EAST RUTHERFOPD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants are giving new meaning to the phrase: “There is no place like home.”
Home is becoming the last place the Giants (2-4) want to be these days. They have played three games at MetLife Stadium and lost them all, the latest coming on Sunday night in a 17-7 defeat to the struggling Cincinnati Bengals.
Click to Gallery
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) runs past Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, right, greet each other on the field after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (13) is unable to make the catch as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants kicker Greg Joseph watches his missed field goal in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) sacks New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Not only have the Giants lost, they have not given their fans much to cheer about, especially the offense. It has scored 28 points in losses to Minnesota, Dallas and Cincinnati and tallied one touchdown, that coming on a 1-yard run by rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the third quarter following a pass interference call in the end zone.
“It’s probably a number of things. I’ll go back and watch the tape,” coach and offensive play-caller Brian Daboll said. “I thought we had some opportunities throughout the game. Whether it be run, whether it be pass.”
The mistakes by the offense were huge.
Quarterback Daniel Jones drove New York to the Bengals 14 with about four minutes left in the first quarter with the Giants down 7-0. On first-and-10, he looked for tight end Theo Johnson on a throw back across the field and was hit by former Giants defensive lineman B.J. Hill while throwing. The ball fluttered in the air and Germaine Pratt intercepted it near the goal line.
Late in the second quarter, Jones connected with Darius Slayton on a quick crossing pattern and run for 56 yards. The run-pass option that started at the Giants 9 was nullified when left tackle Andrew Thomas was ruled to be illegally downfield.
That's the way the night went for New York, which was 5 of 15 on third down and 3 of 5 on fourth down. The Giants outgained the Bengals 309 yards to 304.
“It’s very disappointing — just couldn’t sustain drives, execute, get into a rhythm, and frustrating,” said Jones, who was 22 of 41 for 205 yards. “I feel like we’ve taken steps and progressed as an offense. Obviously, we didn’t do that today, so we’ll get a look at what we need to do better and clean it up.”
What's obvious is the Giants have missed rookie sensation Malik Nabers, who was leading the league with 35 catches when he sustained a concussion against Dallas on Sept. 26. He has missed the last two games, although New York won at Seattle last weekend.
Nabers, who has three TD catches, has been progressing and the hope is he can return next Sunday against the Eagles, which unfortunately is also at MetLife Stadium.
“He definitely brings out a certain energy, he brings out a certain aura when he is on the field,” outside linebacker Brian Burns said. “He’s an explosive player and we would love to have him (back out on the field), but we have seen guys step up last week and guys step up this week, so it’s always next-man-up.”
The Giants longest plays in the game were four passes for 15 yards, which are not considered explosive plays.
“It makes it tough when you have to do that in this league,” said Jones, who led the Giants with 56 yards rushing on 11 carries. “I think credit to their defense, their scheme and their plan is to prevent some of those plays, but we’ve got to execute and find a way to generate some of them.”
The positive for the Giants was the defense has played well at home the last two games. It limited Dallas to 20 points in a 20-15 loss last month and the Bengals to 17, after they had scored at least 33 in each of their previous three games.
Special teams also did not help Sunday. Kicker Greg Joseph missed field goals from 47 and 45 yards in the fourth quarter, the first one with New York down 10-7.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (28) runs past Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) tackles Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) and New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, right, greet each other on the field after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (13) is unable to make the catch as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Bengals won 17-7. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants kicker Greg Joseph watches his missed field goal in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) sacks New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel's military announced Sunday it will now take aim at the Lebanon-based Hezbollah's financial arm and planned to attack a “large number of targets” in the coming hours in Beirut and elsewhere. Explosions began in Beirut's southern suburbs about an hour later.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said “anyone who will be near the sites used to finance Hezbollah’s terrorist activity is required to stay away from them immediately.” Evacuation warnings affected southern Beirut, the eastern Bekaa valley and parts of southern Lebanon.
