In a matter of hours on Sunday, the G-Men fell from the top of the NFC East standings down to third place, behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. Three weeks ago, New York looked like a surefire playoff contender. Now, the Giants are just trying to stay afloat.
At the midway point of the 2009 campaign, it has already been a tale of two seasons for the Giants.
Five weeks in, the G-Men were undefeated and had outscored their opponents 151-71. Eight weeks in, they’re 5-3, and in the last three games, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew has been dominated to the tune of a 112-61 margin on the scoreboard.
No player has epitomized the early roller coaster more than quarterback Eli Manning. Manning threw 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the first five games, and his quarterback rating soared well over 100. Since then, he’s accounted for only three scores, while turning the ball over seven times (six interceptions and a fumble). Whether it’s an ailing right foot, a decision-making lull or something else that’s plaguing the 28-year-old signal-caller, the Giants need to rid him of it quickly.
But New York’s problems hardly end with Manning. In Sunday’s 40-17 drubbing at the hands of the Eagles, the Giants defense was shredded by Andy Reid’s young playmakers. Speedy receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, backup running back LeSean McCoy and breakout tight end Brent Celek combined for 278 yards and four touchdowns on 24 touches. Safety Kenny Phillips and cornerback Aaron Ross — both of whom have missed much of the season — were sorely missed, and while Ross could return from a hamstring injury in the coming weeks, his presence alone may not remedy the situation.
The Giants host the Chargers (4-3) this weekend in their last game before a much-needed Week 10 bye. Norv Turner’s squad is 4-0 against teams with losing records this season and 0-3 versus quality opponents. Theoretically, this is a matchup that should favor New York.
However, the Giants have a similar disparity in their ledger heading into the Manning-Philip Rivers 2004 Draft Bowl. New York’s wins this season have come against the Redskins, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Chiefs and Raiders. Those teams are a combined 10-26. The Giants’ losses, on the other hand, have come to the Saints, Cardinals and Eagles — a trio that is an aggregate 15-5.
To prove that they are anything more than a pretender feasting on the NFL’s bottom-feeders to stay in contention, the Giants must topple the similarly questionable Chargers. If they don’t, the G-Men will come out of their Week 10 bye and face the Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles in succession with a real chance of being on the verge of elimination by Thanksgiving.
