Giants safety defends under-fire DC after late-game collapse vs. Cowboys

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen admitted that he wished he had "made a little bit different call" on the final drive of regulation in a 40-37 overtime loss against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 14. 

Giants safety Tyler Nubin later came to Bowen's defense during a chat with Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com.

Do Giants players blame Shane Bowen for loss to Cowboys? 

"...I wouldn’t even blame it on [Bowen]," Nubin said about what occurred at Dallas' AT&T Stadium on Sept. 14. "It wasn’t the call. Just because he calls a certain defense, we’re still the guys out there that have got to make it come to life."

Nubin was referencing how the Giants played a soft zone and allowed an 18-yard completion before Dallas gained three yards on the ground in the final seconds of regulation. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey then made a game-tying 64-yard field goal as time expired, and he ultimately kicked a game-winner late in the overtime period. 

"Anybody that plays this game knows that you can’t get hung up on one game," Nubin continued. "So we’re not going to listen to what everybody outside of here is saying, because they’re just going to say whatever they saw last. It’s not indicative of who we are or where we’re going, just because of one result. That’s outside (expletive). People who actually understand this game, they know you can’t just go off of one performance."

Things don't get easier for Giants defense

Regardless of what Bowen does this weekend, logic suggests the Giants defense could be in for a rough Sunday night when Big Blue hosts the 0-2 Kansas City Chiefs. Nubin said that facing the Kansas City offense led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes will make for a "fun" challenge. At the same time, cornerback Dru Phillips insisted that the Giants will positively bounce back from their latest heartbreaking defeat. 

"We’re going right back at it," Phillips told Slater. "We’re still the same. We stay the same. We’re getting it all to come together. We’re still good. After a week like that, now you know what definitely needs to be fixed. It’s Week 2. I’m not trying to say, 'Oh, it’s just Week 2 and we don’t care.' We do care. But now, we’ve got that callous, and we’ve learned from it. We’re not stressing about it all."

ESPN BET listing the Giants as 6.5-point underdogs for the "Sunday Night Football" matchup suggests that maybe Phillips and Co. should be more concerned about what Mahomes could do at MetLife Stadium in front of a prime-time audience.