CHRIS SZAGOLA/CSM /LANDOV
We finally know how good the Giants' high-octane Ben McAdoo offense can actually look. And we know how bad the Giants actually can be, too.
For most of the last two months, the Giants have been searching for a rhythm under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. And on Sunday, in a 25-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the home opener at MetLife Stadium, they finally found some of that.
Eli Manning had one of his finest games in the last two years, completing 13 of his first 15 passes and shaking off an early interception to throw two TDs, and Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle both came alive, as Big Blue finally looked competent on offense. They did it against a pair of dangerous cornerbacks, too, in Patrick Peterson, arguably the finest coverman in the NFL, and former Jet Antonio Cromartie. The defense, meanwhile, drew an easy matchup on the day; starting Cards QB Carson Palmer (shoulder) sat out, pushing backup Drew Stanton, who had not played since 2010, into action.
But somehow, someway, the Giants still found a way to lose. They've discovered new ways to drop games for the last two seasons, and they did it again in this game, falling to 0-2 on the season. This time, it was three turnover undoing Manning's resurgence, and it was Cruz dropping one critical deep pass late in the game, when his team needed him most.
And it all turned in the fourth quarter, midway through the period, when Steve Weatherford punted to Cardinals return man Ted Ginn Jr. The Giants held a 14-13 edge at the time on the strength of Manning's play, but then Ginn deked past a few defenders and broke into the open field, finishing off a 71-yard TD return. That put the Cards ahead, 19-14, even if they did blow the two-point conversion.
Things got worse on the ensuing kickoff, when return man Quintin Demps coughed up the ball at his own 22 on the return. The Cardinals recovered, and while Stanton struggled to move them ahead, he did enough to set up a 32-yard Chandler Cannizaro field goal that put the Giants in a 22-14 hole.
But then, there seemed to be signs of vintage Manning. He'd spend the next 13 plays leading the Giants down to the Arizona 17, fighting to make a comeback.
Kathy Willens/AP
And that's when Rashad Jennings, one of the steadiest Giants, made a critical mistake, catching a swing pass at his 15, tripping and stumbling, and losing the ball, a noncontact fumble that the Cards recovered. It almost sealed the game, although Cardinals gave the ball right back to the Giants, setting up one of football's most dangerous late-game field generals with just over three minutes to play.
Except it wasn't to be on this night. Manning and the Giants would turn the ball over on downs on the next possession, and the latest, painful Giants loss was in the books.
Post By http://ift.tt/1tSDjLj