Palladino: Giants Have The Motivation To Avoid Trap Against Browns

By Ernie Palladino
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Team records have never meant much to the Giants, which is why Sunday's game against the 0-11 Browns looms so dangerous.

It's not like they haven't lost to stumblebums before. They need only look back to 2014 to remember that feeling. For a franchise that has at times seemed overly generous to underdogs, their 25-24 Week 12 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars proved a low point of the Tom Coughlin era.

Never mind that the Giants were on their way to the first of two consecutive 6-10 seasons, the latter of which would end Coughlin's 12-year head coaching reign. The Jaguars, just one win better than the Browns this week, were 1-10 into a 3-13 mess of a season.

They couldn't get out of their own way. And the Giants, albeit out of it at 3-8, went down to Florida with every expectation of snapping a six-game losing streak.

They should have, too, especially the way the game started. The Giants munched on the Jaguars in the first half with the delight of a child presented with a head-sized slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. Two touchdown runs by Rashad Jennings and a Preston Parker touchdown catch had put them up 21-0 by the time kicker Josh Scobee put the Jags on the board with 2:03 left in the first half.

And then it all changed around in the second half. A recovery of Eli Manning's third-quarter fumble in the end zone and Blake Bortles' strike to Marquis Lee got the Jags to 21-16. Then, tight end Larry Donnell offered a first look into the ball-handling problems that last week would cost him not only his starting job, but his spot on the game day roster.

His fumble, which followed a hit after a three-yard gain, turned into Aaron Colvin's 41-yard touchdown return.

Down 22-21, the Giants had officially blown a 21-point lead to someone they should have beaten by 30 points.

Making matters worse, Josh Brown actually put the Giants up again with a field goal. But they couldn't hold on, and Scobee kicked the game-winner with 28 seconds remaining.

It all left the Giants dumbfounded.

"I don't know an English word to describe how we feel," Jennings said afterward.

That's the kind of emptiness one gets when they lose to the Walking Dead. And on Sunday, Ben McAdoo's 7-3 playoff contender will face yet another set of zombies.

MORE: Manning Enjoying Every Second Of Giants' Winning Streak

The lesson, unlearned by so many teams in the NFL, is that even the dead can become the undead for a day. The Giants, surging with five straight wins on the strength of their defense and an offense that accomplishes just enough, certainly don't want to become the Browns' first victim.

Only the 2008 Detroit Lions have gone winless through an entire schedule. So it stands to reason that the Browns are eventually going to win one. A fumble here, a big play there, and it can happen.

And it's not like they don't have any personnel. Wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, the league's sixth-leading pass-catcher with 56 grabs for 724 yards and four TDs, might prove a handful for the secondary if Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon can't get past pass protection led by nine-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas.

The Browns' offense is ranked 13th league wide inside the red zone, which is better than the Giants. And they're ranked seventh in goal-to-go situations.

They'll face Josh McCown, who will start at quarterback in place of the concussed Cody Kessler. That's a plus for the Giants, considering he has thrown six interceptions and fumbled five times in his 11 quarters of work.

Still, the Giants have proved over the years that they are perfectly capable of losing to dead teams. McAdoo was in his first year here as offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville debacle, so he won't let the possibility of another one go unstated.

Seven wins, he knows, buys not a thing.

Losing to a really bad team late in the season can mess up a contender's playoff plans.

The trap awaits.

Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino