Despite missing playoffs, Giants still showing fight as season winds down

Updated Jan. 2, 2024 1:11 p.m. ET

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — This is the stage of the season where owners find out a lot about their teams and coaches.

And it would seem likely that John Mara and Steve Tisch are watching the New York Giants closely.

The Giants were eliminated from playoff contention on Christmas Day with two games left in the regular season.

For teams in disarray, effort and execution can sometimes be lacking.

That wasn't the case Sunday. The Giants (5-11) pushed the playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams (9-7) to the limit, and they could have beaten them if they had made a play or two down the stretch.

Tyrod Taylor missed an open Saquon Barkley on a 2-point attempt with 3:27 to play after Gunner Olszewski's 94-yard punt return for a touchdown and Mason Crosby missed a 54-yard field-goal attempt with 30 seconds left in the 26-25 loss.

The opportunity to win was there for the Giants as they made big plays and the Rams turned the ball over three times.

“This is a group of guys that have worked really hard,” coach Brian Daboll said Monday. “We haven’t got the results that we want, but the competitive stamina, we certainly talk about competing and finishing and being good teammates. Those are all important characteristics for our program.”

WHAT’S WORKING

The Giants have been looking for big plays for a while and the past two games Taylor and Darius Slayton have delivered. They combined on a 69-yard touchdown pass against the Eagles on Christmas Day and connected on an 80-yard TD against the Rams on Sunday.

The 80-yarder was the Giants’ longest since Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr. combined on an 84-yard score in 2015. It was the second-longest completion of Taylor’s career. He threw an 84-yard scoring pass to Marquise Goodwin while playing for the Bills in 2016.

Taylor hit 27 of 41 passes for 319 yards and an interception. Slayton had four receptions for 106 yards, his fifth career 100-yard game. The previous time the Giants had a receiver catch touchdowns of at least 69 yards in consecutive games was Beckham in 2015.

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Tackling and penalties. The Giants committed seven penalties, six holding calls and one illegal hands to the face. There weren't many missed tackles, but cornerback Adoree Jackson had one on Puka Nacua that turned a short pass into an 80-yards play, setting up the second of Kyren Williams' three rushing touchdowns.

STOCK UP

Dane Belton. The second-year safety from Iowa has seen his playing time diminish drastically this season with Xavier McKinney and Jason Pinnock on the field almost every play. When Pinnock went down in the first quarter with a foot injury, Belton took over and had his first two interceptions of the season, a fumble recovery, two tackles and two passes defensed.

STOCK DOWN

Crosby. The 39-year-old Crosby knew his game-winning 54-yard field-goal attempt in the final minute wasn't good once it started turning left. He also missed an extra point in a one-point game.

INJURIES

RT Tyre Phillips was carted off the field in the fourth quarter and will need surgery on his quad tendon, Daboll said. There was no update on Pinnock's injury. Cornerback Deonte Banks did not play because of a shoulder injury.

KEY NUMBER

1,454 — The Giants scored on an 80-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to Darius Slayton and the 94-yard punt return. It marked the first time in the history of a franchise that goes back to 1925 that they had two touchdowns of 80 or more yards in a game. Including playoffs, that's 1,454 games.

NEXT STEPS

The Giants will try to snap a three-game losing streak and end the season on a good note when they play the Eagles. Philadelphia has a chance to win the NFC East, but it must beat the Giants and have Dallas lose to Washington. Both games start at 4:25 p.m.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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