Giants vs. Falcons: Winners and Losers from Big Blue's 34-0 Loss in Atlanta

With two teams nipping at their heals in the NFC East, the New York Giants knew how important Sunday's game was.

They had a very small one-game lead over the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys and needed a win over the Atlanta Falcons to keep that lead.

Instead, the Giants laid a gigantic egg at the Georgia Dome, as they were shut out 34-0 by the Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

The loss drops them to 8-6 on the year, and with the Redskins winning 38-21 over the Cleveland Browns, the Giants are now tied for first place in the NFC East.

Big Blue's once bright playoff hopes are quickly evaporating before their eyes.

Let's take a look at the winners and losers from Sunday's game for the Giants.

Winner: Domenik Hixon

Domenik Hixon was one of the very few bright spots in a very bad Giants offense on Sunday.

Hixon was the team's leading receiver with five catches for 80 yards and made some nice athletic plays against the Falcons secondary.

Hixon continues to show the Giants that he is a valuable weapon in the offense and can be relied on as the team's No. 3 wide receiver.

He just needs to stay healthy.

Loser: Eli Manning

This was definitely the worst game of the season for Eli Manning.

Eli went 13-of-25 for 161 yards with no touchdowns and threw two costly interceptions.

The first one was to Asante Samuel on the second play of the game and gave the Falcons excellent field position that set up their first scoring drive.

The second one was to Thomas DeCoud in the start of the second quarter and allowed Matt Bryant to knock down a field goal to give Atlanta a 17-0 lead.

Eli never got into any rhythm in the game and just looked lost against the Falcons.

He can not repeat this kind of performance against the Ravens next Sunday.

Loser: Lawrence Tynes

For the third game in a row, Lawrence Tynes missed a key field goal.

In the first quarter, the Giants drive was cut down by the Falcons defense and they had a chance to put three on the board.

Tynes usually can knock down a 30-yard field goal, but instead missed it wide left.

In his last three games, Tynes is 4-of-7 in field-goal attempts. This one didn't cost the game like it did against the Redskins two weeks ago, where a field goal could have been the deciding factor.

But Tynes is becoming a liability now, and Tom Coughlin might start second guessing whether or not to use him the rest of the season.

Loser: The Giants Defensive Line

Once upon a time, the Giants defensive line was by far the most feared in the NFL.

However, they haven't had that same effect in 2012.

The Giants got one sack on Matt Ryan in the game, which was by Chris Canty.

Other than Canty, the big three of Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora were shut out.

When they don't get to the quarterback and cause pressure, the rest of the defense tends to get ripped apart.

Even when the defensive line can at least cause pressure, they can force turnovers, and that didn't happen in this game.

Ryan was able to look downfield and even check down to second, third and fourth targets.

The Giants defensive line needs a serious reality check and needs to step their game up.

Loser: The Giants Secondary

The Falcons have a lot of weapons for Matt Ryan to throw to downfield.

On Sunday, the Giants secondary had absolutely no chance of stopping any of them.

Harry Douglas had three catches for 83 yards.

Julio Jones had six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns.

Tony Gonzalez had six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Roddy White was the only one who didn't factor in the game with two catches for 16 yards.

With Prince Amukamara ruled out for the game, Jayron Hosley got increased playing time, but he looked like a wide-eyed NFL rookie who was confused on the field.

Corey Webster didn't have any better of a day trying to stop Jones.

Let's face it, the entire Giants secondary flat out stunk on Sunday.

Loser: Kevin Gilbride

I really wonder what goes on in Kevin Gilbride's mind sometimes when he's calling plays.

The week before against the New Orleans Saints, Gilbride couldn't have called a better day for the Giants and really attacked the Saints defense.

Against the Falcons, it was the complete opposite.

The Giants had three 4th-and-short opportunities where the team could have continued their drive—and didn't.

On the first one, which was with about 10 minutes left in the second quarter, the Giants had a 4th-and-1, and Gilbride called a run play for David Wilson.

I understand why he would go for the run, but you don't do that with Wilson, go with Kregg Lumpkin in that kind of a situation.

The second one was a 4th-and-1 pass from Eli Manning to Victor Cruz, which was ruled incomplete, but that should have been called pass interference.

I'll let Gilbride slide on that one because Asante Samuel should have been called for that penalty on that play.

The third and final one was a 4th-and-2 in the third quarter, and Gilbride called a pass from Manning to Lumpkin.

The Giants are down 24-0; they really needed to try and attack the Falcons defense and put points on the board and not throw a little dump-off pass.

These are the kind of games where Gilbride earns his infamous nickname "Killdrive."

Loser: The Entire Giants Team

Tom Coughlin knows his team squandered a big opportunity late in the season.

He knows how important these December games are; yet they put up a giant goose egg on Sunday.

And now, their grasp on the NFC East has slipped away because of the tie-breaker situation.

If the Giants were to finished tied in the division with the Redskins, Washington would win the division because of the divisional record (the Giants are 2-3 against NFC East opponents).

After playing so well against the Saints a week ago, the Giants played as pathetic as a team can play in a game on Sunday.

If the Giants want any chance of redemption, they need a rebound game against the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.

I thought the game against the Cincinnati Bengals was the worst game the Giants played during the season.

Sunday's game against the Falcons was even worse.

This needs to change before they get to Baltimore next week.