G-Men are down, but not out

Football Betting Lines

12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia entered the Meadowlands on Sunday and punched the Giants square in the mouth, beating them at their own game.

Even Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said during a radio interview on Monday that stopping the run is vital to winning in the NFL. Coughlin, whose repertoire generally includes stuffing the run down opponents' throats, watched in agony as the Eagles racked up 161 yards on the ground en route to a 36-22 win.

The Giants had trouble stopping Brian Westbrook, who ended with 97 yards and two TDs on 19 carries, and backup Correll Buckhalter. Buckhalter ran for 48 yards and a score on eight touches to keep New York's defense on its heels.

"They did a great job," Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said. "They did a great job running up the middle. It was not the typical Philadelphia style. But they did a good job at exploiting our defense."

New York is 7-7, and fell to third place in the NFC East standings, two games behind the division-leading Dallas Cowboys and one game back of the Eagles. The Giants are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but jeopardized their chances for a Wild Card berth. They still hold the tiebreaker over Atlanta for the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC, but have two tough games left, against New Orleans at home and Washington on the road. Win them both and New York will be in the playoffs for the second straight year, barring a scenario in which the Falcons and Eagles both finish 9-7 as well (the Giants would be the odd team out in this scenario).

To survive in the NFL, teams must take care of business at home. The Giants have lost three in a row in front of their fans, and five of six overall. They get one more chance this week when the playoff-bound Saints come to town.

"We're definitely a playoff team," Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey said in the locker room. "We've got talent in this locker room. There's no doubt about it. We've just got to fix what's going wrong and move on from there."

That's easier said than done, Mr. Shockey.

But Shockey has the right attitude during this tense time for his team and its fans. I imagine many of the Big Blue faithful were pulling their hair out when the Giants twice kicked field goals after squandering 1st-and-goal situations. Or when Eli Manning was pressured into throwing a pair of interceptions, including one which was returned 19 yards for a touchdown.

Manning, Brandon Jacobs and Visanthe Shiancoe helped contribute to four turnovers, matching the four New York gave up against Seattle in Week 3. After two straight weeks of almost flawless football, Manning didn't throw a TD pass for the first time since a Week 10 loss against Chicago. Now he must focus on a Saints squad coming off a loss at home and hungry for a first-round bye.

The New Orleans defense is much better than Philadelphia's, and has a front four capable of giving Manning a migraine by the second quarter. The Saints have the 12th-best defense in the league, and are fifth against the pass.

Even though New Orleans is 25th against the rush, Manning must get into a rhythm in the aerial attack. He tried late against the Eagles, but was hit by cornerback Sheldon Brown forcing the ball to pop into the air before landing in DE Trent Cole's hands. Cole sealed the win with his subsequent touchdown, following which the crowd began to disperse.

New York did have a 22-21 lead with about eight minutes to go in the game, but allowed 15 points in 10 seconds to surrender that edge. The Giants also failed to take advantage of 12 Philly penalties worth 103 yards.

If Manning has trouble finding Plaxico Burress and Shockey this week, then Coughlin will be forced to use Tiki Barber more than expected.

Barber was expected to have a great day on the ground against Philadelphia, but ended with just 75 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. He gained only 24 yards on 11 touches in the second half. Barber could be playing the final two games of his NFL career unless he and the rest of the offense can respond with a better showing this week. Barber, who is retiring at season's end, was stuffed on a two-point conversion try with 7:05 to go in the fourth quarter.

"It's about winning," Barber said. "It's not about me having two games left, it's about us trying to find a way to win. That's what my creed is and that's how I've always played."

Barber's creed is also leading the team in rushing, and he has done that an NFL-record 78 consecutive times. His TD on Sunday was just his second of the season, and gave him 65 for his career, tying him with Joe Morrison for second on the team's career list. Frank Gifford is first with 78 touchdowns.

The records and accolades are nice, but Barber and the rest of his teammates must regroup from this loss because they are not dead yet. Coughlin is a stickler for detail and will do all he can to keep his players focused on the ultimate goal of reaching the playoffs and making a run at the Super Bowl.

UP NEXT: SAINTS MARCH INTO BIG APPLE

As mentioned, the Giants will try to vent their frustrations against the New Orleans Saints this weekend at Giants Stadium. They lead the all-time series by a 14-9 edge, including an 11-3 mark in games played at the Meadowlands.

In the last meeting, on September 19, 2005 the Giants posted a 27-10 victory as the guest at Giants Stadium. The Saints were designated as the home team after the Superdome was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and they were forced to play the game in Jersey.

New Orleans already wrapped up the NFC South Division and a playoff berth, but a first-round bye is still up for grabs.

Giants end and future Hall-of-Famer Michael Strahan could make a huge impact if he returns from a foot injury that has sidelined him for six straight weeks. Rookie defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora will take over again if Strahan is unable to go.