SAN DIEGO — There are certain words, certain phrases that cut through a team and define a season. There was no crossroads moment on Sunday for the Giants because they haven’t been on the right path for months, but what they put out on the field was truly disturbing.
Whenever a head coach says what Tom Coughlin saw fit to reveal after his Giants went down nice and easy losing, 37-14 to the Chargers to officially and mercifully end the playoff-contention charade, the harsh words resonate loud and clear.
With three games to go before a season no one will remember fondly and no one will lament leaving behind comes to an end, Coughlin said all that’s left for the Giants is to “regain some of the respectability we lost today.’’
A trip out west provided the Giants with some sun, but the light shining on them only served to illuminate how pathetic this season has been. They were outclassed and embarrassed by the Chargers, who entered the game with the same 5-7 record as the Giants, as Philip Rivers scored a knockout victory over Eli Manning in a matchup of quarterbacks traded for each other back in 2004. This game was never close, never competitive as the Giants trailed 24-0 at halftime and looked frightfully similar to the way they stunk up the joint in no-show losses to the Falcons and Ravens down the stretch of last season, blowouts that cost the Giants a shot at the playoffs.
“For some reason this first half there was no intensity, no emotion,’’ Antrel Rolle said.
“That’s rare for us to say, considering the position we’re in, knowing we need to win out, it was kind of frustrating to have to be questioned about where’s our enthusiasm,’’ added Justin Tuck.
The Giants (5-8) now know the flicker of hope they held onto has been extinguished. The Eagles (8-5) overcame the snow in Philadelphia to defeat the Lions 34-20, eliminating the Giants from any shot at winning the NFC East, not that they were ever serious threats. When the 49ers beat the Seahawks, any shot at an NFC wild-card berth went out the door, ensuring the Giants will miss out on the playoffs for the fourth time in the past five seasons. This comes as no shock to a team that lost its first six games, but official elimination always stings.
“We’re going to have to get back up off the floor,’’ Coughlin said. “This is no fun for anybody.’’
This game, Rolle said, “wasn’t about the playoffs, it was about coming out here and taking care of San Diego and we were unsuccessful.’’
Boy, were they ever. The Giants showed once again when they meet up with a quality NFL quarterback, their defense cannot hold up. Rivers had a field day, Manning might as well have been on a field trip, with two more interceptions increasing his season total to 20.
The Giants could do nothing against a San Diego defense ranked 29th in the league. Two first-half turnovers — what a familiar refrain — led to 14 Chargers points as they built a 24-point halftime lead. All this was a great delight to the fans of the Chargers, who booed Manning lustily every time he trotted out onto the grass field. There were some chants of “Eli Sucks’’ as the 65,132 enjoyed an end-to-end rout and got to remind Manning what they thought of him refusing to play for the Chargers after they made him the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
“Fans have never affected my play, and I just try to go out there and try to play good football,’’ said Manning, who is 0-3 against the Chargers and 0-2 versus Rivers. “Obviously, I played here twice and haven’t had success either time. I don’t know if I’ll get another opportunity or not.’’
There were follies galore. A Manning interception and Andre Brown fumble led to 14 points for the Chargers. Terrell Thomas was flat-out beat by rookie Keenan Allen on a 43-yard touchdown hookup. Nick Novak missed a 41-yard field goal attempt but Charles James was called for lining up offside, giving Novak a second change he did not miss. Prince Amukamara barely competed on what turned into an easy 4-yard touchdown catch for Allen to make it 17-0.
What is left for the Giants?
“Regardless of if you’re in the playoff or not,’’ Tuck said, “we have to redeem ourselves as football players.’’