Giants Wounded and Teetering

The good news is that the Giants defense put up a heroic effort in a 24-17 loss in Philadelphia last night. The bad news is that the Giants fell to second place against their primary Divisional opponent and have now lost two inter-Divisional games in a row. Moreover, as well as the defense played, had the Eagles not misfired on some very big plays, the score (and the game) would have been much more one sided than it appeared.

For the third straight consecutive game the Giants defensive line was unable to generate any pass rush on its own. This time, however, Fewell created consistent pressure on Vick with well schemed overload blitzes that kept Vick both on the run and contained at the same time. But the offense, with no running game and five turnovers, was unable to turn in an equivalent performance.

The injuries to O'Hara, Diehl, and Smith are clearly having an impact. The question is whether the wounded can get back on the field in playing shape in time to turn things around with a very tough schedule remaining. If so, this remains a very talented team that can contend for the trophy. But the sand in the hourglass is rapidly slipping away and it could easily be too late if Smith and either Diehl or O'Hara don't return within the next two games.