Why the Giants’ Silent Count at Home Could Change the Game Forever, Says Andrew Thomas

It’s tough watching your own stadium transform into a pseudo-away venue—believe me, the Giants’ recent home games feel exactly like that. After that Week 9 setback against the 49ers, rookie QB Jaxson Dart confessed he’d never experienced a home crowd that tilted so heavily in favor of the visitors. And, honestly, it’s becoming the bitter norm for this struggling 2-9 squad. Flash forward to Week 11, and playing the Packers at MetLife Stadium was no different: the energy that should have pumped up the Giants instead seemed to boost their opponents. The team’s response? Leaning into a silent count for the second straight home game—an adjustment left tackle Andrew Thomas described as less a choice and more a necessity born from their own on-field struggles. “You don’t expect to call silent plays on your own turf,” he said, “but reality’s reality, and you gotta adjust and thrive.” Looking ahead, though, the Giants will escape this hostile home environment for a while, with two away games and a bye before they return to MetLife in Week 15 against the Commanders—a matchup unlikely to ignite fan fever given both teams’ disappointing seasons. Adaptation—it’s the name of the game for New York right now, for better or worse. LEARN MORE

After the Giants’ home loss to the 49ers in Week 9, quarterback Jaxson Dart said he’d never played in a home game in front of a crowd filled with so many fans of the opposing team but it appears to be the new normal for the 2-9 club.

Week 11’s game against the Packers was another one where MetLife Stadium provided little home-field advantage for the Giants and the team went to using a silent count for their second straight home game. On Tuesday, left tackle Andrew Thomas said that the Giants have no choice but to accept that they are going to have to adapt to the circumstances.

“You don’t anticipate having to do that at home, but that’s reality and that’s partly because of how we played,” Thomas said, via a transcript from the team. “So, we just embrace it. We made the silent count a strength of ours, get timing on the rushers and it helps us out. So, we just embrace it.”

While Thomas is willing to embrace the situation, the Giants probably won’t have to break out the silent count for a while. They’re on the road the next two weeks and then have a bye in Week 14. Their next home game is against the Commanders and it’s hard to imagine their fans will have much interest in buying up tickets on the secondary market to make noise in a matchup of two teams playing for draft position in December.