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He had a busy night in a losing cause during the New York Giants 20-15 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, but wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson wants two plays back.
The third-year pass-catcher hauled in 11 grabs for 71 yards at MetLife Stadium in Week 4, only to have his production undermined by costly drops. Those gaffes included letting what should have been a big play along the sideline get away from him, before a slant pass slipped through his hands on third-and-6 later in the game to inflict greater damage upon the Giants.
When asked about the sideline drop, which might have been ruled a fumble, Robinson told reporters simply, “Yeah, Oh yeah, no question about it. That’s the biggest play and that third down at the end,” per Giants.com.
Speaking about his near miss on the later third down, Robinson was candid: “Even, no matter what, got holding or not, I feel like I should always make that play.”
Robinson was left haunted by the plays he didn’t make on what proved a frustrating night. Ball security is increasingly becoming a problem, but the Giants can at least take some small consolation from the fact their two primary receivers remain hugely productive.
Wan’Dale Robinson Drops Typical of Near Misses vs. Cowboys
Both mistakes hurt Big Blue in different ways. The first typified a night where the Giants moved the ball well between the 20s, but had to settle for five field goals. Procedural penalties, poor execution and lapses in concentration consistently doomed the hosts in the red zone.
Robinson’s second notable drop put the Giants in a hole on fourth-and-6 with 3:30 on the clock and the game on the line. A missed connection between Daniel Jones and Malik Nabers resulted in a turnover on downs and the end of the Giants’ last meaningful chance to win this ballgame.
“Brutal drop by Wan’Dale Robinson. He’s still running with that third-down. Now, Giants’ best offensive player is hurt after a failed fourth down. That’s quite the double whammy,” Go Long’s Tyler Dunne tweeted.
Dunne’s reference to Nabers suffering an apparent concussion on the next play only compounded the sense of regret about Robinson’s clutch drop. Nabers has since signaled he’s OK, but any time without their rookie phenom would be tough for the Giants to handle.
Extended absence for Nabers would put the onus on Robinson to produce a more consistent game than he delivered against the Cowboys. He’d have to start by improving his hands.
Drops Becoming a Problem for Giants
Robinson and Nabers combined for 23 receptions and 186 yards, but the numbers almost count for naught because of the drops. They both let catches get away, as did fellow wideout Darius Slayton.
Each of these miscues showed the Giants hadn’t learned their lesson from previous weeks. Jones entered this game “suffering the worst drop rate at his position the first 3 weeks,” according to Scott Spratt of FTN Fantasy.
That’s a damning lack of efficiency when the Giants are primarily moving the ball through the air this season. The running game, which stalled after two-time Pro Bowler Saquon Barkley signed with NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, managed just 26 yards against what had been the league’s worst rush defense, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic.
Robinson has been doing his bit to extend the running game by turning short passes into bigger players after the catch. He put some good examples of the same on tape against the Cowboys, including moving the chains on this third-down highlighted by Empire Sports Media’s Alex Wilson.
Ultimately though, Robinson’s game was defined by the plays he didn’t make. The Giants need more clutch contributions from No. 17 and his fellow receivers.
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