The New York Giants Showed No Fight In Blowout Loss To The Minnesota Vikings

The New York Giants players watched their slim playoff hopes vanish on Saturday night when the Redskins beat the Eagles 38-24. All that was left to play for on Sunday night was their pride and perhaps to save the job of the coach that brought the franchise two Super Bowls during his tenure. Instead, the Giants got blown out of TCF Stadium in decisive fashion. Al Michaels aptly summed up the game after Eli Manning’s third interception: “The Giants look like a team that dropped out of playoff contention last night, which they did.”

The Giants lost 49-17 in a game that amazingly didn’t even seem that close. The 32-point loss last night was the worst since a 38-0 shutout against the Carolina Panthers in 2013. The Giants had just one third-down conversion all night. Yes, you read that correctly. Just one. Eli Manning’s three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, had the Giants trailing early. Dropped passes and poor pass protection prevented them from even starting a comeback.

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Manning was without his top receiver, and half of the Giants’ passing game, Odell Beckham Jr. who was serving a one-game suspension. It was on Dwayne Harris and Rueben Randle to pick up the slack and both receivers failed miserably. Rookie tight ends Will Tye and Matt LaCosse led the team in receptions with three apiece. LaCosse was just added to the Giants’ roster on Christmas Day.

Rueben Randle had a 72-yard touchdown grab, but that was it. He finished with two catches for 80 yards receiving. Randle disappeared once again when the Giants were in desperate need of a number one receiver. His inconsistent play this season will all but leave him off next year’s roster. On Manning’s first interception, Randle cut his route short, which we’ve seen in the past, and the pass sailed into the hands of Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo for an interception.

Cornerback Prince Amukamara said, “I feel embarrassed because we went out and did this under [Coughlin’s] watch. He’s always given us 100 percent, he’s always put himself on the line. I feel embarrassed for ourselves, for myself, and I feel embarrassed for this organization.” According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, it feels like Tom Coughlin’s firing is inevitable after such a lopsided loss.