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Takeaways from the Giants’ 40-37 loss to the Cowboys:

1. Finding ways to lose is actually a skill and the Giants have it, in spades. Leave it to them to enjoy an offensive eruption and also cave in on defense, allowing 20 points in the fourth quarter. On a day when the Cowboys committed a ridiculous 12 penalties for 106 yards, the Giants basically said “Anything you can do, we can do worse’’ by getting flagged for 14 accepted penalties for an even more ridiculous 160 yards. Losing to the Cowboys is nearly a decade-long undertaking for the Giants, but this one stands alone because the Cowboys tried to give it away and the Giants simply would not and could not take it. 

2. Packages, begone. What the heck has happened to Tyrone Tracy Jr.? What did he do to get buried on the depth chart? Why did Devin Singletary start and get the first carry of the game, and why was Singletary in there in overtime getting the ball on a short reception for a 4-yard loss? The Giants ended up with 21 runs and Tracy got only five of them. Yes, he was used as a kickoff returner, but it sure seems as there is some sort of disfavor going on with Tracy. What has rookie Cam Skattebo done to be the short-yardage back ahead of Tracy? Sure, Skattebo is 220 pounds, but Tracy was a workhorse as a rookie and at 210 pounds he’s not exactly a scatback. 

3. Sometimes what we all see in training camp is a mirage and reality sets in when the games start to count. What we are seeing thus far with Brian Burns is not that. Burns looked highly motivated all summer and he is carrying that into the regular season. He had two sacks in the opener and he sacked Dak Prescott early in the second quarter. In the third quarter, Burns dropped in coverage and then drilled Javonte Williams for a one-yard loss. It sure seems as if whatever rotation there is with Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Abdul Carter has to include the heaviest usage for Burns.