New York Giants

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman is reportedly unlikely to return for the 2022 season. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported it's possible Gettleman, 70, chooses to retire rather than being formally fired. Regardless, it's highly unlikely Gettleman returns for a fifth season running the Giants' front office.

The Gettleman era in New York has been nothing short of a disappointment and arguably an outright failure. The franchise has failed to replenish its roster with elite talent despite having three top-10 picks and trading out of the No. 11 pick in 2021. Saquon Barkley's promising career has been derailed by injuries, Daniel Jones has never looked the part of a franchise quarterback, and the nascent careers of Andrew Thomas and Kadarius Toney have also been riddled with injuries.

The Giants (3-7) are almost certainly headed toward their fourth straight losing season under Gettleman. Changes already began in earnest this week when the team fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Head coach Joe Judge, considered a questionable choice when Gettleman hired him, could also be on the hot seat this offseason.

The Giants hired Judge after firing Pat Shurmur following an unsuccessful two-year tenure.

Gettleman has been part of the Giants organization for 19 of the last 24 years. He worked 15 years in the team's front office before joining the Carolina Panthers as general manager from 2013 to 2017.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Giants vice president of football operations and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams could be in line to replace Gettleman. 

In the midst of another subpar season, the New York Giants fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett on Tuesday. Quarterback Daniel Jones told reporters on Wednesday that he blames himself for the team's struggles.

"I feel responsible for our lack of production as an offense," Jones said. "I feel that. I think we all should feel that, and I don't think that's changed today. I still feel like that."

Jones added that while he understands the decision to let Garrett go, he still feels the onus is on himself and his teammates to perform better.

"Coach [Joe] Judge is going to make the decisions as the head coach, that's his job, but I don't think that should change how we feel about how we've played, the points we've scored, how we've done at times," he said. "I think we know we've got to do better. That falls on each one of us, on players and certainly me."

Jones admitted that Garrett's firing hit him hard, but he knows he has to turn the page and prepare for New York's Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"It certainly affects all of us," Jones said. "I think he was a big part of what we were doing on offense and obviously leadership there, so I'll miss him. We'll certainly miss him, and he did a lot for us. We've got to keep moving forward and get ready to play the Eagles this week."

The Giants (3-7) rank 25th in the NFL in scoring offense with 18.9 points per game. Jones has thrown nine touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games. He reiterated that it's up to the players to improve in order for the team to be successful.

"It's about moving forward now, understanding that we've got to keep going and it's on all of us to perform better at each of our jobs," Jones said. "We all have to play better and produce more."

The New York Giants announced Tuesday that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has been fired.

In the wake of his exit, Garrett released a statement, via Jordan Raanan of ESPN:

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported that senior offensive assistant Freddie Kitchens "is expected to call plays the rest of the season."

Garrett's removal doesn't come as a major surprise. The Giants rank 25th in points per game (18.9) and 23rd in points per game (322.8). Five times this season the team has been held to 17 or fewer points, and the team managed just 215 yards and 10 points with three turnovers against Tampa Bay on Monday night, a woeful effort.

"We have to do a better job of putting our players in position to make plays," Giants head coach Joe Judge told reporters after the loss. "We have to make sure we sit down (Tuesday) as a coaching staff and understand how we're going to play this game and give our players a chance to make plays."

Step one in that process: Axing Garrett. 

Kitchens will bring playcalling experience to the role if he indeed is promoted, having served as the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator in 2018 and head coach and primary play-caller in 2019. 

He'll try to reinvigorate a Giants offense that has stalled, hoping to get the most out of quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley and a young collection of wideouts. 

The 3-7 Giants have a pivotal NFC East showdown with the 5-6 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. 

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge laid the blame on the team's coaching staff following Monday's 30-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

"You can put that down tonight. Got that? You guys can write that tonight. Players have to execute. That is their job, right? It is our job to teach them. It's their job to go out and execute.

"But we've got to make sure we put them in position to have success. That has to be consistent, by the way. So, you can go ahead and write that down. I'm not going to debate that."

The Giants are 3-7, and pressure is clearly mounting on Judge, a surprising hire a year ago who is just 9-17 over his first 26 games as a head coach. 

Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett may be the first major change on the coaching staff. Judge refused to endorse Garrett staying on as coordinator after the game. The former Dallas Cowboys head coach has led the Giants offense to a 30-point outing just once since taking the job in 2020.

Daniel Jones has also failed to develop into a quality NFL quarterback in the Judge-Garrett regime. Jones ranks 26th among qualifying quarterbacks in QBR and has thrown only 20 touchdowns in 24 games under Judge. His rookie campaign, which came before Judge's arrival, saw him throw 24 scores in 13 games.

It's fair to note that Jones has better offensive weapons around him now than he did in 2019, though the Giants have dealt with a fair share of injuries.

What's clear is something has to change and fast before the Giants have to hit the reset button.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are back on track.

Tampa Bay snapped a two-game losing streak with a 30-10 victory over the New York Giants in Monday's NFC showdown at Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady led the way for the Buccaneers, who improved to 7-3 on the season and moved two games clear of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.

It was a poor showing for the Giants, who fell to 3-7 in what is shaping up to be a disappointing campaign.

Notable Player Stats

• Tom Brady, QB, TB: 30-of-46 passing for 307 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• Chris Godwin, WR, TB: 6 catches for 65 yards, 1 TD
• Mike Evans, WR, TB: 6 catches for 73 yards, 1 TD
• Daniel Jones, QB, NYG: 23-of-38 passing for 167 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
• Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG: 6 carries for 25 yards; 6 catches for 31 yards

Brady and Bucs Offense Get Back on Track

It's not too often Brady goes into a game looking to shake off a poor performance, but that was the case Monday.

After all, he threw for just 220 yards in the loss to the Washington Football Team, which marked his third time in the previous four games he failed to reach the 300-yard mark. Unsurprisingly, the all-time great wasted little time putting last week behind him and found Chris Godwin on a screen pass for a touchdown on the game's opening possession.

Brady also hit Rob Gronkowski on a deep ball in the first half that helped set up a Ronald Jones II touchdown run.

While Tampa Bay built a 17-10 halftime lead, it wasn't all good news for the home team. Brady threw an interception that bounced off Mike Evans and saw his two-minute drill halted because a holding penalty nullified a long completion to Godwin.

Those mishaps proved to be nothing to worry about as the Buccaneers pulled away in the second half.

The offensive line gave Brady time to sit back in the pocket and pick New York's secondary apart in a methodical fashion by mixing in screens, spreading the ball around and finding openings in the zone. His touchdown pass to Evans in the third quarter opened up a two-score lead, which felt insurmountable given some of the Giants' overall struggles.

It is a testament to Brady's greatness that a blowout win with more than 300 passing yards could have been even better for Tampa Bay with multiple drives stalling for field goals, but the defending champions got back on track Monday.

Giants Offense Goes Missing in Loss

The Giants entered Monday's game with more momentum than they had at any point this season thanks to recent wins over the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders and the return of Saquon Barkley for the first time since Oct. 10.

That momentum quickly disappeared when the Buccaneers outgained New York by 156 yards in the first half.

Still, it was just a seven-point game at intermission thanks to a trick play when Daniel Jones found offensive tackle Andrew Thomas for a touchdown after Adoree' Jackson's interception set the visitors up with a short field.

It was a bright spot for an offense that failed to establish Barkley as an initial threat and turned the ball over on downs to start the second half after a long completion to Kyle Rudolph put them in scoring position.

Things just got worse from there for the Giants when Jones threw a terrible interception to Steve McLendon to set up a Tampa Bay field goal. Throw in multiple holding penalties and overall sloppy play, and New York made a number of mistakes that simply cannot happen to keep pace with Brady on the other side.

The game slipped out of reach by the fourth quarter even before Jones threw yet another interception, this time to Mike Edwards.

It was an ugly showing for an offense that needed a short field just to break through for its one touchdown when the game was still hanging in the balance. That type of performance isn't going to work against any team, let alone one with Brady leading the way.         

What's Next?

Next up for the Giants is a divisional clash when they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The Buccaneers hit the road and will face the Indianapolis Colts.

New York Giants tight end Kyle Rudolph was ruled out for the remainder of Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of an ankle injury.

He had one catch for 28 yards prior to exiting.

