Written by Jordan Ranaan at CBSSports.com
The New York Giants didn’t take care of business Thursday night. They might have won the battle of the stat sheet, but they didn’t win the battle on the scoreboard.
The Giants lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 24-19 after falling behind early. They were never able to climb all the way back. Their offense struggled in the red zone and they were minus-2 in turnover margin.
Without the benefit of film review, here were the Up/Downs from the disappointing loss, which kept the Giants from clinching a playoff berth:
UP
S Landon Collins: He was all over the field and finished with nine solo tackles, including two for a loss. Included in that was a tremendous play Collins made on a goal-line stand in the third quarter. He knifed into the backfield to grab the ankles of running back Ryan Mathews before he was able to get airborne on fourth-and-goal. The only potential knock on Collins was on Nelson Agholor’s 40-yard touchdown reception. Someone in the secondary blew the coverage. It’s still to be determined whether that was Collins.
CB Trevin Wade: He had a spike in playing time with Janoris Jenkinssidelined by a back injury and performed well. Wade made a tremendous tackle on a third-down screen pass that seemed destined for big yards in the first quarter, had a pass defended late in the game and even saved the day on special teams by recovering a Dwayne Harris fumble on a punt return. It was a good evening for Wade all around.
WR Victor Cruz: The veteran receiver had his most productive game of the season upon his return to the place where he tore his knee in his last visit during the 2014 season. Cruz showed he can create enough separation while catching eight passes on 13 targets for 84 yards. He had five receptions in the previous six games combined. It was a mildly successful return to Lincoln Financial Field. It would have been storybook if he would have been able to make a key play on the final drive.
DOWN
QB Eli Manning: He started off so poorly that it was impossible to overcome. Manning was throwing wobblers and knuckleballs in the wind. He looked uncomfortable. His interception into the arms of Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins was a head-scratcher that hurt badly. Jenkins returned it for a touchdown. Manning seemed to panic on the play. He finished with three interceptions and couldn’t get the Giants into the end zone. They were 1-of-5 in the red zone. Manning’s passing numbers were bloated. He threw for 356 yards, but also threw a Giants team-record 63 passes. His 61.3 passer rating says it all. It wasn’t his best effort.
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