giants have. He had 10 catches against the Ravens for 82 yards and drew a couple of pass interference calls. It was his third double-digit catch game of the season. He now has 90 receptions, one shy of the team rookie record shared by Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley. He is 99 receiving yards shy of 1,000.
What needs help
Playing without injured starters Deonte Banks, Cor'Dale Flott, Dru Phillips and Tyler Nubin in the secondary, the backups were no match for Jackson, who was 8 of 9 on third down. Getting Banks and Flott back will help. Cornerback Adoree Jackson had a forced fumble and recovery on the opening series and safety Dane Belton made a career-high 14 tackles.
Stock up
TE Daniel Bellinger was mostly a blocker for the first 12 games and had three catches for 31 yards. Since rookie Theo Johnson went on injured reserve two weeks ago, Bellinger has been targeted 10 times and caught eight passes for 80 yards.
Stock down
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial saw his unit give up a block last week on a potential game-tying field goal against New Orleans. This week, Baltimore's Justice Hill had a 59-yard return on the opening kickoff and Desmond King had a 22-yard return of a short punt by Jamie Gillan, setting up the Ravens' first touchdown.
Injuries
QB Tommy DeVito is in the concussion protocol.
Key number
8 — The Giants are winless in eight games at MetLife Stadium, the first time in their history they’ve lost eight games at home in a season. They get one more chance when they host Indianapolis on Dec. 28 or 29. The only winless home season in team history was in 1974, when New York went 0-7 in a 14-game season with the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut, serving as home while Giants Stadium was being built.
Next steps
The Giants head to Atlanta to play the stumbling Falcons.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Tom Canavan, The Associated Press
