Sun Jan 6, 1:00 pm (FOX) - Green Bay at Giants
You don't feel that bad, do you?
Let's face it. It looked like the Giants were out of it a few weeks ago when they lost three in a row. That gave the Eagles a three game lead over them with only four games left to play. The Giants did manage to hang in there for awhile beating Arizona and Seattle with last minute drives, while the Eagles were fading. Then,
solely for the pure entertainment value of it all, the Giants gave all their fans a great game against the Eagles, including a spectacular finish that almost, just almost went their way.
The fans can thank the Giants for putting out a superior effort in that game, giving it everything they had. That is after all why we are Giants fans in the first place. This team never quits. That does not mean they'll never be overmatched or make mistakes, but they're a team that goes out to win every single game, and you'll never feel betrayed rooting for them every single game.
You don't have to look far.
You don't have to look far to see why the Giants season came to an end last week while others went on. The defensive unit blamed themselves for letting Donovan McNabb's Eagles score 10 points in the final 2 minutes of the game. The offensive group almost emerged as the heroes, but Ron Dixon's long race to the goal line came
up just four yards short.
It was all good flashy stuff, like the back to back, come from behind wins they put together the games before this. In the excitement of it all, in the excitement of staying alive week to week in the hopes of some kind of miracle finish, they made you forget the numbers and why a miracle was needed in the first place.
The numbers.
The 7-8 Giants have scored just 269 points to date. In this area, that puts them ahead of just six teams in the NFL. Many of these teams have been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. There's 1-14 teams Detroit (255) and Carolina (247). The
Giants also outscored NFC East rival teams, 5-10 Dallas (236), and 7-8 Washington (236). They also have scored more points than AFC teams, 5-10 Cincinnati (203), and 3-12 Buffalo (258).
Note the distinction here that all these teams are of the below .500 variety, some well below, and all the rest of the other 24 teams in the NFL have scored more points than the Giants.
On defense, just about every team (still to be finalized this week) that has kept points scored against them at the same Giants level, 287 or better, is in the playoffs, and those that have given up more are out of it.
Getting to the point.
The point here, and lack of points on the Giants is this. In the NFL today, it's just about guaranteed that if either your offensive or defensive unit is above average, and the other is at very least average, you're in the playoffs. The Giants defense is above average, and the offense is way below average, hence, no playoffs for the Giants until that gets fixed.
No Sehorn.
Once again the Giants will be without veteran cornerback Jason Sehorn because of a severely sprained right ankle. Rookie Will Peterson will start at left cornerback for Sehorn. Since rookie cornerback Will Allen is hurting, Dave Thomas will likely play in his place. Ron Stone was downgraded to doubtful,
and Jason Whittle would start in his place. Rookie WR Jonathan Carter (toe) returned to practice and may replace Ron Dixon on kickoff returns.
The Giants and the Packers.
The defending NFC champion Giants (7-8) didn't make the postseason. The Packers (11-4) did, and a victory in the Meadowlands would secure a playoff game at Lambeau Field, where they've never lost in January. Also, the Packers could win the NFC Central if Chicago loses to Jacksonville.
The Giants are playing to get to 8-8 to avoid their first losing season under head coach Jim Fassel. Michael Strahan would like to break the long standing sack record and could do it with just one sack, but Brett Favre has been sacked only 21 times to date. That's the fewest in his 10-year pro career, and four fewer than in 1997,
his previous best season. The last time the Giants played the Packers was Nov. 15, 1998, when the Giants lost 37-3, in Giants Stadium.
Notes:
Jessie Armstead was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fifth consecutive time. It's the most by a Giant since Lawrence Taylor's run of 10 in a row ended in 1990.
Ron Stone, selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight year, will be a free agent after this season.
Michael Strahan, selected to the Pro Bowl has 21 1/2 sacks.
Mark Gastineau had 22 in 1984, one more than Reggie White had in 1987, when he missed four games because of the strike.
Giants kicker Morten Andersen has scored at least one point in an NFL-record 285 straight games.
Kerry Collins can become the first player in NFL history to throw every regular season pass for his team in two consecutive seasons.
Amani Toomer needs 25 yards to become the third receiver in team history with 1,000 yards three seasons in a row.
Next Game.
No more for this season.
For those very organized fans.
If you use a Palm Pilot and want to keep the Giants schedule, and actually the whole NFL schedule on it, there is a free download available here at PFL.
Last Week's review, game 15 - Eagles 24 - Giants 21
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