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What we learned from Giants' 20-17 loss to Panthers

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Lonnie Johnson of Carolina Panthers clashes with Ihmir Smith-Marsette of New York Giants during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Lonnie Johnson of Carolina Panthers clashes with Ihmir Smith-Marsette of New York Giants during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

The New York Giants fell to 2-8 after losing, 20-17, in overtime to the Carolina Panthers in Munich, Germany on Sunday.

Some will see the game as a valiant comeback that fell short while others will label it just another week in which the Giants failed to take advantage of what was in front of them.

Here are five things we learned from the Week 10 loss.

A new low

American Football - NFL - Carolina Panthers v New York Giants - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 10, 2024 Carolina Panthers' Demani Chau Smith-Wade in action REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
American Football - NFL - Carolina Panthers v New York Giants - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 10, 2024 Carolina Panthers' Demani Chau Smith-Wade in action REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

The Giants became the first NFL team to eight losses this season on Sunday morning, soon to be joined by another dumpster fire -- the Jacksonville Jaguars -- later in the day.

They remain one of six teams with just two wins after 10 weeks. The Miami Dolphins can reduce that number to five with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

At this point, it's a race to the bottom for the Giants and their draft status will become the story as the season unfolds.

At this juncture, the Giants hold the second overall selection but have one game in hand over five of the other two-win teams.

The Giants have had the first overall pick in the NFL draft twice in their history -- 1951 (Kyle Rote) and 1965 (Tucker Frederickson) -- and traded for the first overall selection (Eli Manning) in 2004.

The Giants have selected second overall three times -- 1948 (Skippy Minisi), 1981 (Lawrence Taylor), and 2018 (Saquon Barkley).

An inflection point for this regime

Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK
Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK

Year 3 has been a colossal bust for the Joe Schoen/Brian Daboll era. Granted, they were saddled with some poor choices made by previous general manager Dave Gettleman and his people but their efforts to climb out of that hole have been fruitless.

The loss to the lowly Panthers in front of the entire planet on Sunday had to sting the organization from top to bottom. The recent roster mismanagement and lack of sufficient depth have also been evident as the team struggles from week to week.

Co-owner John Mara has given his vote of confidence to this regime but he only owns half the team. Steve Tisch and his family own the other half and we know Tisch is kind of a silent partner, but at some point, he is likely to become frustrated and impatient.

Will this lead to another regime change and rebuild? 21st-century Giants fans don't have the appetite for that.

No doubt, Jones has to go

Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) prepares to take the snap against the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Munich, Germany; New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) prepares to take the snap against the Carolina Panthers in the first half during the 2024 NFL Munich Game at Allianz Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Daniel Jones is a solid person and an excellent athlete. Unfortunately, it takes more than that to be a successful quarterback in the NFL.

Jones is in his sixth season and is still making some of the same mistakes he made as a rookie. In fact, he is not even as good as was as a rookie. In 2019, Jones threw 24 touchdowns and ran for two more. He has not thrown for more than 15 in any season since.

On Sunday, facing a Carolina defense that was rated last or near the bottom of practically every major statistical category, Jones was awful in both his decision-making and his accuracy. His performance -- especially in the first half -- was red meat to his critics and there was no defending him as the faux pas just kept on coming.

The Giants would have won the game easily with better quarterback play. Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who provided the booth analysis on the NFL Network broadcast, stopped short of saying as much.

Can't have anything nice

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Tyrone Tracy Jr of New York Giants runs with the ball during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Tyrone Tracy Jr of New York Giants runs with the ball during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. continued to shine, gaining 103 yards on 18 attempts (5.7 YPC) including a 32-yard touchdown run.

The entire world, who has been critical of the Giants' parting of ways with Saquon Barkley this past offseason, got a chance to see that the Giants have moved on successfully.

But that feel-good story came crashing to a halt when Tracy fumbled on his own 23 in overtime, leading to the winning field goal for the Panthers. A despondent Tracy was seen on the bench afterward. It was a sad moment in what has become a season filled with them.

The defense is wearing down

MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Chuba Hubbard of Carolina Panthers runs with the ball under pressure from Bobby Okereke and Brian Burns of New York Giants during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 10: Chuba Hubbard of Carolina Panthers runs with the ball under pressure from Bobby Okereke and Brian Burns of New York Giants during the NFL Munich Game 2024 between New York Giants and Carolina Panthers at Allianz Arena on November 10, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

When All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence is out on the field, the Giants' defense is serviceable. When he's not, they are a sieve and extremely vulnerable to the run.

The Panthers racked up 188 yards on the ground -- 153 of them by running back Chuba Hubbard. The Giants have allowed an average of 168 yards on the ground over their last three games and are the fourth-worst run defense in the NFL after 10 weeks.

But things are about to become a bit more challenging...

When they come back from their bye, they face Tampa Bay and Dallas but will then go up against a gauntlet of the NFL's top running backs: New Orleans (Alvin Kamara), Baltimore (Derrick Henry), Atlanta (Bijan Robinson), Indianapolis (Jonathan Taylor) and Saquon Barkley and the Eagles, who rushed for 269 yards against them in the first meeting this year.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: What we learned from Giants' 20-17 loss to Panthers