'Not all bad, just not good enough': The story of Tyrod Taylor and 2023 NY Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD — Seemingly every throw Tyrod Taylor made in Sunday's 26-25 loss to the Rams left all those watching with their mouths agape.

As with everything involving the New York Giants this season, just when you wanted to celebrate a breathtaking moment, a kick-in-the-teeth blow followed — every single time.

And in the spirit of his roller-coaster career in the NFL, Taylor had a hand in those emotional highs and lows yet again, finding himself on opposite ends of the football spectrum several times over.

Like his 80-yard touchdown pass to Darius Slayton, which traveled an ungodly 60 yards through the air before landing in the arms of his receiver in yet another spectacular connection between the two.

Or the 31-yard scramble that somehow gave the Giants life in the waning moments, setting up the potential 54-yard field goal from Mason Crosby that fell way short and, quite frankly, never had a chance.

Then there was the two-point conversion play with 3:27 remaining when indecisiveness cost Taylor and the Giants, when he misfired on a short throw to a wide-open Saquon Barkley with no defenders near him at the goal line that resulted in an image that sums up Brian Daboll's second season.

Hands on his helmet, Taylor was incredulous over missing such a routine toss that, had he converted, could have — and likely would have — sealed another upset victory over a team headed to the playoffs.

The Bills back in October. The Eagles on Christmas Day. Now the Rams.

"It's not all bad," Taylor said, "just not good enough."

That's the story of the 2023 New York Giants, especially with Taylor at quarterback.

Once again, the Giants made the spectacular look easy with Taylor running the show. Neither Daniel Jones nor Tommy DeVito can unleash the football in staggering fashion the way the 13-year veteran can.

Slayton is a dominant weapon with Taylor at the helm, and he gets him the ball with regularity. If the 34-year-old were a baseball slugger, you'd line up around the batting cage and watch him launch bomb after bomb.

But the simple plays left a lot to be desired in another failed upset bid for the Giants, and Taylor had plenty to do with that, too. He uncorked an interception on a forced pass to Slayton that squelched a drive when, Taylor admitted afterward, he could have hit Jalin Hyatt on a deeper route on the other side of the field.

Earlier in the game, Taylor and rookie center John Michael Schmitz botched an exchange, and the fumble on a fourth-and-1 near midfield resulted in a turnover on downs.

The outcome isn't entirely on Taylor, of course. He completed 27-of-41 for 319 yards for a touchdown and that pick. His receivers let him down repeatedly with six drops, at least.

The Giants (5-11) allowed Rams running back Kyren Williams to run for three touchdowns. There were significant holding penalties across the offensive line of scrimmage that negated big plays, including a 47-yarder to Hyatt that would have given the Giants a first down at the Rams' 36 early in the fourth quarter.

The Giants delivered on big plays all over the field, including a pair of interceptions by Dane Belton, thrust into the lineup after a foot injury to starting safety Jason Pinnock. Bobby Okereke had 1.5 sacks and registered 11 tackles, once again playing every snap to keep his season-long streak alive.

And Gunner Olszewski's incredible 94-yard punt return for a touchdown — the score that preceded the failed two-point conversion — would have gone down as one of the most impressive plays of the year had Taylor either run into the end zone himself or gotten the ball to Barkley to take a 27-26 lead that never came.

There were little things like the decision to run a draw play for Barkley on second down after Taylor's scramble, which ultimately pushed back the try at the game-winner for the 39-year-old Crosby, who did not come close.

"For sure. I mean, it’s always kind of like that, you know?" Slayton said. "A lot of plays that kind of go under the rug normally tend to be the ones that come back to bite you in the end, whether that’s win or lose. So we’ve just got to find a way to make more of these this last week and finish strong."

In the grand scheme of things, the Giants may ultimately benefit from losing games like this one. That's no solace to the current team or to the coaching staff, but to a fan base and a front office starved to turn around their fortune, having a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft could be the fastest way to a rebound.

The Giants remain No. 5 overall, according to Tankathon.com, and by virtue of Arizona beating the Eagles, there is a mathematical possibility that Big Blue could move as high as No. 2 overall depending on results as the regular season comes to a close next weekend.

After the game, Taylor was asked how he would spend the rest of New Year's Eve trying to put this game in the rearview mirror. He said he would watch the video of the game and take a critical look at everything.

A reporter wondered if Taylor would focus on any in particular.

"All of 'em," he quipped.

What he'll find is that, just as they did in Times Square 8 miles away and a few hours later, these Giants once again dropped the ball.