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          New York Giants

          New York Giants miss opportunities, fall to 0-2 in heartbreaking fashion

          • Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff WriterSep 17, 2021, 03:59 AM
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              Jordan Raanan is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Raanan covers the New York Giants. You can follow him via Twitter @JordanRaanan.
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          LANDOVER, Md. -- Oh, no.

          It happened again. The New York Giants fell to 0-2 for the fifth straight season after jumping offside on a missed field goal with no time remaining against the Washington Football Team (1-1) in a wild 30-29 loss.

          Say it ain't so.

          Pivotal play: The missed FG that wasn't. Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a game-winning field goal with no time remaining. Except he didn't. There was a flag on the field.

          Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence had jumped offside. Hopkins got a second chance from 35 yards. He didn't miss.

          This was a new way for the Giants to lose. A heartbreaking way.

          QB breakdown: Daniel Jones had a monster day. The Giants' quarterback played well. Really. He was constantly making plays -- on the ground and through the air -- despite being under constant pressure. He finished 22-of-32 passing for 249 yards with one touchdown pass. There should have been another if not for a key Darius Slayton drop that would've put the game away earlier in the fourth quarter.

          Jones also did some serious damage with his legs. He ran for 95 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. It was his second straight game with a rushing score.

          Jones also would have rushed for another 58-yard touchdown had wide receiver C.J. Board not been flagged for holding on the play. Instead, Jones settled for a 46-yard gain. The Giants settled for a field goal and another missed opportunity.

          Eye-popping Next Gen stat: Saquon Barkley at 20.39 mph. The Giants running back hit that speed on his 41-yard run in the first half. That was the 11th-fastest speed of his career.

          While that might not sound overly impressive, you have to consider this was Barkley's second game back from a serious knee injury. He tore the ACL in his right knee in Week 2 of last season, and was playing Thursday night for the second time in four days.

          As he admitted during the week, it was not an ideal situation coming off that injury.

          Bold prediction for next week: The Giants' offense explodes for 30-plus points. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay has said it on multiple occasions. It might take the Giants time early this season to get the offense going.

          Golladay missed a month because of a hamstring injury this summer. He still lacks explosion. Barkley is coming back from that knee injury and rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney didn’t practice much from May through August. So it’s going to take him time.

          But with 10 days until they face Atlanta at MetLife Stadium, look out. The Giants should get healthier and feast against a bad Atlanta Falcons defense.