PHILADELPHIA – All season long, the Giants have made a habit of finding ways to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot by turning the ball over.
It was only fitting that it would happen again in horrific fashion.
Trailing by a touchdown in the fourth quarter with 3:13 remaining and needing six yards on fourth down, quarterback Eli Manning had no open receivers to throw to, opting to use his feet to get the first down and ten additional yards before going to the ground head first.
“I have to slide,” Manning would say after the game.
Problem was he did not.
On the way to the ground, the ball came out. It was reminiscent of a similar fumble he had at old Giants Stadium against this same team last year. The Eagles would recover the fumble and hold on to beat the Giants for the fifth straight time since 2008, winning 27-17 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Said Head Coach Tom Coughlin after the defeat, “This disregard for the ball, which has been going on for probably a year and a half here, and no one seems to be able to do something about it, again, cost us the football game.”
When referencing last year, Coughlin speaks of to the 31 turnovers his team committed a season ago in which 26 of them came after their 5-0 start.
It was the most devastating loss for this team that now sees most of its early season goodwill slipping away as quickly as their playoff chances.
“We’ve got to stop the turnover,” Coughlin continued. “This is our team, these are the guys that are going to play.
The five turnovers were a season high, bringing the total to unfathomable 30 over 10 games. It is a problem the Giants have spoke of but are either unwilling or unable to correct it.
It has also been the difference in these games with the Eagles where over their last four meetings the Giants have turned it over 14 times.
Brandon Jacobs summed up the feeling throughout the locker room when he said, “We cannot continue to beat ourselves.”
The disgust coming from the players represented a missed opportunity. In reality, it was a game that saw a heroic effort by the defense in the game they likely never should have been in at halftime.
Philadelphia had numerous chances in the game’s first 30 minutes to jump out to substantial lead, aided in part by the Giants and the Eagles own inability to convert.
The defense did a good job of containing Mike Vick and not allowing many of the explosive, game-breaking plays that the Eagles put on the Redskins to the tune of 59 points last Monday night. However, it became apparent that when Vick had time and the Giants were only utilizing a four-man rush that was when he was most effective.
Vick used his feet to score the first touchdown of the game on a four-yard scamper that saw linebacker Michael Boley lose outside contain by falling for the fake inside. Once he bit, there was open room to the end zone.
The Giants would then attempt to gift-wrap the game in the second quarter when Ahmad Bradshaw lost his fifth fumble of the year when rookie defensive end Brandon Graham ripped the ball away from as he was going to the ground.
Said a distraught Bradshaw after the game, “I just have to protect the ball.”
Vick and DeSean Jackson missed on a potential touchdown strike, having to settle for a field goal. On the next possession, Asante Samuel jumped in front a pass intended for Hakeem Nicks and picked it off, returning it to the Giants 13. However, Jason Avant dropped a touchdown pass all alone in the end zone.
Another big break came at the end of the half when Terrell Thomas blocked a field goal attempt by David Akers, keeping the score only 13-3 in a game they were thoroughly outplayed.
“We’re lucky that it was as close as it was even with how well we played despite the mistakes,” added Justin Tuck.
Akers’ third field of the game halfway through the third quarter extended the lead to 13 before the Giants began to mount a rally.
With their running game non-existent (61 yards) and the Eagles, limiting the Giants offense, they would help them out when a 31-yard pass interference call on safety Quentin Mikell put the ball on the 2, eventually leading to a touchdown pass to Travis Beckum to cut the margin to 16-10.
After allowing Vick time to throw in the first half, the Giants defense finally would get to him as Justin Tuck would get one of his three second half sacks on a third down, forcing a fumble that Barry Cofield would recover at the Eagles 27.
Two plays later, Manning found newly signed Derek Hagan in the end zone for a touchdown pass to give the Giants an inconceivable lead.
With 7:52 left, the Eagles started at their own 10 after a holding penalty and advanced the ball near midfield. On third-and-six, rookie Jason Pierre-Paul jumped offside moving the play up five yards preventing the possibility of forcing a punt.
After a stop on third down, Vick nearly fumbled the snap and Osi Umenyiora almost used his outstretched hands to deflect the pitchout with defense selling out on the run. Instead, LeSean McCoy found space to the outside and sprinted 50 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.
“We had a guy who was supposed to be man-to-man on McCoy,” said Tuck of the play. “Once he got out on the edge, it was a foot race and he out ran us.”
Turnover number three came when Manning’s pass for Hagan was deflected an intercepted for the second time in the game by Samuel who would then fumble while running for extra yardage and the Giants recovered before Manning’s fourth down fumble ended any hope.
Averaging over 400 yards on offense during the year, the Eagles held the Giants to only 208, their lowest production to date as the loss of Steve Smith and the reshuffling of the offensive line appear to be taking its toll, taking the spotlight off of game effort by the defense until late in the fourth quarter.
“This is one of the tougher loses I have been around in a long time,” said Osi Umenyiora.
Having given up the division lead, the Giants now must regroup this Sunday at home against the first place Jacksonville Jaguars amidst questions that they annual “second half swoon” is not already taking effect.
“We’ve got to take care of our situation,” said Coughlin.
What if it already has?
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