After a 5-0 start, it didn't look like the Giants would ever lose a game. Now after losing four straight, you have to wonder if they'll ever find a way to win one, especially after watching them give away Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Even with a botched field goal attempt and a disgraceful 104 penalty yards, the Giants could (and probably should) have won that game. That's more of a commentary on Norv Turner than anything else, but I'll leave that for San Diego fans to analyze.
That being said, if you allow a team to drive 80 yards in 1:46 to score the go-ahead touchdown in the final moments, maybe you don't deserve to win anyway.
The only reason Phil Rivers had a chance to do that was a brutal sequence of events after Terrell Thomas's interception return to the Chargers 4-yard-line with about three minutes left.
A touchdown there and the Giants put the game away. Instead, Chris Snee got a holding penalty on first down which put them back at the 14. After a conservative pass play, two running plays suggested that Tom Coughlin would be satisfied with a field goal and a six point lead.
If you're a Giants fan, you should have known what would happen after that.
So what now? Clearly this is a flawed defensive team, and the offensive line isn't performing anywhere near as well as they should be. Eli Manning hasn't looked right since hurting his foot in the Raiders game, the running game hasn't gotten on track, and the secondary is a total disaster.
And while they're still in decent shape at 5-4, the fact remains that four of those wins have come against teams with a combined record of 6-26. We might have to consider the possibility that this Giants team simply isn't very good.
I really have no idea what to expect from this team after they have this week off. The bye obviously comes at a good time for a team on the verge of a freefall, and how they respond in the four games afterwards will tell the story of 2009.
They host the Falcons, go to Denver on Thanksgiving night, then are home for Philly and Dallas. All games they could win, and all games they could lose. At this point, anything is possible. Would it surprise you if they lost all four? Won all four? Nothing would surprise me at this point.
All I know right now is that the Giants are on the outside looking in at the playoff picture in the NFC. I'm not ready to give up on the season yet, but they need to get this right, quickly.








