An Embarrassing Train Wreck: The NFL keeps offering the Giants an opportunity to make the playoffs the team keeps saying “No thanks!” But unbelievably, the pathetic 7-8 Giants, who were annihilated by the Saints 30-7 at the Meadowlands today, are still alive for the last playoff spot in the NFC.
Based on their play against the Saints, however, it does not appear the Giants will win another game this season. The players have given up.
The Giants, who were once 6-2, have now lost six of their last seven games. The Giants have lost four home games in a row and have finished the 2006 season 3-5 at home.
How bad was it against the Saints?
- The Saints scored 30 unanswered points on the Giants after New York took a 7-0 lead.
- After scoring on the opening drive of the game, the Giants never crossed midfield for the remainder of the contest.
- The Giants only picked up six first downs all game.
- The Giants were 0-for-10 on third-down conversion attempts and 0-for-1 on fourth down.
- The Giants only accrued 142 total net yards.
- The Giants only accrued 59 net yards passing.
- QB Eli Manning only completed nine passes.
- The Giants held the football less than 20 minutes in the game.
- The Giants were flagged with three unnecessary roughness penalties, including two by LT Bob Whitfield.
- The Giants committed three turnovers.
- The Saints rushed for 236 yards on 53 carries as both Saints’ halfbacks rushed for over 100 yards.
Before the bulk of the home crowd disappeared, well before the game was over, it chanted “Fire Coughlin!”
“You don’t want to play a game like this at any point in the season,” said DE Mathias Kiwanuka. “With the circumstances that are at hand it really is stomach churning right now. There are no words to describe it. It’s unacceptable. There is nothing you can say about this. It’s a tough one to swallow. We are professionals and we have to come through this. I think the entire game was not what we expected and not what we wanted to get out of it. It wasn’t like they threw anything at us that was unexpected. At this point in the season when you are playing for a playoff spot, everything is on the line, it shouldn’t matter what position you find yourself in. The defense has to be able to go out there and make up for whatever happens. The offense has our back; we should have theirs.”
“We were just pathetic on offense,” said FB Jim Finn. “We didn’t do anything right. We didn’t execute basic football principles to give ourselves a shot at winning.”
“I know team is important but for what Tiki (Barber) has meant for this team and this organization, a guy like him is not supposed to have his last home game end like that,” said RG Chris Snee. “Especially in a critical time with a game that is so important like this. It’s embarrassing.”
HB/ Returner Chad Morton Tears ACL: HB/Returner Chad Morton tore the ACL in his left knee against the Saints. His season, and possibly his career with the Giants, is over.
Post-Game Notes: HB Tiki Barber was the only Giants player introduced prior to the game. His sons, A.J. and Chason, served as honorary captains. The crowd chanted “Tiki Barber” at times during the game.
Inactive for the game were LT Luke Petitgout (leg/ankle), OG/OC/TE Rich Seubert (calf), WR Michael Jennings, DT Jonas Seawright, DT Titus Adams, LB Tyson Smith, CB Frank Walker, and QB Tim Hasselbeck (3rd quarterback).
