ATLANTA (AP) — Handed the perfect setup against a depleted
Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 1:13 amGeorge Asafo-Adjei Jersey Boys , struggling Atlanta defense, the New York Giants‘ offense again fell short.No one was more surprised than Odell Beckham Jr .“I did think this was going to be a big day for us,” Beckham said.Instead, the Giants were held to two field goals through three quarters of their 23-20 loss to the Falcons on Monday night. Two fourth-quarter touchdowns were not enough to win the game or convince anyone in the New York locker room that answers had been found for season-long scoring woes that led to the Giants’ fourth straight loss.The Giants (1-6) were frustrated by an Atlanta defense which has three starters on injured reserve and had allowed the second-most points and third-most yards per game in the NFL.After the game, Beckham sat facing his locker, holding his head in his hands before finally heading off to his shower.When he faced reporters later, he was calm but frustrated.“It’s the little things, the little pieces that you’ve got to put together, the little things that are the difference between losing and winning,” Beckham said. “We just haven’t found a way to put it all together.”The statistics would suggest Beckham did his part with eight receptions for 143 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown catch with only 5 seconds remaining.The touchdown made the final score look more respectable, but it brought Beckham little comfort. He chastised himself for failing to catch a 2-point pass that could have cut the Falcons’ lead to 20-14 with about five minutes remaining.“That’s something I have to go home with at night,” he said. “That’s tough.”Despite having such weapons as Beckham, Sterling Shepard Infant George Asafo-Adjei Jersey , who had five catches for 167 yards, rookie standout running back Saquon Barkley and two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants have found no answer to their season-long inability to turn yards into points.“We know we have talent,” said tight end Evan Engram. “We’re doing things. We’re just not putting the big picture together. That’s what’s frustrating. … We’re just going to keep working, and it will eventually pop.”The Giants have scored no more than 20 points in five of their seven games.“I can’t give you the answer,” Barkley said. “We’re not executing. We’re not finishing drives. That’s the gist of our season. … We’ve got to find a way to execute and finish our game.”There were no turnovers to blame. Manning threw for 399 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, but he was sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards. Entering the game, the 37-year-old Manning had been sacked 20 times, third-most in the NFL.Barkley was held to 43 yards, his second-lowest total of the season, on 14 carries. He added nine catches for 51 yards.“Honestly, personally I didn’t play a good game,” Barkley said. “… I wasn’t the player I usually am.”The difficulties in scoring might have influenced coach Pat Shurmur’s aggressive play-calling.With Atlanta leading 10-3 early in the third quarter, Shurmur left his offense on the field for a fourth-down play from the Atlanta 1. Manning’s pass for Scott Simonson was incomplete.Shurmur again left his offense on the field to go for a 2-point play after Barkley’s 2-yard scoring run cut Atlanta’s lead to 20-12 in the fourth quarter. Giants players supported the call George Asafo-Adjei Jersey Draft , which ended with the incompletion to Beckham.“He has faith in us that we’re going to put it in the end zone,” Shepard said. “I love that the coaches have faith in us.”Added Beckham: “I like the call. I love being aggressive.”Shurmur said analytics show “You increase your chances by 50 percent if you go for it and make it there, so that’s what you do.”Shurmur said going for 2 was “an aggressive approach. … I think from a head coaching perspective, I want to be aggressive for our guys.” EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — No one seems to be asking questions about Eli Manning remaining the quarterback of the New York Giants these days.The two-time Super Bowl MVP has quieted his critics, throwing for five touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers the past two weeks.In beating the Niners, Manning engineered a late fourth-quarter drive capped by a touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard with less than a minute to play. He was nearly perfect Sunday, hitting 17 of 18 passes for 231 yards and three TDs in a 38-35 win over the Bucs.His 94.4 completion percentage was a team record in a game with at least 10 attempts, and it was tied for third highest in a game in NFL history with a minimum of 15 passing attempts. Alex Smith, when he played with the 49ers, and Ryan Tannehill of Miami share the top mark at 94.7 percent.“You give Eli time to throw and that’s what you are going to get,” Shepard said Wednesday before the Giants (3-7) practiced for Sunday’s game at Philadelphia (4-6). “The offensive line has been doing a great job blocking. He has been making the throws. The throws are on point.”Manning tied his career high by completing his first 11 passes before failing to hook up with halfback Saquon Barkley on a wheel route.The Eagles have had their way against the Giants. They have won four straight, including a 34-13 win at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 11, a game in which the Giants were down 24-6 at halftime and 31-6 midway through the third quarter.Manning finished 24 of 43 for 281 yards. However George Asafo-Adjei NFL Jersey , he was sacked four times and threw an interception on the second play from scrimmage, setting up the first of three touchdown passes by Carson Wentz.“Last time we played them, I know exactly why they beat us,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “We didn’t do anything that you need to do against any type of team to win. We turned the ball over, we gave them big plays, we just didn’t play well enough to beat any team, so we have to fix that. That’s more about us.”The 37-year-old Manning didn’t give much of an answer when asked about the Eagles’ recent success against New York.“They’ve been good teams and obviously hey, every time you play, you got an opportunity,” he said. “It’s just about what matters is this game and this opportunity to go out there and get a win.”The Giants are playing better heading into this meeting. The two-game winning streak is their longest since December 2016 and they have made changes, particularly on the offensive line. Spencer Pulley is now the center and Jamon Brown has been excellent at right guard since being added to the lineup two weeks ago.Tight end Evan Engram, who missed the Eagles game with a knee injury, is back and Barkley, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft George Asafo-Adjei NFL Draft , had his best game last week, rushing for 142 yards and scoring three touchdowns: two running and one on a pass.“I think we’re running the ball better than we did, so I feel like we’re playing better football, but we got to continue doing that,” Manning said. “They’re a good team, they’re a good defense, they got a good front four and they’re a little banged-up in the secondary, but they’ll have a good plan and we just got to go execute.”NOTES: A win by Dallas (5-5) over the Redskins (6-4) would help the Giants on Thanksgiving. Manning isn’t going to root.“We’ll watch the game, but you never know how it’s all going to end up or play out, so just watch,” he said.