Palladino: Giants' Season Truly Went To The Dogs Against Jags
By Ernie Palladino
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You know your season has gone to the dogs when you can't find an answer to a bunch of young Jacksonville cats.
Tom Coughlin's Giants know that feeling. In Sunday's 25-24 loss, yet another second-half disaster resulted in a seventh straight loss to a hopelessly young Jaguars team that had won but once in 11 previous games. And as if falling to 3-9 -- which officially commits this season to the overall debit column for a second straight year -- wasn't enough, the Giants allowed Jacksonville to accomplish a franchise-record comeback from 21 points.
It was nothing short of embarrassing. And let's hear none of the sad songs about injuries, even though it was Dallas Reynolds at right tackle in the end instead of Geoff Schwartz or James Brewer. Those four sacks that blew apart the Giants' offense, including the jailbreak that deprived Eli Manning of a last-gasp drive on the last possession, didn't all come over the right side. Nor was Andre Williams stopped time after time simply because Rashad Jennings stood on the sideline with an ankle sprain.
No, all that happened because the Giants -- for the umpteenth time -- flatlined in the second half. For some strange reason, they couldn't hold onto a 21-3 halftime lead built through solid offense and defense that eventually bulked up some anemic sack stats with a season-high seven.
Yet, even in that first half, one saw indications that this might not end all that well. The one little field goal that put the 2-10 Jaguars on the board just before intermission proved a difference-maker. Not a game-winner, but a creator of hope, especially since it never should have happened in the first place. If either Antrel Rolle or Devon Kennard grasped Rolle's end-zone breakup on third-and-goal from the 5, the Jags never would have gotten to to the hold-negated touchdown and salvaged a field goal. Prevent that, and even Monday's scapegoat, Josh Brown, receives no blame for his season's first miss from 43 yards.
Instead, the way the Jags ended the first half fired them up for the second half. And the second half is exactly what has placed the Giants in the kennel this year.
It is a systemic inability to finish that has doomed them. The thing is, failing against Seattle, San Francisco and Dallas is far different from collapsing against Jacksonville. For all the prequels -- the failed goal-line series against San Francisco; Tony Romo's final, endless touchdown pass against Dallas; Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson running them every which way in Seattle -- Sunday goes as the topper.
The Giants didn't create a single turnover. Meanwhile, the Jags scored two touchdowns on defense.
J.T. Thomas recovered Geno Hayes' strip-sack on Manning in the end zone, even though Jennings needed only to fall on it for a damage-minimizing safety. Instead, the running back tried to pick it up and run.
Larry Donnell, whose danger as a pass-catching tight end has officially been overshadowed by his turnovers, saw his second big fumble of the season returned 41 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. As it turned out, that hurt even more than his miscue in the first meeting in Dallas, when that fumble took away all hopes of a comeback. This one gave the Jags the lead for the first time.
Jason Pierre-Paul had 1 1/2 sacks, but when it came to stopping Bortles on late-game keepers, JPP got sucked inside twice in three plays and allowed the young quarterback to sprint the Jags into winning field-goal territory. This, remember, was after Manning finally gathered himself and drove for a go-ahead field goal following two three-and-outs after Donnell's fumble.
But there would be no happy ending. The Giants never did deserve a win, not after wasting away a 21-point lead with a nothing half. Not in light of being outscored 189-112 in second halves this year.
Four sacks, three turnovers, two defensive touchdowns, three Giants points. That was the story of Sunday's ultimate second-half journey to ignominy.
That's French for kennel. The Giants' season, destined to be a loser, truly went to the dogs against a bunch of Florida felines.
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