It was nice for the Giants while it lasted, their reversal of fortune, seeing rookie Saquon Barkley tear through defenses, taking the heat off Eli Manning, giving the Giants a run-first attack.
It was a formula that led to four victories in a five-game span and allowed for the most tepid of playoff thoughts to infiltrate the conversation.
That is all quieted now. Hushed with each negative run by Barkley, every off-target Manning pass and every minute that drained off the game clock without a Giants point. With their momentum halted, their offensive rebirth deadened and their farfetched postseason dream ended, the Giants walked out of rainy and soggy MetLife Stadium on the wrong end of a 17-0 loss to the Titans that was as dreary as it sounds.
“Didn’t do anything well enough to expect to win,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said, rather succinctly.
In what turned out to be a pointless afternoon — the first time the Giants were shut out at home in five years — the Giants did little but get very, very wet with a listless and impotent offensive display in front of rows of empty gray seats. As a result, the Giants can finally put to bed the misguided notion they could make a historic run and qualify for the playoffs.
“It hurts,’’ Manning said. “Obviously you want to make the playoffs. We didn’t play well enough early in the year to put ourselves in a good position.’’
This franchise must now face the realization it is ensured of another losing season. Getting eliminated from the playoffs in Week 15 is not ideal, but in truth, the Giants (5-9) were destined for this after they came out of the first half of the season at 1-7, finding new and innovative ways to fall short in games.
“Certainly we will regroup and try to do what’s best to win the next game,’’ Shurmur said. “That’s what our focus will be.’’
This was a return to the earlier-season offensive dysfunction. Last week, playing without star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants offense piled 33 points on the Redskins in three quarters, leaning heavily on Barkley. With Beckham again out with a quad injury, the Titans mustered all their defensive attention on Barkley, limiting him to 31 yards on 14 rushing attempts. There was nothing for the Giants to fall back on.
“We played right into their hands,’’ left tackle Nate Solder said.
“It kind of comes with the territory, especially when you have a lot of success in the run game,’’ Barkley said. “Obviously a lot of teams are going to put a lot of focus on stopping, not me as an individual but our run game. We still got to make plays.’’
From the Titans’ 4-yard line, the Giants had three cracks to escape the ignominy of getting shut out but Manning fired three incompletions, missing tight end Evan Engram on fourth down with 1:51 remaining when the pass hit safety Kevin Byard squarely in the back.
“Just a poor throw by me,’’ Manning said.
Two third-quarter turnovers by Manning less than four minutes apart doomed the Giants. Not that they were doing much of anything anyway, but their defense, despite getting pulverized by bullish running back Derrick Henry, was keeping the Giants in the game.
Henry muscled his way for 170 yards, getting the ball 33 times and he scored two touchdowns.
The Giants trailed 7-0 when for the first time they mounted a scoring threat, as a 38-yard pass to Sterling Shepard on the first possession of the third quarter helped them get across midfield. A 10-yard penalty on guard Jamon Brown set up a third-and-20 on the Titans’ 29-yard line. The Giants were in range for an Aldrick Rosas field-goal attempt. Instead of playing it conservatively and accepting a short gain to shorten the kick, Manning got greedy and got burned. He looked deep to Russell Shepard on the right sideline but misfired and the ball was intercepted by Byard.
“He must have read it. … He was able to jump in and make a play,’’ Manning said.
Shurmur dismissed the idea a safer play would have been more prudent.
“I wanted to throw it there,’’ he said. “We certainly don’t want to throw an interception.’’
On the next series, still trailing by only seven points, Manning dropped back to pass on three consecutive plays. On third down, Manning was sacked by linebacker Kamalei Correa, who grabbed Manning by the waist and forced a fumble while Manning was trying to get rid of the ball. Jurrell Casey fell on the ball on the Giants’ 14-yard line. After five Henry rushing attempts and a key facemask penalty on Josh Mauro to negate his sack of Marcus Mariota, the Titans led 14-0 with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter. It was an insurmountable deficit, given the ineptitude of the Giants offense.
The Titans did not have to do anything other than hand the ball to Henry. They won with Mariota completing only 12 passes for 88 yards.
“It wasn’t the type of game we wanted to play,’’ linebacker Alec Ogletree said.
The Giants have said that too often this season, which is why they are where they are.