New York Giants Official Website

DECEMBER 14, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Giants emerged from their latest defeat disappointed in the outcome, but determined to end the season successfully.

A 45-38 loss Sunday night to the Philadelphia Eagles cost the Giants first place in the NFC East and left them dependent on other teams to secure a playoff berth. At 7-6, they trail both the 9-4 Eagles and the 8-5 Dallas Cowboys in the division race. They are also behind the 9-4 Green Bay Packers and the Cowboys in the race for the final NFC wild card.

Barring a strange series of events, the conference's sixth seed will come down to the Giants vs. the Cowboys. The Giants own the tiebreaker because they twice defeated Dallas. So if the Cowboys lose Saturday night at unbeaten New Orleans, the Giants would again control their playoff destiny and could secure entry into the postseason tournament by winning their final three games - next Monday night at Washington, in the Dec. 28 Giants Stadium finale vs. Carolina and on Jan. 3 at 11-2 Minnesota.

If the Giants win out, they would make the playoffs if Dallas loses one of its final three games. After their game Saturday in the Superdome, the Cowboys visit Washington and host Philadelphia.

"The fact of the matter is that we have three games remaining," Coach Tom Coughlin said today. "There is no sense in looking back. There is nothing we can do about that at this point in time. We still have a great opportunity. We have a lot of pride. We have outstanding character in our group and in our team. Our whole purpose right now it to prepare ourselves to play well against the Redskins, still in the division (for the third week in a row).

"We have to take care of our business starting, with this one," quarterback Eli Manning said. "Right now, every game is a must win. All we can do is worry about ourselves. We need some help, but we have to handle our business. We have to win all three games. That is what our focus is, our focus is this week, right now, on Washington. We got a big game. They are playing well. We have to go into their place and find a way to get a win."

Is it difficult not controlling their destiny?

"No, because all we can control is what we are doing, anyway," Manning said. "We got to control our games and control our season. We all know who Dallas plays and they got a tough schedule. We are of the mindset that if we win these three games we think we will make the playoffs."

Of course, talk of sweeping the final three games and playing the second weekend in January is little more than hot air if the Giants don't improve their performance over that of Sunday night - or much of the streak that has seen them lose six of their last eight games.

Against the Eagles, the Giants gained a season-high 512 yards and posted their second-highest point total of the season. They tied their season best with 27 first downs and Manning threw for a career-high 391 yards and passed for three touchdowns without an interception.

But the good news pretty much ended there. The defense surrendered five touchdowns, including one on a 60-yard touchdown pass. The special teams (a 72-yard punt return) and even the offense (on a 60-yard fumble return) allowed one apiece. When the Giants took their only lead of the game, the Eagles stole it back for good only 15 seconds later. With the Giants down by a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia embarked on a 12-play, 91-yard drive on which it never once faced a third down.

"I thought we had a winning performance on offense," Coughlin said, "but not a winning performance on defense and not a winning performance on special teams."

The defense is now 28th in the NFL in scoring, allowing 25.4 points a game, including three 40 point games by the opposition and two more in which their foes scored 31 points.

"I let (Sheridan) know my support for him and I also let him know that it has to be better," Coughlin said. "We have to do a better job. We are here for one reason. The inconsistency part of it is disturbing, let's face it. Six big play passes and three big play runs, you are not going to beat anybody like that. It's not all that. Everybody wants to say 45 (points allowed). It's not 45, it's 31. Two scores were on special teams and offense."

The defensive players insist their performance is better than the numbers indicate and they will prove it in the next three weeks.

"I haven't been able to put my finger on (the defensive problems) all year, to be honest with you," Osi Umenyiora said. "It's always something. It seems like (last night) it was big plays. I don't know man, its ridiculous, but we have to find a way to fix it.

"We can salvage our season personally. I mean as a team, how we feel, for our pride we can still go out and play better, no matter what happens. No matter if you make the playoffs or not, I think we need to focus on getting our football right and playing a whole lot better than we do. We give up to many big plays and we have to find a way to rectify that."

"I wouldn't say it's baffling," Mathias Kiwanuka said in response to a question. "It's definitely a cause for concern and it's disappointing. But at this point in the season there is still a lot left, we are still in it, so we are going to make the corrections and move on."

With the defense struggling, much of the attention is focused on first- year coordinator Bill Sheridan, who assumed the position after Steve Spagnuolo left after two seasons to become head coach of the St. Louis Rams. But both Coughlin and the players defended Sheridan today.

Asked if he is confident in Sheridan, Coughlin said, "I am. I am disappointed with the results, obviously." In response to another question, Coughlin said he has not considered changing coordinators.

"We have 100 percent faith in him," Kiwanuka said. "He knows Xs and Os better than a lot of people in this league and has giving us an opportunity to play and put us in position to win games and we haven't done it."

"We have all the confidence in Coach Sheridan," cornerback Terrell Thomas said. "He is a great coach. Obviously, it's his first year and everybody is tough on him. But at the same time we are professionals and we have to execute our jobs and do it. It's not always on him. He can call the right plays, but if we don't execute it there is nothing he can do."

The Giants' problems on defense seem to cover a wide range of issues. Many of them were exposed on the game's key play, Jackson's 60-yard touchdown catch that permanently returned the lead to the Eagles - just 15 seconds after the Giants had seized it for the first time. Jackson, the most dangerous player on the field, got behind the secondary and caught the ball at the 15-yard line in front of diving safety Aaron Ross.

"Believe it or not we were in a two-deep coverage," Coughlin said. "But the depth of the receiver crossing gets behind one of the safeties (Michael Johnson). The other safety is chasing and they end up with the big play. It is not totally different. They had hit the deep ball against two-deep coverage, as well. It is something that you don't expect to happen in that circumstance, but it did.

Was Johnson too close to the line?

"No, but he was so concerned with the receiver releasing in front of him, the tight end in front of him, that he really didn't have an awareness," Coughlin said. "So I think everybody wants answers - I think awareness is one, I think down and distance, I think recognition of what the potential issues may very well be with the formations presented. I think there is lot of those things."

It's late in the season, but the Giants believe they can correct them in time to become a playoff team.

"You have to look at the positive side," linebacker Michael Boley. "Anything that we did wrong can be fixed. It's nothing that we have done on defense that can't be fixed. It's all a matter of getting it fixed and sustaining it. Going up and down is frustrating, but coming in here and getting something done one week and not getting it done the next is frustrating. You just have to get up on the horse and keep pushing."

NOTES

*Tackle Kareem McKenzie suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee.

"They are saying (he will be sidelined) a couple weeks," Coughlin said. "We will have to wait and see. He has been a characteristically fast healer, but I don't know how that will be. I am hoping that he comes back faster."

Cornerback Corey Webster has a less severe knee injury.



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