Abdul Carter getting benched again is a sideshow of the Giants' lost season

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Abdul Carter was benched for the start of a second game in three weeks since Mike Kafka took over as the New York Giants' interim coach, and the No. 3 pick's public punishment has become a sideshow of what has turned into a miserable season for the team on and off the field.

After the Giants lost 33-15 at New England on Monday night, their seventh consecutive defeat to fall to 2-11 going into their bye week, Kafka repeatedly only called it his decision. Carter did not play the entire first quarter after sitting out the first defensive series 15 days earlier against Green Bay.

“I've got to be better,” said Carter, who picked up the first full sack of his rookie year once he got into the game against the Patriots. “I’ve got to take pride in what I do, be where I have to be at. Simple as that.”

Neither Carter nor Kafka, now 0-3 since taking over following the firing of Brian Daboll, would go into detail about what led to the latest benching. When asked if it was a disciplinary reason, Kafka said, “No, it was just my decision not to play him.”

“That was a coach’s decision — my decision,” Kafka said. “Based on how we went during the week, just that was the decision I wanted to make."

Carter acknowledged missing a walk-through caused him to miss the Packers' first drive on Nov. 16, though he took issue with a report that he slept through it. He said the message from Kafka, whatever that is, has gotten through this time.

“I let my team down,” Carter said Monday night. “First (three) drives I was out, they scored 17 points. I take responsibility for that. I’ve got to be out there. I’ve got to do better.”

The offensive line remains a rare bright spot. New York has the NFL's 10th-ranked rushing offense at 123.5 yards a game. Given the team's struggles, no one is celebrating that small victory.

Jaxson Dart taking big hits in his return from a concussion made the quarterback’s willingness to run and absorb contact for an extra yard or 2 an even bigger topic of conversation. Dart argued that he's been playing this way since high school and does not plan on abandoning his aggressive style now.

There's a fine line between showing toughness and risking injury, and the Giants would like to keep Dart healthy and not cringe every time he takes off.

Devin Singletary averaged 5.7 yards a carry and had a rushing touchdown against the Patriots. Even if it's elsewhere, Singletary is showing he belongs in the league next season.

Younghoe Koo provided the lowlight-reel moment Monday night when the veteran kicker hit the ground and not the ball with his right foot on a field-goal attempt.

“The ball and the cold weather, and the ball kind of slipped out at the bottom, so it was moving," Koo said. "I wasn’t able to kick through the ball. The ball was moving when I was driving to it, so I just pulled up on it.”

Signed to the practice squad after getting released by Atlanta, Koo had won the starting job after Graham Gano was injured and Jude McAtamney struggled. The question now is whether Koo will keep it after the bye week.

Returner/receiver Gunner Olszewski was concussed in the Patriots game, while running back Tyrone Tracy left with a hip injury. Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux has missed three games in a row because of a shoulder injury.

4 — Games left this season before turning the page to a new era with another coach and perhaps even more changes coming.

Mercifully, the bye week is here before playing again Dec. 14 against similarly lowly NFC East-rival Washington. The Commanders coming off a trip to the NFC championship game have had just about everything go wrong, and they're now jockeying for draft position with the Giants instead of contending for a playoff spot.

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AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Foxborough, Massachusetts, contributed.

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