The Giants had a chance to maybe salt away their 31-24 win over the Vikings a little earlier than they did, but instead saw a potentially critical mistake: Darius Slayton dropped a third-down pass with just over three minutes to go that likely would've given the Giants a first down in Vikings territory - and with Minnesota out of timeouts, they could've at worst taken the game down to less than a minute left for the Vikings.
“I knew it was third and kind of long, so I was trying to grab it and run, and it’s one of those things that happens,” Slayton told Giants Radio Network’s John Schmeelk after the game. “You look up field and leave the ball behind. Thankfully, the defense picked me up and got the stop.”
Slayton said he was praying but believed the defense would get the stop, although after the play, he showed his visible frustration by slamming his helmet against some equipment cases.
Head coach Brian Daboll quickly went up to him after that, but it was a positive message.
“That could’ve went a ways, definitely a first down, but I told him, “Put your head up, you’ve made a lot of good plays,” Daboll said. “He made a mistake at a critical time and no one felt worse than him, but that’s gonna happen, and he’s such a good teammate who had done everything he could for us. I told him to keep his head up because we need him, he's one of our best players on offense.”
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Thankfully they didn’t, as the defense got a stop inside the two-minute warning and the Giants were able to finish it out with kneel downs, and now move on to face Philadelphia.
And, it’s another game for Slayton who, after restructuring his deal to stay and being inactive Week 1, came back to be the Giants’ leading receiver this season, and had four catches for 88 yards on a day where the offense rolled once again.
“For the most part we’ve eliminated negative plays and silly penalties,” Slayton said, “and as long as you can stay ahead of the sticks, you have a good chance.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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