New York Giants: Nail in the Coughlin

The New York Giants came into the rivalry game needing a victory to stay alive in the division, and keep their playoff hopes alive. But in the “Battle for New York” the New York Jets topped the Giants 23-20 in an exhilarating ballgame, but a distasteful loss for Tom Coughlin and the Giants.

The Giants had the game in the palm of their hands. They were up 20-10 at the half and had a chance to pull away with an easy win in a must-win situation. The defensive unit looked better than it’s looked all year, putting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly every play, as they held the Jets to 10 points, while earning a pair of sacks and a forced fumble.

Odell Beckham Jr. had a catch and run touchdown for 72 yards, and Dwayne Harris returned a punt for 80 yards and a touchdown to make it seem like the Giants were going to pull away with an effortless victory.

Then came the second half, and the turning point that put the Giants playoff hopes in jeopardy. Tom Coughlin had to make the decision to kick the field goal or go for the touchdown on fourth-and-2 from the Jets’ 4-yard line up 20-10 in the third quarter. It was a debatable, yet foolish play call especially when Manning threw an interception on the play. The Jets then drove down field and kicked a field to pull within a touchdown.

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If Coughlin chose to kick the field goal, it would have been a two possession game and the Jets would’ve had to go for a touchdown on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal. If they had failed to convert, the game would’ve been over.

“I stand by decision to go for the touchdown”- Tom Coughlin

To put the icing on the cake, Coughlin wasted a timeout because he was indecisive on whether or not to be aggressive. He chose to be overaggressive, and it cost the Giants a football game that they needed to win.

Coughlin gave Gang-Green life after having the opportunity to put them away. The Jets had possession with 2:40 remaining and an opportunity to tie the game, which they did.

Fitzpatrick connected with Brandon Marshall for a 9-yard touchdown with 27 seconds remaining in the game, knotting the game up at 20 apiece and forcing overtime.

The Jets won the coin toss, then marched down the field to move deep into Giants territory. Randy Bullock put the Jets ahead with a 31-yard field goal giving the Jets a 23-20 lead, leaving the Giants with four downs to win with a touchdown or tie with a field goal.

Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets kicker Randy Bullock (8) kicks the go ahead field goal against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants were unable to score a touchdown, but Eli Manning put Josh Brown in the perfect position to tie the ball game. But do the Giants really take advantage of opportunities? Brown, who hasn’t missed a field goal all year, missed a 48-yard field goal wide left that locked up a Jets win.

Beckham hauled in six catches for 149 yards and one touchdown (a 72 yard catch-and run). For the Jets, Fitzpatrick played mistake free football and completed 36 passes of 50 attempts for a season-high 390 yards, 2 TDs and a 117.9 passer rating while leading the Jets to victory.

The Jets improved their record to 7-5 and thanks to a Texans loss, they currently own a wild card spot. For the boys in blue, they fall to 5-7 and their playoff hopes seems slim, but they can still win the division. They will remain tied for the NFC East lead if the Eagles and Redskins lose this weekend.

What the Giants front office has to realize is that it’s time for the legendary head coach to be removed from his position. It’s certainly hard, considering he has two Super Bowl victories under his belt, but after the play of the Giants not only this year, but in the last four years, how is this even a discussion?

Without a doubt, the blame for the latest collapse will go directly towards Tom Coughlin, who is bringing the term “fourth quarter collapse” to a whole new meaning.

The Giants have blown a staggering five fourth-quarter leads due to Coughlin’s late game play calls. And today he lost another game when his decision to go for it on fourth down instead of settling for a game winning field goal factored in to yet another debilitating loss.

If you turn on any Giants’ radio talk shows this week you’ll most likely hear two topics. Tom Coughlin’s inability to lead the 2015 New York Giants, who are capable candidates and his potential successor. For those of you who have not heard, Bill Cowher, a studio analyst for CBS and former Steelers coach, has reportedly told close friends that he’d love to coach football again, specifically with the Giants.

Giant’s fans are stunned. But they have no one to blame except for Tom Coughlin.

A football fans, we still witnessed a fascinating game with tons of plot twists and excitement. It was nothing close to attractive but at least it was intriguing. For now, Giants fans will bash Tom Coughlin and remain disappointed of what could have been an easy NFC East Crown. While Jets fans have bragging rights of the city, and control their destiny in hopes to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

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