Undisciplined Giants make brutal penalty history that ended up costly

ARLINGTON, Texas — Is it more unusual for one player to be called for four penalties on one drive or for one team to be called for three penalties on one play? 

Either way, both rarities happened Sunday to the Giants in an undisciplined mess of a 40-37 heartbreaking overtime loss to the Cowboys.

The Giants drew 21 flags and had 14 penalties accepted resulting in a franchise record 160 yards. 

“We just can’t do it,” edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “A lot of lack of discipline out there on the defensive side and a few times on offense. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We have to stop making mistakes. We have to grow up all the way around.” 

Fill-in left tackle James Hudson III became the first NFL player in 100 years to be called for four penalties on one drive, according to the Fox broadcast. 

He also gave up a sack on the game-opening series, which led to his second-series benching and this mind-boggling stat: The Giants gained 110 yards (95 through the air) on the drive and still kicked a 38-yard field goal because of all the reversing course. 

“He had a number of them,” said head coach Brian Daboll, who ordered rookie Marcus Mbow be put in the game. “I just thought let’s [put] Mbow in and settle it down a little bit.” 

Hudson, who was not available for an interview postgame, was called for two personal fouls and two false starts.

One personal foul was a swing to the head that Daboll excused because the pass rusher slipped and the other took the Giants out of first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. 

Hudson was heated on the sideline in his discussion with offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo and he needed to be calmed by offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and his teammates. 

“Hudson is a competitive kid,” Daboll said. 

On a third-and-9 in the red zone in the second quarter, the defense was called for having too many players on the field, roughing the passer (Roy Robertson-Harris) and pass interference (Deonte Banks).

A simultaneous penalty on the Cowboys meant all four offset, but Dak Prescott threw a touchdown on his third-and-9 do-over. 

“I think a lot of the pass interferences were bogus,” said cornerback Dru Phillips, who was called for a pass interference and an unnecessary roughness. “I shouldn’t have slammed [CeeDee Lamb] down. I was just making a tackle.” 

The final penalty breakdown: 13 defense, seven offense and one special teams. 

How do you fix that? 

“I don’t know,” Dexter Lawrence II said. “Some questionable, some … just the way it goes. I don’t think it’s a lack of discipline. We played tough, and they just called it.”