Giants coach Brian Daboll not worried about his job because it's out of his control

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — There is no need for coach Brian Daboll to worry about his job status with the New York Giants.

The Giants (2-10) are riding a seven-game losing streak and they became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention in 2024 with a 27-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys (5-7) on Thanksgiving.

New York has five games left in the season and it would be foolish for co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch to change coaches at this point. It's unlikely to rally the team and will show the players that management has given up.

That was the positive against Dallas. After a no-show in losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday, the Giants played hard. They lost because they missed tackles, saw quarterback Drew Lock turn the ball over twice, including a pick returned for a touchdown, and they were assessed a season-high 13 penalties.

“I think you focus on your team. You focus on our staff, our coaches, players, and going out there to get the kind of performance and result we all want,” Daboll said Friday. “We have a lot of confidence in our people. Obviously not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination. So, we just keep working hard to fix the things we need to fix.”

Mara said earlier this season he wants to show more patience when it comes to making changes.

Daboll, who was hired in 2022, may have run out of time despite leading New York to its first playoff berth since 2016 in his first season. The team is now 8-21 over the last two seasons and looking like the bad teams that predecessors Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge coached for two years apiece.

Daboll insists his team his team will continue to work hard and try to improve.

For Daboll and even general manager Joe Schoen, that might not be enough. This was supposed to be a special season for the Giants, their 100th in the NFL. It's been special, but for all the wrong reasons.

Even with Deonte Banks not playing because of a rib injury, the secondary allowed one touchdown and 195 yards passing, including three plays that accounted for 88 yards.

The line play. The offensive line allowed six sacks and 14 quarterback hits. Last week, Tommy DeVito was sacked four times in his first start after the release of Daniel Jones and hit so hard late that he missed the Dallas game with a forearm injury. The D-line had an NFL-high 35 sacks in the first eight games. It has one in the last four, including none against Dallas and just three quarterback hits.

Lock: Forget the pick six and the lost fumble. Thrown into the starting lineup because of the DeVito injury, the 28-year-old led the Giants to 20 points for only the third time this season. He had a 28-yard run to set up Tyrone Tracy's TD run on the opening possession and he scored late on an 8-yard run. New York was 2-for-2 in the red zone. Not bad for a third starter in as many weeks.

Daboll: With the seven straight losses, it's hard to see him returning next year.

Daboll said DT Dexter Lawrence (elbow) and TE Theo Johnson (foot) sustained long-term and possibly season-ending injuries Thursday. ... DT D.J. Davidson (shoulder) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (stinger) also were hurt in the game. DeVito (forearm) was listed as the third quarterback while CB Deonte Banks (rib) and LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) were inactive with injuries.

11 — The Giants have set an NFL record for most consecutive games without an interception.

The Giants have more than a week to get ready to play the Saints at MetLife Stadium, where they are winless in six games this season. The time off should give DeVito a chance to get healthy or it will give Lock more time to prepare. Daboll is not sure who will get the next start.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (13) during the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Carl Lawson (55) sacks New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) during the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

New York Giants cornerback Adoree' Jackson (21) breaks up a pass to Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (81) during the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)

New York Giants place kicker Graham Gano (9) kicks a field goal against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll responds to questions during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Rodriguez)

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) celebrates his touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys with tight end Theo Johnson (84) during the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) celebrates after running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) scored a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers in the U.S. rewarded shoppers who ventured out for Black Friday with giveaways and bigger-than expected discounts on a day that still reigns as the much-hyped kickoff of the holiday shopping season despite losing some luster.

Department stores, shopping malls and merchants — big and small — see the day after Thanksgiving as a way to energize shoppers and to get them into physical stores at a time when many do the bulk of their browsing and buying online.

Enough consumers enjoy holiday shopping in person that Black Friday remains the biggest day of the year for retail foot traffic in the U.S., according to retail technology company Sensormatic Solutions.

At Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, a steady stream of shoppers early Friday found some shoes and handbags priced half-off, special occasion dresses marked down by 30%, and 60% off the store's luxury bedding brand.

Keressa Clark, 50, and her daughter Morghan, 27, who were visiting New York from Wilmington, North Carolina, arrived at 6:15 a.m. at the store that served as the setting for the 1947 Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street.”

“We don’t have a Macy’s where we are from. I am actually shocked to see so many Black Friday deals because so many things are online,” Morghan Clark said.

Clark, who works as a nurse practitioner, said she was feeling better about the economy because of President-elect Donald Trump’s pending return to the White House and plans to spend $2,000 this holiday season, about $500 more than a year ago.

She said she would not mind if prices are higher next year as a result of the tariffs on foreign-made goods Trump has pledged to implement. “Anything that can encourage production in the U.S. I am all for it, “ Clark said.

In the U.S., analysts envision a solid holiday shopping season, though perhaps not as robust as last year’s, with many shoppers cautious with their discretionary spending despite the easing of inflation.

At many stores, the huge crowds of Black Fridays past never returned after the coronavirus pandemic. Early Friday morning, a Walmart in Germantown, Maryland, had only half of the parking spots filled. Some shoppers were returning items or doing their routine grocery shopping.

