The silver lining for John Mara is that he only has to journey to MetLife Stadium one more Sunday to endure his share of humiliation before, during, and after the game.
The Giants’ 70-year-old co-owner, Mara, saw his club suffer yet another heartbreaking defeat to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, 35-14, as they continue to make embarrassing history in their 100th season.
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And there’s no end in sight. At 2-12, the Giants are headed for 2-15, the second-worst season in the team’s history. They tied their all-time worst losing run, which was achieved in 1976 and equaled in 2019, on Sunday with their ninth consecutive loss.
Yes, they are pursuing the No. 1 overall pick (and their desired new quarterback) for next year by staying up with the 2-11 Raiders, who play on Monday night. However, will coach Brian Daboll, who has an 8-23 record since the beginning of the previous season, and third-year general manager Joe Schoen be available for that?
The most embarrassing thing for Mara was that on Sunday, a vengeful fan once more hired a plane to pull a banner that was directed at him before the game. The sPLZ FIX THIS DUMPSTER FIREmessage from last week was merely mildly courteous. This week nearly felt like a threat: UNTIL YOU FIRE EVERYONE, WE WON’T STOP.
(However, Philadelphia is in first position and even Eagles supporters are renting flights these days.)
What can we expect from the Giants’ home finale versus the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17? Would Mara be forced to sell the team by a banner?
The Giants will go winless at home (0-9) for the second time and the first time since they went 0-7 at the Yale Bowl in 1974 if they lose that game. Their worst-ever home showing would be this one.
The Giants were utterly outmatched in Sunday’s contest, which ended in an inevitable defeat at halfway. With a daunting 21-7 disadvantage against the Ravens (9-5) and Drew Lock already out due to a heel injury, the Giants were forced to start fourth-string quarterback Tim Boyle after Tommy DeVito suffered a concussion.
Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Ravens, inflated his stats by going 21-for-25 for 290 yards, five touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and one fumbled ball. He ran 65 yards as well. Boyle was 12-for-24 for 123 yards, an interception, and a mop-up touchdown to wide receiver Malik Nabers, while DeVito was 10-for-13 for 68 yards. The Giants only managed to carry for 55 yards despite having 236 yards of offense. 445 yards were allowed by the defense.
Mara should be used to watching football at this point because his family’s team has been stuck in a 13-season grind since winning the Super Bowl in 2011. However, keep in mind that the Giants tied their worst losing streak ever just five years ago. Additionally, they had a worse two-win start (2–13) seven years ago in 2017 than they are currently having. For Mara, it has been really awful.
However, Mara will be hit with yet another heinous milestone if the Giants lose to the Falcons, who are 6-7 and will visit the Raiders on Monday, 2–13 in Atlanta next Sunday. That would be the longest losing streak in the team’s history, with 10 straight losses. Since October 6 at Seattle, the Giants have not triumphed.
At halftime on Sunday, it appeared that the Giants would be in the game. With 2:15 remaining, they scored a touchdown, reducing the Ravens’ advantage to 14–7. However, with 32 seconds remaining in the half, the Ravens replied right away with an 80-yard touchdown drive that took only 1:43 and put them ahead 21-7.
The Giants lost by 235 yards to 96 in the first half. In 2024, the MetLife Stadium custom of jeering them off the field at halftime was repeated. The Giants were doomed as soon as they had to insert Boyle into the game.
Mara suffered yet another humiliation during Sunday’s pregame drama. An irate fan rented a plane dragging a protest banner to circle MetLife Stadium for the second consecutive game.
This one said: MR. MARA ENOUGH UNTIL YOU FIRE EVERYONE, WE WON’T STOP. The reading from last week was: MR. MARA, PLEASE FIX THIS DUMPSTER FIRE.
Since 1978, the Giants had not flown a protest banner. They have already had two experiences in two weeks. What a waste of their 100th season with no noteworthy history, huh?
Additionally, the Giants were 16.5 points underdogs on Sunday, which is the biggest home underdog spread since 1966. (That season, 1-12-1, is also the Giants’ worst in franchise history.)
Oh, and on Sunday, the Giants didn’t cover.
The stadium was two-thirds full at kickoff, with half of the spectators being Ravens supporters. For weeks, Giants supporters have sold out their seats and turned their attention to the future, maybe selecting quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the first overall pick in the spring of next year.
On Friday night, while Sanders was in town for the Heisman Trophy celebration, he casually caught Giants star rookie wide out Malik Nabers on a Manhattan street, giving them a sneak peek at what the upcoming season might hold.
The Giants playing significant December games is Mara’s baseline expectation for each season. Of course, he hopes for more than that. He longs to return to his former splendor. Take a look at what he said during the Giants’ victory in a Minnesota wild-card playoff game in 2022: We have returned. (The Giants are 8-24 since then.) He hopes to be considered for the playoffs in December, though.
But at the end of this 100th Giants season, when Mara’s club was the first NFL team out of the postseason on Thanksgiving, their only goal is to avoid becoming the second-worst Giants team ever.
You can contact Darryl Slater at [email protected].
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