Brian Daboll Explains Disastrous First-Half Decision After Giants-Bills

The New York Giants might officially have lost on a controversial no-call on the final play of their game against the Buffalo Bills on “Sunday Night Football.” But if the G-Men hadn’t made a disastrous mistake on the last play of the first half, perhaps the outcome would have been different.

With 14 seconds left in the first half and New York without a timeout, Tyrod Taylor audibled to a run rather than keep the initial pass play-call, head coach Brian Daboll told reporters after the game. Saquon Barkley then was stopped at the line of scrimmage and the Giants, who had a first-and-goal from the Buffalo 1-yard line, were unable to get another play off.

“Had a play called, it was a run-action pass play,” Daboll told reporters after the 14-9 loss, per the team. “And ended up alerting it to a run. Didn’t get it off.”

Daboll added: “Yeah, there was communication (with Taylor). … He just saw it, he saw a look based on the play that we had and he ended up alerting it (to a run).”

The Giants went into the intermission with a 6-0 lead over the Bills. Should New York not have run the ball on that play, they might have had time for another pass into the end zone or at the very least a short field goal attempt. Taylor and the offense left at least three points off the board in a game it lost by five.

It’s worth noting the Giants also advanced the ball deep into Buffalo territory on their final possession of the game. New York faced a fourth-and-5 from the Buffalo 27-yard line with 22 seconds left in regulation. If all things played out the same way — yes, that’s a big if — it could have led to a game-winning field goal attempt.