Grading the Giants

OFFENSE

C

Yes, they stalled at the end when they needed yards, points and seconds off the clock, but the Giants scored 31 points and had 364 yards of offense. Their running game was contained for 100 net yards, giving them their two lowest totals of the season against the Eagles. But Eli Manning threw for 289 yards and four TDs. They also had two turnovers, a pick by Manning and a fumble by Mario Manningham, who had an otherwise outstanding game with eight catches for 113 yards and two TDs.

DEFENSE

F

Three touchdowns allowed in the final eight minutes? Losing containment on Michael Vick, the one player in the league you need to keep in front of you? It was as if the Giants' defense disappeared at the end. The defense played so well in the first three quarters, hitting Vick hard, batting down passes, and keeping DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy in check. The Eagles had 418 yards of offense, 220 of them on their final three drives.

SPECIAL TEAMS

F

This was almost the game in which Matt Dodge stood tall. His first six punts were solid, three of them inside the 20. But we all know what happened. His coverage team didn't help, but how could it have expected a line drive to DeSean Jackson when the play is clearly to put the ball out of bounds. The failure to even challenge the onside kick is another black eye against a unit that has troubled the Giants since training camp.

COACHING

D

Tom Coughlin said he told the kickoff return unit to be prepared for the onside kick. They weren't. He said he told Matt Dodge to punt the ball out of bounds on the last play. He didn't. There's only so much a coach can do, even though Coughlin took the blame for this one. Defensively, the Giants had blitzes dialed up early and were pounding on Vick, but having Justin Tuck drop back into coverage on the Brent Celek touchdown made it look like they were trying to coast to the win defensively.