McAdoo has explaining to do after ugly defeat

The Giants’ heartbreaking 2726 loss to the Cowboys left open several questions, many of which were answered on Monday. But some unanswered questions remain. Here are four: 1. Why did offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo call a pass play on thirdandgoal from the Dallas 1yardline?

We’ll find out Thursday, when he meets with the media. With the Cowboys out of timeouts and just 1:43 left on the clock, a running play would have left Dallas with about a minute remaining if the Giants failed to get in the end zone. Obviously, coach Tom Coughlin has the power to change the play, but why did McAdoo call a pass in the first place?

2. Who did Manning tell? Did he only communicate with McAdoo?

Manning said before secondandgoal, he went to the sideline to tell the coaching staff he’d instructed running back Rashad Jennings not to score (Coughlin said he doesn’t remember this happening).

This is a very interesting question, because Manning said he told “coach” the plan, but which coach was it? If it was McAdoo or Coughlin, did they not understand what he wanted to do? Or if McAdoo was aware, shouldn’t he have informed Coughlin? And if any coach knew of this plan, was that coach also mistaken, like Manning, about how many timeouts the Cowboys had left?

3. Why did Manning snap the ball with 17 seconds left on the play clock earlier in the drive?

Those 17 seconds could have been to be the reason the Giants fell short, as the Cowboys took the lead with just seven seconds left.

Knowing time was so important, Manning should’ve eaten every last second possible. It will be interesting to hear his reasoning on Wednesday — the day he talks to reporters in advance of this weekend’s game.

4. Why did the Giants use a squib kick on the final kickoff ?

Sure, the Cowboys didn’t get a huge return, but they did start on their own 28yardline. If the Giants kicked it deep for a touchback, they would have gained 8 yards. Again, Thursday will be interesting, when special teams coach Tom Quinn meets the media to explain this.