Rudolph played a full 16-game schedule in five straight years from 2015 through 2019, although the veteran played 12 games in 2020 and missed a combined 15 contests in 2013 and 2014.

He finished last season with 28 catches for 334 yards and one touchdown and has followed with 16 receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown through his first nine appearances this year.

At his best, the two-time Pro Bowler is a reliable weapon for the Giants who provides a red-zone threat when healthy.

Look for New York to rely even more on Evan Engram at tight end with Rudolph out. They can also look toward the rushing game with Saquon Barkley if the aerial attack struggles without the tight end.

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley should be good to go for Monday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, unless he suffers a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

Barkley has missed the Giants' last three games. 

Barkley suffered the ankle injury when he stepped on Jourdan Lewis' foot in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 10. The 24-year-old told reporters during a practice after the loss that he was frustrated by the injury because he felt he was rounding into form since returning from a torn ACL.

The Penn State product was initially believed to have a low ankle sprain that would sideline him for a short period of time. According to Raanan, Barkley admitted last week he has been out longer than expected. 

Like much of the Giants offense, Barkley has underperformed this season, recording 54 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns in five games. He has also caught 14 passes for 130 yards and a score on 20 targets. 

However, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year was just turning things around before going down. He had his best game of the season in a Week 4 win over the New Orleans Saints, recording 126 total yards (52 rushing, 74 receiving) and two total touchdowns. He had 94 total yards in Week 3.

Barkley has struggled with injuries since rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. He tore his ACL during Week 2 of the 2020 campaign and has played just seven total games thus far between last season and the 2021 campaign. 

The Giants picked up Barkley's fifth-year option, and he's scheduled to become a free agent after the 2022 campaign. If he continues to struggle with injuries, his market could look a lot different than what it would have a few years ago. 

Big Blue enters Monday's game with a 3-6 record, sitting fourth place in the NFC East. They'll need Barkley to be healthy moving forward, and the star running back believes he can return to the player he once was.

"I still believe I'm capable of the things that I've shown on the field before, so when I'm able to make those plays, when those plays come to me, make those plays and don't force anything and take it one day at a time," Barkley said. "That's really the only thing I can do. Those are my expectations. Take it one day at a time, be a leader that I am, and be the playmaker that I know I can be and know that I will be."  

Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look to avoid a third consecutive loss when they meet the New York Giants on Monday at Raymond James Stadium.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion told reporters Saturday he won't be taking the G-Men lightly:

"I think we have to change it, and I think winning football is about doing the right thing as often as possible. Everyone being on the same page, great communication and just giving the best effort as possible on every play. Things aren't always going to be perfect out there, but you have to have as few mistakes as possible.

"I think there's a real urgency for us to have it right. We played this opponent last year, and they gave us a big challenge. I think they're very talented offensively. They have a lot of good talent on their D-line, especially. It's going to be a big challenge for us, and we have to get back to playing the way we're capable of playing."

Brady made similar comments on his Let's Go podcast to host Jim Gray (h/t Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times):

"The things we can control are ultimately the most important thing, and that's us being on the same page and our communication. Communication and concentration, energy, all those things matter. And we've got to improve those things; that's the reality.

"And I'm not going to get into a bunch of scheme things that we need to do differently. We've got to execute better, for sure. I've got to execute better. I've got to make the plays that are there to be made. And I'm sure a lot of guys after today's meetings feel exactly how I feel."

The Buccaneers' last win came Oct. 24 against the Chicago Bears. They followed that with a 36-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints and a 29-19 loss to the Washington Football Team.

Brady has also struggled over the last two games, completing 51 of 74 passes for 595 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions. Tampa Bay's defense hasn't done Brady many favors, either.

Though the Bucs have limited opposing quarterbacks to just 435 passing yards and three passing scores over the last two games, their typically stout run defense has surrendered 246 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.

For the season, Tampa Bay has given up 79.8 yards per game on the ground and has allowed opposing QBs to complete 69.5 percent of their passes for 254.2 passing yards per game.

However, even though running back Saquon Barkley is expected to play and the Giants have won two of their last three, Brady hasn't lost three straight games since his second year as a starter with the New England Patriots in 2002.