Brendan Rand ‘11
Staff Writer

I’m at a loss for words, really.

There’s only so much that can be said about the New York Giants after Sunday’s dreadful 40-17 loss in Philadelphia.

This now creates a three game losing streak that started after the Giants’ 5-0 start to the 2009 season.

Last week’s loss at home to the Arizona Cardinals could for the most part have been attributed to Eli Manning and the offense’s inability to execute against the defense. The loss before that, against the Saints, was a result of the defense not stepping up against their vaunted offense.

The problem against the Eagles? Pretty much everything.

Eli Manning struggled once again, throwing two interceptions and finishing with a paltry 55.7 QB rating. His offensive line also didn’t help very much, allowing the Eagles defense to combine for two sacks and six hits on the quarterback.

By comparison, the Giants defense gave up five touchdowns, three from gains of 40 yards or more. And I can only shake my head when I think about Leonard Weaver, the Eagles’ fullback -yes, I’m not kidding, the Eagles’ fullback-rumbling 41 yards straight down the middle of the field for a touchdown not even two minutes into the ballgame.

Though special teams weren’t as much of a problem this time around, a missed field goal and a fumbled kickoff by Domenik Hixon that turned into an Eagles score certainly didn’t help the cause either.

Of all of the games I’ve seen this year, this was in my view probably one of the worst all around efforts the Giants put forth this year. And with the Giants falling to 5-3 and third place in the NFC East, now would be a terrific time to be worried.

Where have the Giants gone wrong?

If I were to give my view in the simplest way I could, I’d start with Eli Manning as one of the possible reasons for the losses. While he isn’t the only one on offense to blame, he has struggled in the previous two losses, both against teams the Giants could normally play with. In those games, he started throwing interceptions and showing an inability to help his team score. These past two games have shown a small resurrection of “old Eli,” who prior to this season we Giants fans last saw throwing four picks against the Minnesota Vikings secondary. If “new Eli,” the quarterback who won Super Bowl XLII and led the Giants to the top seed in the NFC playoffs last season, can return to form once again, one can expect to see a big turnaround.

Of course, we can’t overlook the defense. While they have faced three consecutive solid offensive units, they have all but bowed to some of them in giving up 40 or more points in their last two losses.

Now, I can forgive Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan for having to deal with injuries on his unit, having earlier placed talented defensive backs Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross on injured reserve. As Mets fans can attest, injuries can really harm a team if enough able players go down. However, if the Giants are to get back on track, Sheridan will have to look elsewhere for players to step on defense.

The Giants schedule does not get much better now, with the Chargers, Falcons, and Broncos all lined up to take a shot at Big Blue. I’m curious to see how Tom Coughlin will adjust this team now that they have lost three straight games, and hope that this debacle was the last we’ll see of its kind from the Giants this year.