Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth skewer Giants for ‘terrible’ blunder before halftime

The New York Giants had a golden opportunity to end the first half strong against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Instead, the Giants squandered their chance and got an earful from announcers Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth.

The Giants were facing 1st-and-goal on the Bills 1-yard line with 14 seconds left in the first half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. A touchdown would have given the visiting team a commanding 13-0 lead at the break. A field goal at least gives them a two-score advantage.

Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor made the confounding decision to hand the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley was stuffed short of the end zone as Bills defenders dogpiled on him to make it difficult to get another snap off in time. Time expired before the Giants could spike the football.

Tirico branded the sequence as a display of “terrible clock management,” while Collinsworth described the play as a run-pass option where the run should have been “off the table.”

“That’s a terrible, terrible clock management at the end of the half,” said Tirico. “That’s awful. 1st-and-goal at the one.”

“On the goal line, you can’t do that one,” Collinsworth added. “That option is off the table.”