Dust off the Pain

Add it to the list of Giants Eagles games that got away. Games as close as this one are torturous, there are multiple plays that could have made the pivotal difference in the game. But the Giants have to take this bitter loss as a learning experience. There is plenty of football to be played and with that comes a lot of adjustments. A big problem with the Giants is the fact that they are extremely vulnerable against the run.

The Giants have two divisional losses, in the first game it was Demarco Murray, in the second game it was LeSean McCoy. Good running backs are giving the Giants trouble. It's not a matter of personnel, there's no question the Giants defense should have the ability to be a good run stopping team. The problem is mental discipline. Understandably, it's much easier for McCoy to give the Giants trouble when they've got Vick to worry about as well, but they weren't disciplined against either threats. Poor angles were taken from the defensive ends in this game. Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul were trying to make some big plays and it cost them. For Vick's running, they did not contain the outside consistently allowing Vick more pocket space and the ability to roll out. As for McCoy it was very similar, Osi and Pierre-Paul did not set the edge that would force McCoy to stay inside. Instead they tried to make plays themselves and unintentionally magnified holes for McCoy. This allowed the Eagles to develop a very reliable running game in the second half and is the key difference in the game that gave the Eagles the advantage.

Not to mention the Eagles ability to stop the Giants running game. Surprisingly the Giants gave Brown limited carries after a dominant performance in Carolina. Bradshaw got most of the work, and he struggled. As has been the pattern, the Eagles won the game on the ground against the Giants. That's what determined the victor of this game. Giants fans can talk until they're blue in the face about how Ramses Barden shouldn't have interfered, or how Tynes was only three yards short of kicking the game winner, but those are a couple of crazy plays that are a part of football. What the Giants have to take out of this game is what they can improve on for the future and be ready for the next time they play the Eagles in December.

Now it was an excellent matchup and both teams played well. But the Eagles definitely attacked a Giants weakness in this game, and used it to be the pivotal difference to win the game by two points. In the future the Giants pass rush has to be more disciplined. Sometimes the best plays on defense are the plays you don't make. But playing smart and allowing others to excel goes a long way. The Giants have the ability to run the ball on offense and they have the ability to stop it on defense. It's up to the coaches to prepare them for it and get it done. In all honesty, playing the Browns next week is the perfect test. Committing to stopping Trent Richardson is what the Giants have to do. Eleven hats on the ball every time he touches the ball. With the Browns mediocre passing game, this will allow the Giants to take some chances and see what they're capable of when they really want to stop a running game. An experience the Giants need to have to develop some confidence in the run stop.

More on the Browns later in the week, but as for the Giants and Eagles passing game, I'd say it was a dead even matchup. The crucial difference was obviously the one turnover. The Giants were able to get over 300 passing yards against a tough Eagles pass defense and that's something to be proud of, but if they had that interception back that Rodgers-Cromartie snagged in the end zone, this game would be a whole different story. As is the theme of this bitter loss, take it as a learning experience. Eli will be the first to admit that was a crucial mistake.

If the Giants learn how to respond to these issues they can become an extremely dominant football club. It's all very realistic to think that the Giants can adjust. If they can get it together and get some consistency in the defense and the running game, the Giants passing game would not have to bail them out at the end of every game like it did last year. The Giants were able to make a super bowl run last year because their defense was just as productive as their clutch passing attack. Eli has proven he is as clutch as they come, but if this team comes together Eli wont have to be Mr. Miracle man every single week. And as a result you would see a dominant New York Giants football team.

But right now the facts are the facts. The Giants are .500 and are in need of a serious bounce back game against the 0-4 Cleveland Browns next week. The Browns are more of a threat then their record claims. There really aren't any games in the NFL this year that are easy. It's more competitive than it's ever been. The Giants need to get their season together and get ready for four huge remaining division games.

So Giants fans, when you feel like blaming Ramses Barden or Lawrence Tynes for this loss, remember it's a team game and there's a whole lot the Giants can still improve on. Coach Coughlin's gotten things together time and time again for this team. The Giants are still coming together as a team, and seeing what they're truly capable of. It's a long season, and the Giants have to stay optimistic and hungry so we can beat these bastards when we play them again in the last game of the season.