The New York Giants checked all of the wrong boxes in their 40-0 dismantling defeat, courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football" at MetLife Stadium. It was the Giants' largest shutout home loss in franchise history. The G-Men also joined the 1990-1991 Raiders as the only other team in NFL history to lose a playoff game by 30 or more points -- they lost 38-7 against the Eagles in the 2022 NFC divisional round -- and subsequently fall in their opener the following season by 30 or more points.
Thanks to the 40-0 loss, Daniel Jones being sacked seven times to Dak Prescott's zero, losing the turnover margin 3-0, having their opening drive field goal attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown, and Jones tossing a pick-six, the Giants had a historic, melancholy kind of NFL bingo. No team in league history had ever lost a game 40-0 or worse, lost a sacks battle in a game seven-to-zero or worse, lost a turnover battle in a game three-to-zero or worse, had a field goal attempt blocked and return for touchdown, and had an interception returned for a touchdown across an entire season, according to OptaStats.
The Giants did all of those things in one night. The one silver lining is those 1991 Raiders did end up making the postseason after the back-to-back shellackings to end the 1990 season and start the 1991 season. Basically, the Giants have a chance to right the ship and still have a solid 2023 season despite the stink of their Week 1 debacle.
