Giants WR drops: Season-long problem costs New York again vs. Cowboys on ‘Thursday Night Football’ | Sporting News United Kingdom

There are plenty of contributing factors to why the Giants lost to the rival Cowboys in Week 4’s edition of “Thursday Night Football.”

New York enjoyed numerous lengthy drives, but none resulted in touchdowns. Kicker Greg Joseph went a perfect 5-for-5 on field goal attempts, but the offense failed to get into the end zone. 

The Giants defense had no answer for containing Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The Dallas star hauled in seven of his eight targets for 98 yards and a touchdown. 

However, the biggest issue undoubtedly was the dropped passes by the New York wide receiver corps. The trio of Malik Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Darius Slayton have dealt with drops throughout the 2024 campaign, and that trend continued in Week 4. 

Jones finished the day 29-for-40, throwing 281 yards, a pick, and no touchdowns. He completed 72.5 percent of his passes, and while there were certainly occasions where he missed receivers, his counterparts on offense didn’t do the QB any favors. 

Here is a deep look at the dropped passes by the Giants against the Cowboys. 

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Giants dropped passes vs. Cowboys

It’s unclear exactly how many dropped passes that the Giants had. There were a few subjective ones that technically could be blamed on Jones, but the receivers got their hands on those balls. At the NFL level, you want your offensive weapons to make those plays. 

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Pro Football Reference has not yet released the official number, but it’s safe to say it was a non-insignificant number. It had social media groaning about the incompletions seen far too prevalent on Thursday night. 

Daniel Jones isn’t great but these are some really bad drops

— Shaun (@iHateShaun) September 27, 2024

maybe in year 10 darius slayton will stop dropping the ball

— Big Game Bengal (@BengalYouTube) September 27, 2024

The Giants lost this game for MANY reasons…

-FAR too many drops
-Missed deep ball chances

Dallas was very beatable tonight. The Giants just shot themselves in the face over and over again.

— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) September 27, 2024

Everyone complains about Jones being inaccurate but even when he puts the ball right in their hand they drop it.

— Tommy (@TommyG105) September 27, 2024

Giants didn’t play winning football

Jones missed two easy deep touchdowns

Wandale and Slayton with massive drops

Daboll was scared on 4th and goal

And of course the refs on two huge plays blew a definitive 4 point and possibly 8 point swing

— Shaun Morash (@ShaunMorash) September 27, 2024

Wan’Dale you have gotta catch that. It hit you in the numbers.

That’s two crucial third down drops from the Giants’ receivers not named Malik Nabers

— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) September 27, 2024

Can’t ask for more than that from Daniel Jones on the fourth down play — he put that ball right on the money to Malik Nabers.
Maddening game for the #Giants
Too many drops. Too many missed deep pass opportunities.
The QB played well but the offense is limited by his deep ball.

— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) September 27, 2024

It’s not a one-off problem either. The drops have been an issue this entire season. This is what Aaron Schatz and Bryan Knowles of FTN said about the dropped passes on the Giants and how it’s affecting Jones in The Sporting News’ latest fantasy waiver wire watchlist:

“No quarterback has been hurt more by drops in 2024 than Daniel Jones. FTN’s charting has him suffering eight dropped passes already, for a league-worst 7.7-percent drop rate. Half of those drops have come from Malik Nabers…”

That number likely will only look worse after the performance in Week 4. 

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Most dropped passes in NFL 2024

Entering the Week 4 contest against the Cowboys, the Giants were second in the league in dropped passes with 10, according to Pro Football Reference. Through the first three weeks, they were one of only two teams to record double-digits in drops, with the Browns pacing the way with 14. 

There’s a chance that the Giants now are atop that category after the showing on Thursday night.  

Here is what those numbers looked like before the “Thursday Night Football” contest. 

This section will be updated with Week 4 results.