The doomsday scenario is in effect for the Giants, who knew they had to beat the Cowboys to keep alive their long-shot hope of making the playoffs and the day after their excruciating 24-21 loss, the Giants on Monday returned to work facing the new normal that they have five games remaining and then that’s it.
Peppered with questions about keeping his team motivated and dealing with wounded spirits, coach Tom Coughlin’s voice rose as he refused to surrender the season.
“It’s not going to be over until five games are over,’’ Coughlin said. “The one thing all of you would like to try to figure into this is, ‘Oh you don’t have anything to play for.’ We got a lot to play for. We got a lot to play for.’’
The Giants, of course, are not mathematically eliminated from anything but they are practically eliminated from everything. The road to the end begins Sunday night against the Redskins at FedEx Field, a game that was not flexed out of prime time, giving the nation a chance to see two very disappointing NFC East teams battle to stay out of last place. The Giants are not some young team with a new coach and quarterback looking to lay the groundwork for the future. Knowing there won’t be any playoffs and they won’t get anywhere near their MetLife Stadium home for Super Bowl XLVIII without a ticket won’t be easy for a veteran, prideful group that had much grander expectations.
How can that be enough for these Giants?
“Well, it’s going to have to be,’’ Coughlin said firmly. “You’re going to have to deal with reality. We are what we are. We created this situation for ourselves.’’
Andre Brown, coming off a career-high 127-yard rushing performance, bristled a bit when asked what’s left to play for.
“No giving up over here, if that’s what you’re trying to say,’’ Brown said. “We’re not going to do that.’’
Looking back at the loss that was sealed on Dan Bailey’s 35-yard field goal as time expired to ruin the Giants’ comeback from a 21-6 deficit, Coughlin decided what bothered him most of all were the 11 penalties, including three for unsportsmanlike conduct. “I just feel you’re not going to win a tight football game when you have that kind of actual disregard for the rules and what have you,’’ he said.
The Giants produced their best ground game of the season, rushing for 202 yards balanced by 30 runs and 30 pass plays. Interestingly, Eli Manning said: “I thought, at times you just kind of say, ‘Let’s keep running it.’ Nine yards, 10 yards a pop, let’s just keep doing it.’’
For the past month, as the Giants followed their 0-6 start with a four-game winning streak, Manning has not shaven and his beard is fully grown in, neat and groomed, but he said it’s likely to be gone later this week. The growth has run out of luck. His touchdown pass to Louis Murphy, Jr. and Brown’s two-point conversion run tied the game at 21 with 4:45 remaining but Tony Romo took the field, the
Giants’ defense caved in and all Manning could do was stand on the sideline and watch the game and the season come crashing down.
“A loss is a loss and it’s frustrating either way,’’ Manning said. “I guess when it’s all said and done you’d like the opportunity for it to kind of be in my hands and if we don’t win it’s because we didn’t go get that last drive. So you kind of want it on your terms, I guess. But each game is different and I was 100 percent expecting our defense to get a stop and we’re going to get the ball back and go win the game.’’
Much of what the Giants expected this season has not come to fruition, which is why they are facing five games without much riding on any of them, always a dangerous way to head into the stretch run.
“Even though we just took a loss, the season’s not over, we still can get 9-7 and 9-7 has gotten to the playoffs plenty of times,’’ Terrell Thomas said. “We’re going to need some help, but we’ve got to win out, plain and simple.’’