The party is over in Gotham, where the New York Giants find themselves picking up the pieces after a 24-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday night.
Jeremiah: True grit
After watching Dallas' win over the Giants, Daniel Jeremiah says there's something different about these Cowboys. **More ...**
The Giants are the first defending champion to lose the opener since a wayward Broncos squad did the same in 1999. If you're guessing that doesn't sit well with coach Tom Coughlin, you've guessed right.
"This is what I told our team: It's how we respond right now that's the critical factor," Coughlin told the New York Daily News. "Get back to work. Grind a little bit. Forget about all the smoke being blown. It's a new year. There's new issues. Get it straightened around."
Coughlin wasn't happy with how New York practiced before the Cowboys loss, and linebacker Michael Boley told the Daily News a "sense of urgency" has set in. Other players connected the dots between this loss and last year's opening fade against the Washington Redskins, which feels tenuous to us.
Last year's Giants secondary was a disaster at the outset, too, but last year's problems aren't where this team draws it hope. That comes from the way New York finished, and that's what Coughlin is impatient for.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