Bharatharaj Moruejsan, a 35-year-old software engineer, said he typically doesn't shop on Black Friday but decided to check out the deals at Walmart because he was jet-lagged after returning from a month-long family vacation to India. He scored an iPad for his 1-year-old daughter for $250 compared to the original $370 price tag.

“That’s a good deal,” Moruejsan said.

Retailers are even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year.

Target had an exclusive book devoted to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour and a bonus edition of her “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” album that it said would only be available in stores on Black Friday. Customers can buy them online starting Saturday.

Best Buy introduced an extended-release version of the doorbuster, the limited-time daily discounts that for years were the rage and sometimes sparked brawls. The nation’s largest consumer electronics chain has released doorbuster deals every Friday since Nov. 8.

After visiting stores and malls on Long Island, Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said Target had a couple hundred people lining at many stores Friday for the Taylor Swift merchandise. Elsewhere, the number of shoppers appeared as usual.

“The spreading out of the holidays has created the lack of need and lack of urgency,” said Cohen, who had a 20-person team monitoring crowds in Houston, Dallas, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Los Angeles. “This is going to be a long slow tedious process” of getting shoppers to buy, he said.

Michael Brown, a partner at global strategy and management consulting firm Kearney, reported seeing no lines at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, 10 minutes before the 7 a.m. opening.

“It’s not the old Black Friday that we used to know, ” he said.

Retailers that offered at least 40% off drove shoppers’ attention, according to Brown. For example, Forever 21 had 50% to 70% discounts and had lines to the stores, while H&M, which offered 30% discounts, was relatively quiet.

Other observers reported brisker traffic. Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, said 13,000 people showed up the first hour of its 7 a.m. opening, roughly 1,000 more than a year ago, according to Jill Renslow, the mall’s chief business development and marketing officer.

The mall also was on target to exceed the 200,000 Black Friday customer visits it received in 2023, Renslow said. Stores with deep discounts and promotions were the most packed, she said, citing Lego’s giveaway of a free retro record player with a $250 purchase.

Impulse purchases and self-gifting were other potential areas where retailers might see growth, Circana's Cohen said.

Tara Rutherford, 53, headed straight to Macy’s Herald Square to shop for herself after finishing her overnight nursing shift at a Manhattan hospital. A newlywed, Rutherford said she rarely shops on Black Friday because of her work schedule but was “feeling festive.”

“This is all about me,” she said, eyeing boots that carried a 40% discount.

Early e-commerce sales figures gave retailers a reason to remain hopeful for a lucrative end to the year.

Vivek Pandya, the lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, said consumers spent a record $6.1 billion online on Thanksgiving Day, up  8.8% from last year. Growth outpaced last year, driven by bigger-than-expected discounts that spurred impulse buys in electronics, apparel and other categories, Pandya said.

Thanksgiving was the best time to shop online to get the deepest discount on sporting goods, toys, furniture and appliances, according to Adobe's analysis. But Black Friday was the best time to buy TVs online.

Cyber Monday, however, is expected to be the best time to buy clothing and gadgets like phones and computers online.

Across the board, Black Friday weekend discounts should peak at 30% on Cyber Monday and then go down to around 15%, according to Adobe’s research.

Black Friday no longer is an American-only holiday event. Retailers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. also appealed to holiday shoppers looking to save money.

In India, about 200 Amazon warehouse workers and delivery drivers, rallied Friday in New Delhi, some wearing masks of Amazon chief Jeff Bezos, to demand better wages and working conditions. Similar protests were planned in other countries.

Hadero reported from Germantown, Maryland.

Shoppers take advantage of Black Friday deals in Montreal on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

A Sport Expert's employee walks past a sign advertising Black Friday sales in Montreal on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Christinne Muschi /The Canadian Press via AP)

Shoppers walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

Shoppers walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

People carry shopping bags as they walk along Fifth Avenue, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)

A participant wears a paper mask in the likeness of Amazon's Jeff Bezos as warehouse workers and delivery drivers stage a protest against the Seattle-based company demanding higher wages and better working conditions, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Early Black Friday shoppers line up outside stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

To mark the Black Friday discount day, around 400 to 500 Amazon employees from Germany joined colleagues from the USA, Sweden, the UK and Italy at the international protest center in Bad Hersfeld,Germany, and took part in the central strike meeting in the Schilde Hall, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Christian Lademann/dpa via AP)

An early Black Friday shopper uses a smartphone flashlight to locate a store at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Early Black Friday shoppers are silhouetted as they wait in line to enter a store at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Early Black Friday shoppers line up outside stores at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

An aerial view shows a packed parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, as early Black Friday shoppers arrive at the mall. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A woman walks a dog in a street of Mayfair at sunrise, in London, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

People walk by sale signs on the shopping street in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A shopper passes a store advertising a Black Friday Sale on Regent Street in London, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

People window shop in Bryant Park's Winter Village, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

A shopper looks at handbags at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

FILE - Shoppers and others walk down a crowded sidewalk on Black Friday in the Soho neighborhood of New York, Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie, File)

Items on sale for $5 are displayed at a Five Below store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

Items on sale for Black Friday are displayed at Macy's department store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

Shoppers pass a Christmas tree at the Bergdorf Goodman store on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Anne D'Innocenzio)

A sign promoting Black Friday deals sits on table with a display of mirrorless cameras in a Best Buy store Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, in south Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)