A four game-winning streak came to an end yesterday for the Giants and tucked into their 24-20 loss to the Steelers is the complete vanishing of Eli Manning’s once-vaunted passing attack.
Manning this week was displaced from his Hoboken home by the Sandy super storm but his drop in efficiency has been weeks in the making. He failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second straight game and the once-feared connection with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks has gone kaput.
The Giants led this game 20-10 after three quarters but they could not come close to finishing. The Steelers got their winning points with 4:02 left when Isaac Redman crashed in from a yard out, completing a 51-yard touchdown drive after Manning directed a feeble three-and-out. Manning was 10 for 24 for 125 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Dreadful.
There was never a last defensive stand. On third-and-9, Ben Roethlisberger hit Emmanuel Sanders – who abused rookie Jayron Hosley – for a 16-yard gain and that was that.
It was a far from a normal week for the Giants, who flew home from Dallas just ahead of Hurricane Sandy. Many players were without power, some (Eli Manning, Mathias Kiwanuka) were displaced from their families at their Hoboken apartments and almost all the Giants had to worry about finding gas for their cars and a warm bed to sleep in. The Steelers flew in the day of the game – unheard of in the NFL – because their team hotel was being used to house hurricane victims.
The Giants, despite not doing much of anything on offense, led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter when a seemingly-harmless short pass to Mike Wallace turned into a 51-yard catch and run-run-run for a touchdown to pull the Steelers within 20-17. When Manning was sacked by Lawrence Timmons for an 11-yard loss, the momentum had turned. It tilted way over to the Steelers when Sanders took off on a 63-yard punt return, prevented from scoring when Steve Weatherford ran him down on the Giants 12-yard line.
Antrel Rolle’s tackle of Redman on the 3-yard line made it fourth-and 1 and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opted not to go for it, settling for Shaun Suisham’s 2-yard field goal. But there was no kick. Holder Brew Butler flipped the ball behind his shoulder to Suisham but the Giants weren’t fooled and Michael Coe made the tackle for a one-yard loss.
The Giants haven’t been able to crank up their passing attack in three weeks and it creaked around again yesterday. Manning should have thrown the ball away late in the first quarter but instead he sent a floater intended for Victor Cruz into double coverage and Ike Taylor came up with the interception on the Pittsburgh 42. That turnover led to points. The Steelers went without their two top running backs, Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer, but Isaac Redman did just fine filling in. Redman carried the load on an 11-play drive that cashed in when Roethlisberger with all the time in the word found Emmanuel Sanders in the back of the end zone to make it 7-0.
The next two touchdowns were scored by the Giants, the first sparked by Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis, who was called for a 41-yard pass interference penalty against Hakeem Nicks. That led to Andre Brown’s 1-yard TD plunge after safety Ryan Clark prolonged the drive with a blow to the head penalty, leveling Cruz.
It sure looked as if the Giants caught a huge break with 5:11 left in the second quarter when Roethlisberger lost the ball after getting hit by Osi Umenyiora, Michael Boley scooped up the fumble and raced 70 yards for a touchdown. Replays showed Umenyiora hitting Big Ben’s right arm before he threw the ball but Roethlisberger is so strong he was able to retain possession long enough to seemingly complete an awkward throwing motion with control of the ball. The replay official didn’t see it that way and Umenyiora was credited with a sack and forced fumble. Boley had the second touchdown in as many weeks for the Giants defense and the Giants led 14-7.
Another pass interference call on Lewis, this one for 46 yards for hauling down Domenik Hixon, put the Giants in position for a 51-yard field goal attempt by Lawrence Tynes, which came up short with 31 seconds left in the second quarter. That was just enough time for Roethlisberger to complete two passes to allow Shaun Suisham to hit a 30-yard field goal to pull the Steelers within 14-10 at the half.