BIG LETDOWN: Eli Manning, who completed 10 passes for 125 yards and no touchdowns, looked nothing like the superstar quarterback Giants fans (inset) were expecting during Big Blue’s 24-20 loss to the Steelers last night.
BIG LETDOWN: Eli Manning, who completed 10 passes for 125 yards and no touchdowns, looked nothing like the superstar quarterback Giants fans (inset) were expecting during Big Blue’s 24-20 loss to the Steelers last night. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post; Anthony J. Causi)
This has been a long time coming for the Giants, who have been leaving little hints and displaying various signs that all is not well, despite their winning ways.
It all caught up with them Sunday. There was a will but there was not a way. They believed they would provide about three hours of relief for those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, but instead they spent the better part of three hours showing the flaws they have gotten away with in previous weeks but not this time, as evidenced by a 24-20 loss to the Steelers and the end of a four-game winning streak.
“We’ve lost games around here where we’ve played really well and physically battled away and just got beat, but that wasn’t one of them,’’ coach Tom Coughlin said.
No, this wasn’t one of them. The Giants (6-3) actually weren’t playing all that well but still took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter, despite another strangely off-kilter game from Eli Manning and a run defense that made Pittsburgh’s No. 3 running back, Isaac Redman (147 yards), look like the second coming of Franco Harris. Perhaps Coughlin’s desire to win this one for the storm-battered region would be enough.
“We wanted emotionally so badly to win the game for obvious reasons, for all our neighbors who are struggling and who need some type of inspiration,’’ Coughlin said. “Of course, we didn’t provide it for them.’’
The Steelers ensured there would be no feel-good story at MetLife Stadium, inhabited by thousands of their black-and-gold clad, Terrible Towel-waving fans. The Steelers flew in the day of the game — an extreme rarity in the NFL — so as not to displace hurricane refugees from their hoteland made the brief stay a profitable one. They scored the final 14 points of the game, getting a 51-yard catch and run-run-run by Mike Wallace on a short toss from Ben Roethlisberger and a 1-yard scoring plunge by Redman for the winning points, interspersed with a defense that turned Manning into just another quarterback without any answers.
To wit: The Giants had three offensive possessions in the fourth quarter and went three-and-out in all three — going meekly with series of minus-12, three and one yard.
“We’ve been pretty good in fourth quarters at coming back and scoring more and finishing the game strong,’’ said Manning, who completed just 10 passes for 125 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. “We were in a position — down — with a chance to score a touchdown and take the lead and possibly win the game and we didn’t come through.’’
Manning’s ill-advised floater intended for Victor Cruz in the first quarter was intercepted by Ike Taylor, helping to set up Roethlisberger’s 4-yard scoring pass to Emmanuel Sanders for a 7-0 Pittsburgh lead. A 41-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback Keenan Lewis led to Andre Brown’s 1-yard touchdown to make it 7-7. Osi Umenyiora’s strip-sack of Big Ben was scooped up by Michael Boley for a 70-yard fumble return — the second defensive touchdown for the Giants in as many weeks. The Giants led 14-10 at halftime and 20-10 after Lawrence Tynes’ second field goal of the game.
A potential momentum shift came when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, trailing 20-17, eschewed a 20-yard field goal for a fake that cornerback Michael Coe snuffed out. It did nothing: The next offensive series produced three yards and a punt. An offside penalty on rookie Jayron Hosley on third down helped set up Redman’s rushing touchdown, but the Giants, down by four points, still had 3:55 remaining. Eli time.
Not this time. Incomplete pass, incomplete pass, Manning sacked by LaMarr Woodley. When Big Ben hit Sanders — who abused Hosley — for 16 yards on third-and-9, that was that.
“We’ve been a team known for finishing. We take the lead in the fourth quarter and we don’t sustain it — that’s frustrating; that’s not us,’’ Justin Tuck said.
Coughlin sounded incredulous that the offense has dried up — “Two weeks ago we were the number one big-play team in the league. … I mean, it doesn’t make any sense’’ and said the goal now is to get Manning “back on track.’’
Manning didn’t agree with an assessment that he’s in a slump.
“We haven’t been playing our best football offensively in the last few weeks,’’ he said. “But tonight it finally caught up with us.’’