Week 11: New York Giants Can't Control Line of Scrimmage, NFC East

The New York Giants couldn’t control the line of scrimmage, and because of that, they no longer have control of the NFC East.

With the Dallas Cowboys winning earlier in the day at Washington, the Giants went into Sunday night’s game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. knowing the value of a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not only would a win enable Big Blue to maintain its one-game lead in the division; it would also—for all intents and purposes—serve as the obituary for any playoff hopes still being entertained by the underachieving Eagles.

Instead, the Giants couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t protect Eli Manning and their defense couldn’t stop Philadelphia when it mattered most.

Manning’s numbers were pedestrian, just 18-for-35 for 264 yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus a lost fumble on New York’s final possession that sealed the Giants’ fate on Sunday night. But in fairness to Manning, he was under duress all night.

The Eagles sacked Manning three times, hit him on 10 other occasions (not counting his being blown up well after linebacker Jamar Chaney had been stopped on his interception return) and his receivers didn’t do a lot at times to help.

In particular, tight end Jake Ballard—one of the heroes of New York’s upset win over the New England Patriots at Foxborough just two weeks ago—couldn’t catch a cold. Ballard made one reception for 13 yards, despite being targeted seven times. Ballard’s inability to come up with routine catches was a big reason why the Giants couldn’t move the ball in the first half.

But while New York struggled to throw the ball against Philadelphia, it also couldn’t run it—at all. The Giants, a team built on defense and ball control, managed a season-low 29 yards against Philadelphia’s middle-of-the road run defense that came into Sunday night ranked 17^th in the league. It marked the sixth time in 10 games that the Giants were unable to reach 100 yards on the ground.

The defense came in short-handed, with undrafted free-agent rookie linebacker Mark Herzlich forced into action at linebacker because regular middle linebacker Michael Boley was out with a hamstring injury.

But it’s not as if the Eagles came in at 100 percent. Quarterback Vince Young’s last start was a year ago today for the Tennessee Titans, before he filled in for Michael Vick Sunday night. Jeremy Maclin, arguably Philadelphia’s most consistent receiver this year, also sat out.

The Giants found a little offense early in the fourth quarter, driving 73 yards on five plays to get a game-tying touchdown pass from Manning to Victor Cruz.

Tied 10-10, the New York defense couldn’t get off the field.

Young drove the Eagles down the field, starting at the Eagles’ 20-yard line and engineering a march as devastatingly effective as Sherman’s march to the sea. Philadelphia held the ball for 8:51, grinding out an 18-play, 80-yard drive marked by six third-down conversions. When the Giants had a chance to get the Eagles off the field, they simply couldn’t make a play.

With games coming up against premier offenses in the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, that doesn’t bode well for the Giants. If you can’t stop Vince Young, do you really think you have a shot to slow down Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers?

The Eagles were ripe for the taking Sunday night, and control of the division was there to be had. Instead, the Giants now find themselves trailing the Cowboys because of a poorer record within the NFC East and back-to-back games against NFC juggernauts on the schedule.

While it’s true little was expected of this club in the preseason, another second-half meltdown reminiscent of 2006 or 2010 would still be a disappointment.