Beckham dazzles again, but Giants lose 34-26

The season ended as it began, with a series of mistakes and inefficiencies undermining the Giants. And almost as if to remind us of those frailties, Eli Manning threw what had become a rare interception late in the fourth quarter to seal their demise.

Odell Beckham Jr. continued to electrify Giants fans by catching 12 passes for 185 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown pass (his 12th of the season) with 11:47 left in the game. Down by eight in the fourth quarter, however, Manning threw his first interception since Dec. 7 with 2:51 left.

In between that opening loss to the Lions and yesterday's 34-26 loss to the Eagles, the Giants (6-10) suffered a seven-game losing streak, found a superstar in Beckham Jr., and managed to have a pair of three-game winning streaks. They also had an embarrassing loss to the Jaguars and had heartbreakers against the Cowboys, Seahawks and 49ers that came down to a handful of plays that could have turned their season around.

How all of that weighs in the mind of John Mara will be sorted out in the coming days and weeks, as the Giants have now failed to make the playoffs in five of the past six seasons.