LANDOVER, Md. – The Giants are not going to the playoffs and Tom Coughlin is not going anywhere.
That will be the after-effects of an eventful and ultimately unfulfilling evening for the Giants, who closed out their season by beating the Redskins 17-14. It’s the end of the line for the Giants, who did not get the help they needed in Green Bay, as the Packers defeated the Bears, clinching the final NFL wild-card berth for the Packers and leaving the Giants to wonder “What if?’’
Their two-game slide down the stretch, blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead to the Eagles, followed by last week’s 28-point loss in Green Bay, put the Giants in the desperate position of needing help to gain admission into the postseason. The Giants held up their end but the Bears, after hanging tough in a game they didn’t need to win, fell short, 10-3, and the Giants are done.
This is the first time since 2003-04 that the Giants failed to advance into the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, the first time under Coughlin.
With 2:13 remaining, the Redskins fans giddily chanted “Packers won … Packers won’’ moments after Jay Cutler threw a game-ending interception in Green Bay. The officially ended the Giants chances for a fortunate day.
Even so, at 10-6, there is no way the Giants are going to fire Coughlin, who has one year remaining on his contract. It certainly is possible and even likely that some of his top assistants, such as special teams coordinator Tom Quinn and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, could be in danger of losing their positions.
The Giants will look back at this season as one of missed opportunities. They turned the ball over a ghastly 42 times and at times their defense wilted under pressure. They did not do anything remarkably well in their final game, with one notable highlight: Eli Manning’s 92-yard touchdown strike to Mario Manningham over cornerback DeAngelo Hall early in the third quarter that put the Giants ahead 17-7.
There will be a palpable sense of a season wasted for the Giants. They were eager to get a third crack at the Eagles in the playoffs after losing twice to them during the season. It will be the Packers who make the trip this weekend to Philadelphia, while the Giants close up shop and try to figure out a way to get back into the postseason next season.
The Redskins (6-10) had nothing to play for and battled, but they were also mistake-prone and couldn’t handle defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who twice forced fumbles of Rex Grossman with sacks. Still, the Skins pulled within 17-14 on a play typical of the Giants late-season problems. Anthony Armstrong completely blew by safety Antrel Rolle for a 65-yard touchdown catch with 5:52 left. The Giants needed to come up with a final defensive stop as the Redskins took over on their own 17-yard line with 2:13 left. Unlike past games, they got it this time.
Unlike the first game, which was 21-0 at halftime en route to an easy 31-7 Giants victory, this was a struggle. The Giants lost center Rich Seubert with 9:08 left in the first quarter to a dislocated right kneecap.
The Giants on that series got a 27-yard run by Brandon Jacobs but the drive stalled on the Washington 2-yard line and Lawrence Tynes’20-yard field goal made it 3-0. The Giants caught a break when Graham Gano missed a 30-yard field goal wide left but moments later Manning’s pass over the middle hit Mario Manningham in the hands, glanced up into the air and into the grasp of cornerback Phillip Buchanon for Manning’s 25th interception of the season. That put the Skins on the Giants 25-yard line but two plays later Umenyiora came up with a strip-sack of Grossman recovered by Jason Pierre-Paul.
A 16-yard screen pass to D.J. Ware got the Giants moving on a drive that also included a fingertip catch from Derek Hagan and a tremendous one-anded behind-the-back grab for 24 yards by Kevin Boss. That set up Jacobs’ 2-yard touchdown run to put the Giants up 10-0 with just 3:06 remaining in the first half. The Giants couldn’t take that lead into the break, though, as Grossman connected on six straight passes, ending with a 1-yard lob to tight end Fred Davis with 22 seconds left in the first half to cut the Giants lead to 10-7.
As Manningham ran off to the sideline, Coughlin walked right over to him and shouted “You can’t do that!’’ and then hit Manningham with “You have to catch the ball!’’