DETROIT – Jameis Winston’s alternate reality, in all its glory, was an electric experience in Sunday’s 34-27 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
The Giants’ wily veteran quarterback threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson on a throw from running back Devin Singletary in the first quarter.
Then Winston caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Gunner Olszewski in the third quarter, throwing a Heisman-like stiff arm over Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes to gallop into the end zone.
Then he threw a fourth-quarter interception to Lions safety Thomas Harper. Then he escaped a sack from Lions edge Al-Quadin Muhammad to complete a 39-yard pass to tight end Theo Johnson on the deciding 3rd and 17.
And he did it all, racking up 517 total yards on offense for the Giants, just two days after finding out he was going to be the Giants’ starting quarterback when rookie Jaxson Dart (concussion) failed to pass protocol late in the week.
Winston unfortunately couldn’t finish the job in regulation or overtime.
The Giants turned things around following red zone losses late in the fourth quarter. Lions kicker Jake Bates made a 59-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to send the game into overtime at 27 apiece.
Then, Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs exploded through a gaping hole in Andre Patterson’s Giants defensive line for a 69-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in overtime.
And Winston was sacked on fourth down by the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson to end the game with 4:19 left in overtime.
The Giants (2-10) lost their sixth straight game and their second since Mike Kafka took over as interim head coach. This is their fifth loss this season as they led by at least 10 points and coughed it up.
All five losses came on the road, where they are now 0-7 this season.
