Giants' defense must get act together fast

For the better part of 13¾ games - 137/8, actually - Perry Fewell has been part of all that's good with the Giants. The first-year defensive coordinator had his group performing at a level similar to the Giants' Super Bowl season in 2007, and memories of last year's defensive nightmare were just that: memories.

But oh, the last 11/8 games.

The Giants once boasted the NFL's top-ranked defense, but the collapse of the last 41/2 quarters has ruined their stature. After giving up 28 points to Michael Vick & Co. in the final 7:28 of a 38-31 loss to the Eagles at home and then having Aaron Rodgers pick them apart in a 45-17 blowout in Green Bay, it has all come unglued.

The only question left for Fewell to answer: What the heck happened?

"I can't answer that question,'' he said, "because if I could, it wouldn't have happened."

Nothing in his wildest imagination could have led Fewell to where his team is at now: After having the NFC East title within their grasp, the Giants are close to being eliminated from playoff contention. Even a win over the Redskins Sunday won't necessarily get them in; that win must be coupled with a Packers loss to the Bears in Green Bay to keep the Giants' season going.

It wasn't all that long ago that the Giants were knocking out quarterbacks with regularity and imposing their will the way you'd expect from a defense loaded with this kind of talent. They knocked out six quarterbacks in those first 137/8 games, none in these last 11/8. Lately, the quarterbacks have been the ones doling out the punishment.

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Vick passed for two touchdowns and ran for one in the final 7:28 against the Giants. In fact, he accounted for 215 total yards in the final 8:09, completing 6 of 11 passes for 121 yards and rushing four times for 94. Then Rodgers passed for 404 yards and four touchdowns in the Packers' rout.

First Vick, then Rodgers, and now this: With one game to go, Fewell has turned from the next Steve Spagnuolo into the next Bill Sheridan. Suddenly, Tom Coughlin is no lock to return next year.

"We just haven't played well for whatever reason," Fewell said. "Last week, we thought we prepared well, I thought we were ready to play, but we got hold of a hot quarterback, and he was extremely accurate. We've been knocking out quarterbacks, and he knocked us out. We just didn't finish against Philly."

And now all that's left is a road game against the Redskins, who have been playing better since Rex Grossman replaced Donovan McNabb at quarterback. One more chance for Fewell to put his players in position to redeem themselves after the horrors of the last 41/2 quarters.

"The mind-set is to take care of what we need to do, and nothing else," safety Deon Grant said. "I'm not going to say we're looking ahead, because we've already shown what looking ahead can do. We dropped the ball on that one."

Fewell hopes he can dial up some answers with more effective play-calling and a renewed emphasis on toughness.

"We're trying to redeem ourselves, trying to come back. We want to play much better than how we've played," he said. "We need to get back to being a much more physical football team."

No argument there. If the Giants are to take some satisfaction out of the season - even if they don't reach the playoffs - they'll need to use the same combination that earned them a 31-7 win over the Redskins on Dec. 5. That means playing great defense and putting together a powerful running game.

Pro Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck would like to think the Giants are capable of the "great defense'' part of the equation. But even he can't answer that right now.

"If you'd asked me that question with nine minutes to go in the Philly game, I would have said we're playing the best football we've played all year," Tuck said. "We won't know until that clock hits triple zeroes in the fourth quarter and we've played our style of football . . . hopefully."

Had the Giants played their style of football the last 11/8 games, they wouldn't be in this position right now. They'd have clinched a playoff berth and possibly a first-round bye.

Instead, they're on the outside looking in. All that remains is hope . . . and even that's fading fast.