Whether you were inside MetLife Stadium, watching on TV or simply looking at the box score of Sunday’s 36-21 Giants loss to the Eagles, you had the distinct impression the offense is bogging the team down.
Eli Manning threw three interceptions and added three intentional grounding penalties. The Giants rushed for just 53 yards and Brandon Jacobs lost a fumble. In a game that the Giants led by two in the third quarter, these offensive woes made all the difference at MetLife Stadium.
As disappointed and disgusted as he is with his team’s 0-5 record, Giants defensive end Justin Tuck stood front and center inside the loser’s locker room Sunday and made it clear there would be no finger-pointing at the offense.
Instead, Tuck called out the Giants defense and challenged it to carry the offense while it works through its current struggles.
“There is no way we’re going to sit here and say something negative about our offense,’’ Tuck said. “I’ve been around here long enough to understand that they’ve been through their ups and downs and we’ve been through our ups and downs.
“That offense has gotten us out of a lot of jams the defense has put us in. And right now, it’s time for our defense to get them out of a jam. They’re not playing well right now, and obviously, we’re not either, so it’s time for us to step up on defense and create some kind of positive things for the offense. I have all the confidence in the world they’re going to figure it out. I’ve seen it so many times with them.”
The Giants’ defense failed to force a single turnover in the game to match the four times the offense gave the ball away, a fact Tuck did not overlook.
“We got to figure out ways to make the plays that are there to be made. Their defense made those plays and we didn’t,’’ Tuck said.
“Every time the offense turned the ball over, as a defense we said we’ve got to find a way to get a turnover ourselves, and we didn’t do that today. This is a close-knit team. We win, lose and tie together regardless of what happens on any side of the ball.’’
Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has noticed the team’s refusal to play the blame game in the face of adversity and hopes it continues.
“They’re supporting each other.” Coughlin said. “That’s the way it has to be for this team to carry on.’’