Blocked FG, PAT kill Giants
THE Giants’ special teams should be proud — at least they didn’t have a kickoff blocked. Tom Quinn’s unit, which has routinely let the Giants down in losses this season, was a disaster on Sunday and basically cost the home team the game.
“The special team’s protection obviously got us in trouble,” interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo said.
Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett beat Ereck Flowers to block the extra point after Orleans Darkwa’s opening-drive touchdown. Philly linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill beat Darian Thompson to block a Brad Wing punt in the second quarter that led to an offensive Eagles touchdown. And Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins snuck through to block an Aldrick Rosas field goal in the fourth quarter.
Due to the blocked extra point, the Giants also tried a two-point conversion after Tavarres King’s second touchdown catch late in the third quarter but failed and kept the deficit at 31-29 Eagles. Therefore, after a Jake Elliott field goal made it 34-29, Eli Manning’s offense trailed by five points instead of three and needed a touchdown to catch them.
“Those two field goal blocks hurt,” tight end Evan Engram admitted of the extra point and field goal block. “Otherwise we’re in better position to win or at least to tie it with a field goal on that last drive.”
In all, the special teams blunders cost the Giants 12 points: the two would-be extra points, the field goal, and the Eagles’ touchdown off the blocked punt. Quinn is in his 11th season as special teams coordinator and it could be his last. Not having safety Nat Berhe (hamstring), one of the team’s best special teamers, was a big blow.
Sunday’s loss to the Eagles was certainly an emotional one for Sterling Shepard. Before losing his cool at the official for not calling defensive pass interference on the final play of the game, Shepard had a veritable UFC match with Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins on the Giants’ final drive, going to the ground in a violent tussle.
No flags were thrown, even though teammate Roger Lewis and other Eagles jumped in and it almost led to a melee.
“I guess over the top of me, 2-7, didn’t like the way I did him,” Shepard said, mentioning Jenkins’ jersey number. “So he tried to get after me a little, but I got to be better at that, too. Can’t let that ... affect the team.”
Shepard said the two were exchanging words and believed Jenkins was just trying to get under his skin.
“Every time we play,” Shepard began, before pausing. “He had some words to say. I did, too.”
Giants receiver Tavarres King caught two passes for 70 yards, both for touchdowns, the second a 57-yard catch and run that finished with a terrific dive for the front corner pylon. Unfortunately, King was concussed on the play and did not return. But King, 27, has been an impressive and underrated story the past two years.
The Georgia product is on his fifth team since Denver drafted him in 2013. He emerged late last season for a 44-yard catch in Week 17 in Washington and caught his first career TD pass for 41 yards in the playoff loss in Green Bay.
This season, the Giants released King in Week 2 and only re-signed him in Week 6 after losing three receivers to injury, including Odell Beckham in Week 5. King was even inactive for last week’s 30-10 loss to Dallas when Darius Powe made his NFL debut. But Powe broke his foot, King came back in and he made the most of it Sunday.
Maligned Giants left tackle Ereck Flowers struggled badly Sunday, false-starting on the first drive, often ending up in Manning’s lap blocking Eagles ends Vinny Curry and Derek Barnett, and missing a block on Barnett’s extra point block. Flowers then got hurt in the second half, and while he returned, his absence for a handful of snaps ended his impressive streak of durability. Flowers had played in 2,129 consecutive snaps dating back to the start of Week 13 in 2015, plus however many snaps he saw Sunday against the Eagles.
Landon Collins aggravated his ankle injury and left the game in the second quarter. Spagnuolo said he didn’t regret playing Collins, who’d been doubtful coming in. Linebacker B.J. Goodson went down in the second half, plagued by the same ankle injury that has ruined his second NFL season. The Giants’ inactive list, in addition to Berhe, surprisingly included healthy running back Paul Perkins, rookie QB Davis Webb for a 14th straight week, wide receiver Travis Rudolph (hamstring), offensive lineman Damien Mama, WR Hunter Sharp and LB Jeremy Cash.
-With Healy and Gary Myers