The strikes will target al-Qard al-Hassan "all over Lebanon,” a senior Israeli intelligence official said. Al-Qard al-Hassan is a unit in Hezbollah that's used to pay operatives of the Iran-backed militant group and help buy arms, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations.
The registered nonprofit, sanctioned by both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, provides financial services and is also used by ordinary Lebanese. Its name in Arabic means “the benevolent loan,” and Hezbollah has used it to entrench its support among the Shiite population in a country where state and financial institutions have failed in recent years.
Al-Qard al-Hassan in a statement called the decision to target it a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured customers it had taken “measures” to ensure their funds were safe.
A year of escalating tensions and frequent cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the war in Gaza turned into all-out war last month. Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon early this month.
Israel's announcement came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called civilian casualties in Lebanon “far too high” in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and urged Israel to scale back some strikes, especially in and around Beirut.
Iran supports the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents indicating that Israel was moving military assets into place for a military strike in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1, according to three U.S. officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Israel has increased strikes on southern neighborhoods of Beirut known as the Dahiyeh, a crowded residential area where Hezbollah has a strong presence. It is also home to many civilians unaffiliated with the militant group.
In southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicle. There was no immediate comment on that from the Israeli military, which said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past day and continued ground operations there.
Lebanon’s army has largely kept to the sidelines in the war. The military is a respected institution in Lebanon, but isn't powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend the country from an Israeli invasion.
Israel's military said Hezbollah fired more than 170 rockets into the country on Sunday. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said three people were slightly injured from a fire sparked by a rocket attack on the northern city of Safed.
In the middle is the U.N. peacekeeping mission UNIFIL, which said Israeli forces on Sunday “deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a U.N. position” in southern Lebanon. It again resisted Israeli pressure to leave its positions.
Israeli strikes on homes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday left at least 87 people dead or missing, the territory’s Health Ministry said, as a large-scale operation continued against Hamas militants said to be regrouping.
The ministry said another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of Beit Lahiya, which was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago. The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas target.
The U.S. is urging Israel to press for a cease-fire in Gaza following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar last week. But neither Israel nor Hamas has shown interest in such a deal after negotiations sputtered to a halt in August.
Among the dead from the strikes in Beit Lahiya were parents and eight children, according to Raheem Kheder, a medic. He said the strike flattened a multistory building and at least four neighboring houses.
The Israeli military said it used precise munitions against a Hamas target.
In central Gaza, Six people, including a child, were killed when a strike hit a car in Deir al-Balah, Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital officials said. The bodies were counted by AP journalists.
Doctors Without Borders, the international charity known by its French acronym MSF, called on Israeli forces to immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza after the Health Ministry said that Israeli troops had fired on two hospitals over the weekend.
Israel's military said that it was operating near one hospital but hadn't fired directly at it.
Internet connectivity went down in northern Gaza late Saturday, making it difficult to gather information about strikes and complicating rescue efforts.
Gaza's north has suffered the heaviest destruction of the war, and has been encircled by Israeli forces since late last year.
Israel ordered the entire population of the northern third of Gaza, including Gaza City, to evacuate to the south in the war's opening weeks and reiterated those instructions this month. Most of the population fled last year, but around 400,000 people are believed to have remained.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Around 100 captives are still being held in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who don't distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.
Samy Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut and Zeke Miller, Mike Balsamo, Eric Tucker and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Palestinians mourn as they carry the bodies of relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A young Palestinian mourns his relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
CORRECTS DATE A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated in a hospital in Deir el-Balah, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A Palestinian wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is treated in a hospital in Deir al Balah, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Smoke rises following an explosion in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
People pass by a newly painted graffiti depicting Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, days after he was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
An Israeli army tank maneuvers near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
Israeli police officers stand next to a site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Israeli police officers stand next to a site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Members of the Israeli forces watch a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky as fire burns in a site next to houses after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit a location near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A Israeli police officer walks past site of a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna, northern Israel, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Workers clean a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A worker cleans a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Workers clean a street as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises after Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, early Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Workers clean a street under a giant portrait of the late Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, as smoke rises from a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
