Giants stay dead
Giants officially out after blowout loss in S.D.
— P. 60-63
SAN DIEGO — The Chargers scored, cannons blasted and the Giants were blown out of the game, then the playoff picture, at Qualcomm Stadium Sunday.
Asked to assess his team’s future over the last three games, Tom Coughlin said the Giants must play “to regain some of the respectability we lost today.”
Philip Rivers, a top draft pick for the Giants for 15 minutes before being traded for Eli Manning in 2004, t hrew t hree touchdowns in the first half, and the Chargers (6 -7) rol led, 3 7-14 , in front of 65,132 fans. Afterward, Coughlin, Manning and the Giants (5-8) insisted there was more to play for despite the elimination. In losing, they recognized signs of lifelessness throughout the locker room. “We were extremely f lat ,” safety Antrel Rolle said, “both sides of the ball.” No player looked more alive than Rivers when San Diego’s offense was flowing. Rivers completed 21 of 28 passes for 249 yards before being pulled to watch the last minutes while Manning managed 259 yards in the air while completing 20 of his 32 attempts. Still, as it has been all season, it was Manning’s two interceptions that provided an opportunistic San Diego squad with more scoring chances. “They came fighting, they came ready to play,” Giants cornerback Jayron Hosley said. “They took the blows to us.”
The Giants face another tall task next Sunday. Seattle (11-2), a team contending for best record in the NFL, will come to MetLife Stadium.
“We’ve got to redeem ourselves as football players,” wideout Hakeem Nicks said.
Manning returned to town for the second time as a Giant, the first since 2005. He was booed when he ran onto the field before the game and each time he touched the ball thereafter. Rivers, meanwhile, drew even louder cheers in re-energizing the Chargers’ offense. Coughlin dismissed the atmosphere as a factor in Manning’s performance. Manning focused on the elimination.
“That wasn’t the goal,” Manning said. “Each year this organization and this team expects to make the playoffs and compete for the championship. Today’s loss was a tough one.”
Manning’s down season was captured on consecutive plays during the first quarter. First, he connected with Nicks for a 51-yard gain on a crossing pattern. It was the longest reception for Nicks since the opener against the Cowboys when he hauled in one pass for 57 yards. But on the very next play, Manning’s pass was deflected by cornerback Shareece Wright, then picked off by linebacker Donald Butler and returned 30 yards.
Rivers explored all options. If he couldn’t find tight end Antonio Gates, his favorite target, he located rookie receiver Keenan Allen for a 43-yard TD, laying the ball in with uncommon touch for Allen to catch in stride. If it wasn’t a dumpoff to tailback Ryan Matthews for 11 yards, it was a pass out wide left to tailback Danny Woodhead for another first down.
The Giants did not help themselves on either side of the ball. When Nick Novak missed a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter, Giants cornerback Charles James was flagged for being offsides. Given the additional five yards, Novak connected from 36 yards out to give San Diego a 10-0 lead. Andre Brown lost a fumble just before the two-minute warning.
Then, in the third quarter, linebacker Spencer Paysinger, caught covering wideout Vincent Brown, was flagged for pass interference in the end zone. “That’s the frustrating part,” Justin Tuck said. “We just didn’t play well enough.”
Their dim playoff hopes ended afterward when the 49ers’ win over the Seahawks went final. The Giants boarded their flight east knowing not only their immediate destination, but how soon the end of a lost campaign would come, as well.
“It’s our responsibility to finish,” Coughlin said.