Ben McAdoo said the Giants were due for a “break out.” All they gave him were the same old breakdowns.
Despite facing a Packers defense that came into the game ranked 27th in passing yards allowed and playing without either of their starting cornerbacks, the Giants’ supposed high-powered attack was unable to exhibit any sign of potency. Instead, Eli Manning had to rush his throws because of pressure from the Packers defense, the receivers could never manage to get behind a secondary that lacked stars but was stacked up with bodies, and the Giants lost their third straight game, this one 23-16 to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
Manning completed just 18 of 35 passes for 199 yards with only one pass for over 20 yards. He didn’t throw an interception but coughed up a critical fumble in the second quarter. The Giants offense managed just 219 yards and converted just four of 13 third downs.
Victor Cruz was shutout without a reception and Sterling Shepard had just two catches for 14 yards.
It took until 2:54 remained in the game for the Giants to score their first touchdown of the game, an 8-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. in the back of the end zone to make it 23-16. It was Manning’s first touchdown throw since the first half of the Washington game.
Meanwhile, the rest of the NFC East continues to roll along. Dallas and Washington won earlier in the day (the Eagles lost their first game of the season) and the Giants (2-3) took sole possession of last place in the division.
It wasn’t all offense. The winded defense could not get off the field in the fourth quarter, allowing a 17-yard screen pass to Randall Cobb on third-and-9 from the 21 a play after rookie safety Andrew Adams let an interception go through his hands, let fullback Aaron Ripkowski carry the entire unit 13 yards on a third-and-1, then allowed a field goal that gave the Packers (3-1) a 23-9 lead with 6:39 remaining. The drive ate up 6:22 and also cost the Giants a timeout when McAdoo challenged a reception on the sideline by Jordy Nelson that was upheld.
After the Giants cut it to a touchdown game late, Trevin Wade slipped in coverage to allow Cobb to catch a 13-yard pass on third-and-10 to lead to the two-minute warning. A play earlier James Starks had fumbled into the arms of Kelvin Sheppard, but the running back grabbed the ball back to recover it and keep it away from the Giants for the rest of the game.
The Giants trailed 17-6 at halftime. It could have been worse, but it also could have been a lot better.
They closed to within one score when Josh Brown kicked a 41-yard field goal to make it 14-6 with 1:51 left, then forced the Packers to punt after they took just 13 seconds off the clock. After Will Tye dropped a seam pass that would have gone for an easy 60-yard touchdown, Manning was pressured to his left and sacked by Kyler Fackrell, losing the ball on the way to the turf. Kenny Clark recovered for the Packers with 1:15 left at the Giants’ 31. The Packers were able to kick a field goal as time expired in the half to go ahead 17-6.
The half was what has become typical Giants football, defined by penalties and turnovers. Manning’s fumble was the most glaring example of the latter, but the Giants were flagged six times for 51 yards in the first half. Even after Janoris Jenkins registered the first defensive takeaway of the season with an interception on the final play of the first quarter, the Giants were called for an illegal hit on the return, a holding call on the first snap after the pick, and a false start later in the drive that forced them to punt the ball away without any points.
Jennings’ second interception at the Packers 40 led to the field goal that made it 14-6. Odell Beckham Jr. caught three passes for 42 yards in the first half but Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard were held without a first-half catch despite the Packers playing without their two starting cornerbacks.
The Giants cut it to 17-9 with 5:26 left in the third quarter on a 30-yard field goal. A screen pass to Paul Perkins brought the Giants to the 11, but Manning was sacked from behind as Ereck Flowers whiffed while trying to block Nick Perry and the Giants never came close to the end zone. The Packers extended their lead to 20-9 with 13:46 left in the fourth.