With Season Hanging by a Thread, Giants Not Putting Enough Faith in Eli Manning

The New York Giants are running out of time. The NFL season is only seven weeks old, but we're 44 percent of the way to the finish line, and New York is back below .500 after a second consecutive loss to a division rival.

They sit 3.5 games behind the first-place Dallas Cowboys and 2.5 back of second-place Philadelphia Eagles, and they don't play a team with a losing record until they face Jacksonville on Nov. 30. 

The Giants weren't expected to win in Philly or Dallas, especially the latter without injured star wide receiver Victor Cruz. But they had a real chance to pull off an upset in order to shake up the NFC East Sunday. The Cowboys defense gave them opportunities, as did quarterback Tony Romo when he threw a second-quarter interception, but the Giants fell short. 

And what makes the loss particularly disappointing is that you simply can't pin it on a lack of execution as a result of not having Cruz or top back Rashad Jennings. Not having those guys was a factor, but the Giants lost Sunday because they didn't have the guts to stick to what got them three consecutive wins earlier this season. 

Without Cruz, they wimped out. 

Quarterback Eli Manning is an 11-year veteran, a two-time Super Bowl MVP and—in my opinion—a future Hall of Famer, and interim No. 1 and No. 2 receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. are former SEC stars and recent early draft picks. 

Sunday, head coach Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo had to ride those guys from the start, and that's where they failed. 

Manning makes more than twice as much money as anyone else on the active roster. New York's only hope is to put all of its eggs into his basket. That doesn't mean you ditch the run, especially without your top receiver. But without Cruz, the Giants got away from the idea of setting up the run with the pass. And that's what killed them. 

It started with that first impression. During that winning streak, the Giants appeared to make a conscious effort to get Cruz and Randle involved early with safe, short passes. That helped Manning and Co. get into a groove while also loosening up the box for Andre Williams and the running game. 

But on Sunday, they began their initial offensive possession with back-to-back unimaginative Williams runs, neither of which got them past the original line of scrimmage. 

Three-and-out. 

One drive doesn't make a game, but the Cowboys would score on the ensuing drive in order to put Big Blue in another early hole.

Later, Romo threw an interception that led to an impressive Manning-to-Daniel Fells touchdown, and the Giants had a chance to build some serious offensive momentum with the ball in Manning's hands and two minutes remaining in the first half. 

Shotgun draw to Peyton Hillis on 1st-and-10, another hole and another three-and-out. It was as though the ghost of Kevin Gilbride had taken up residence in AT&T Stadium. 

They had another chance with possession to start the second half, but Manning threw only two passes toward his receivers on a nine-play drive that only lasted that long due to an impressive third-down scramble from the usually immobile quarterback. With a fresh set of downs following that run, they went to Williams twice in a row again, picking up only five yards. 

Manning had to make a big third-down throw to keep that drive alive, but the model in place wasn't sustainable. Manning's job is to carry this offense, not bail it out. 

By the time they realized that in the fourth quarter, they were in desperation mode down two touchdowns, and it was simply too late. 

	Run plays	Pass plays
During three victories	57%	43%
First 3 quarters Sunday	80%	20%

Let that be a lesson going forward, because it isn't yet too late to salvage this season, even without Cruz. 

If the Giants are going to work their magic and get back to the playoffs for only the second time in six years, they're going to have to realize that Manning has to be the center of attention, and his receivers need to be utilized early and often. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon