Reeling Giants can't afford loss to Cowboys
Photo credit: Getty Images | Head coach Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants looks on from the sidelines as he leads his team against the Denver Broncos during NFL action at Invesco Field. (Nov. 26, 2009)
Around this time of year, plenty of "if the season ended today" scenarios are batted around. And just for the record, if the season did end today, the Giants would not make the playoffs.
But it's only the first of December and there are still five games remaining. But for the Giants, a loss Sunday would effectively make their season end.
The Giants host Dallas in their most critical game of the season. They've already played games that coaches and players termed a "Super Bowl," a "one-game season," and "as close to must-win as you can get." Finally, after the Giants mostly fell short in those hyper-important games, they are down to their last gasp.
After losing Thursday in Denver, their fifth defeat in six games, the sense of urgency for this game is at a playoff level.
"We don't have time to figure it out and slowly become a better team," Eli Manning said Monday. "We have to jump back to playing good football."
The Giants are optimistic, mostly because their next three games are against NFC East opponents. Win them and they are right back into the thick of the playoff race, if not in the lead.
If the Giants can beat the Cowboys and Eagles, their opponent the next week, and have both teams drop their other game, the Giants would lead the division with three games to play.
"We just have to go out there and handle our business," Manning said. "We can't get too concerned with what other teams are doing."
But although the mathematics may play in the Giants' favor, their play on the field has not. They had decent games against the Chargers and Falcons and went 1-1. Besides that, they have had a string of stinkers more like Thursday's no-show in Denver.
It's one thing to plot a course to the playoffs, it's another to try and navigate it with a leaky boat. The Giants are trying plenty of options. They've even had players-only meetings.
"There's value in it when it works," Justin Tuck said. "We've had a few [meetings]."
The results of those meetings did not pay off?
"Obviously," Tuck said, "because we lost a few games here."
Speaking of meetings, Manning said: "Talking doesn't always solve a lot of things, it's about going out and playing well."
The Giants continue to believe that playing well is in their immediate future, but it must begin against the Cowboys. A loss would knock the Giants out of playoff contention, if not officially then at least spiritually and emotionally. But even after the series of clunkers the last two months, Tuck believes things can turn around for the team.
"We were 5-0 and everything went south," he said. "We can be 6-5 and everything goes north."
