Matt Dodge: Could the New York Giants Have Their Bill Buckner?

Matt Dodge has become the scapegoat for the New York Giants' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. 

The city that never sleeps finally has its Bill Buckner.

More than 24 years after the New York Mets benefited from Buckner's blunder, fans in the city experience the same—albeit at a lesser level. But much like the Red Sox' collapse at Shea Stadium in the 1986 World Series, the Giants folded as a team, and the reasons for the loss go much deeper than the infamous play. 

Dodge's decision to punt the ball to the explosive DeSean Jackson with 14 seconds to play was just the very spoiled icing on top of a cake that has to taste quite nasty for Giants fans today. 

The Giants' woes began much earlier than Dodge's punt. Prior to Jackson's “walkoff touchdown,” the Eagles had scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. All told, Philadelphia scored 28 points in the final 7:28 of the game. It was a true breakdown in final moments of a game the Giants likely needed to win. 

With the loss, the Giants fall to 9-5 and will need to win one of their final two games to remain relevant in the wild card race. The 10-4 New Orleans Saints appear to have one wild card position locked up. The Giants will compete with the Packers next week in what could come down to a winner-takes-all Week 16 battle. 

Regardless of how the next two weeks play out, the Giants had the Eagles. They had a shot at the division. Now, the Giants are fighting for the sixth seed in the playoffs. 

For now, though, Dodge's football equivalent of a grounder through the legs will remain exactly what it is: terrible, terrible execution. Following the game, Dodge said he knew it wasn't a good idea giving Jackson—perhaps the top punt returner in the league—a chance at a return and it was his intentions to kick it out of bounds. Easier said than done, apparently. 

After Dodge’s punt and the Giants meltdown, the city never sleeps became the city that had trouble falling asleep. The Buckner-like error had to have been replayed in the heads of Giants fans all night long.