Recapping Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season.
Both the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills are enduring injury crises, but the former entered the game as heavy underdogs and gave a respectable fight.
Buffalo came away with a 14-9 victory on Sunday Night Football in a game that was much closer than expected. It came down to Tyrod Taylor's last-second goal-line pass to Darren Waller being broken up in the end zone.
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There were shouts for a second straight defensive pass interference penalty, but it was not called.
With the result, the Bills moved to 4-2 and stayed close to the AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins while the Giants fell to 1-5 in the NFC East, stuck in last place.
Let's analyze the game further with five takeaways:
Bills' offense goes scoreless for three quarters
NFL
The Bills had zeroes on the scoreboard after each of the first three quarters. They also didn't enter the red zone until late in the third. The Giants' defense held on as long as they could, but their inability to put up points consistently on offense came back to bite them.
Daniel Jones probably only changes this game if he made plays with his legs, but there wasn't anything different about the Giants in this one.
As for the Bills, they'll have to go back to the drawing board to see what went wrong for the initial three quarters. If they played a more elite team, this could've very well been a frustrating home loss as all of their points came in the fourth quarter.
Bobby Okereke shines for Giants' defense
The Giants needed someone to step up and give them a fighting chance on each side of the ball. Defensively, that was 27-year-old linebacker Bobby Okereke, who was everywhere on the night.
Okereke logged a team-high 11 tackles (eight solo) to go with two tackles for a loss and two passes defended. It's not easy to limit Buffalo's offense to just 14 games, but Okereke would've been the Giants' unsung hero had they pulled off the victory.
Saquon Barkley wakes up in fourth quarter
Barkley at different points of the game had 12 carries for 12 yards and 18 for 32. Buffalo had him neutralized until he got going in the fourth quarter with consecutive big runs, ending the night with 93 yards on 24 carries (a long of 34).
Maybe it was a case of too little, too late, but it's a decent sign for New York moving forward considering its dire lack of vertical threats that can change the game.
As for Taylor, he gave the Giants a chance. That's all you can ask for from your backup QB, who recorded 20 of 29 completed passes for 178 yards, no touchdowns and no picks. He didn't add any scores, but he also didn't cost New York the game.
Josh Allen-Stefon Diggs duo delivers in the clutch
Despite going scoreless for three quarters and looking clueless, the Bills found momentum at the right time and their two best offensive players led the charge. Allen and Diggs got their connection humming, and though Diggs didn't log a touchdown himself, he was imperative to get Buffalo downfield and into scoring positions.
The game-winning touchdown came from an unlikely source: Quintin Morris. It was his first target and catch of the season.
Allen finished the game with 169 passing yards on 19 of 30 completions for two touchdowns and an interception while Diggs had 10 catches for 100 yards.
James Cook and Latavius Murray chipped in from the backfield, too. The former logged 71 yards on 14 carries while the latter posted 45 on 12.
Only one more primetime game left for Giants
Through six weeks, the Giants have been on primetime four times: Sunday night vs. Dallas in Week 1, Thursday night vs. San Francisco in Week 3, Monday night vs. Seattle in Week 4 and this one. They lost all four and scored a total of just 24 points.
New York didn't need to be under the lights this many times, especially this early, despite its playoff appearance last season. It barely improved the roster over the offseason, and all of that became evident in just Week 1. The Giants will next be under the lights in Week 14 when they host the Green Bay Packers.
With both of those teams not looking like a playoff-quality matchup near the end of the season, there's a possibility it could be flexed.
