New head coach.
New starting quarterback.
Same result.
The Giants lost to the Packers 27-20 at MetLife Stadium, which was about 50 percent occupied by Green Bay fans clad in their garish Cheeseheads.
The Giants (2-9) looked like they were about to end their four-game losing streak and give Mike Kafka his first NFL victory as a head coach since taking over for Brian Daboll, who was fired this week.
The Giants went ahead 20-19 with 7:22 remaining in a seesaw game on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Jameis Winston, who made his Giants debut by starting in place of injured rookie Jaxson Dart.
That led to the Giants defense agonizingly blowing a fourth-quarter lead for the third time this season.
It ruined the head coaching debut for Kafka, and the first start as a Giant for Winston.
The Packers won the game on a 17-yard touchdown strike from Jordan Love to Christian Watson that gave them a 27-20 led with 4:02 remaining in the game.
Watson, who abused the Giants secondary all day and caught two TD passes, beat Giants cornerback Korie Black in the end zone for the go-ahead score.
The Giants got the ball back with 4:02 remaining and drove to the Green Bay 14-yard line before Winston was picked off by Packers safety Evan Williams in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining.
Jalin Hyatt, the intended receiver, didn’t appear to go after the ball as Williams picked it off easily.
The Giants won the opening coin toss and took the ball, turning the first possession into a 7-0 lead on a five-yard scoring run by Devin Singletary, the first of his two first-half rushing TDs.
The drive was kept alive by a 20-yard Winston pass to Wan’Dale Robinson on a third-and-5 and another 20-yard Winston connection with receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who was signed off the Pittsburgh practice squad.
The Packers cut the lead to 7-6 on a 6-yard scoring pass from backup quarterback Malik Willis to Christian Watson.
Backup kicker Lucas Havrisik, who was playing for the injured Brandon McManus, missed the extra point.
Willis replaced starting quarterback Jordan Love in the first quarter when a hit by Giants linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles injured his left shoulder.
On the touchdown, Giants maligned cornerback Deonte Banks was attached to Watson, who made a great play to hold onto the ball. It was the first TD of the year for Watson, who’d missed time with a knee injury.
After a Giants three-and-out on offense, the Packers took a 13-7 lead on an 11-yard scoring run by running back Emanuel Wilson.
Wilson was in for starter Josh Jacobs, who injured a knee and didn’t return.
Most importantly for Green Bay is that Love returned to the game and went 4-for-6 for 66 yards on the drive.
The Giants tied the game at 13-13 on a 2-yard touchdown run by Singletary with 1:11 remaining in the first half.
Their extra point by Younghoe Koo was good initially, giving the Giants a 14-13 lead. But a chop-block penalty called on Austin Schlottmann made the Giants have to kick again.
The 15-yard penalty made for a 48-yard extra point attempt and Koo missed it wide left, leaving the score at 13-13 at the half.
The Packers, with the ball first to open the third quarter, wasted little time retaking the lead.
Love connected with Josh Whyle from 2 yards out 3:20 into the second half. Whyle was uncovered in the corner of the end zone because Giants safety Jevón Holland was knocked down on a pick by Watson.
After that TD, the Packers again missed the PAT, this leaving Green Bay with a 19-13 lead.
The Giants answered with a monster 16-play drive that ate 9:46 off the clock … but it ended in a failed fourth-and-3 play from the Green Bay 10-yard line when Winston was sacked.
It was the longest offensive possession by the Giants this season.
