The Mourning After: A Giants Fan’s Perspective
Well, we’ve had about 24 hours to let everything sink in, as the New York Football Giants saw its season end last night with a 38–13 loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
That sucks…
The final score resembles that of a blowout, especially in a Wild Card game, but the game was much closer than the scoreboard reflects. The Giants honestly played much better than the Packers did in the first half, but missed opportunities (see: dropped balls, poor play calling, atrocious Hail Mary Prevent Defense) absolutely killed any momentum the Giants had going for them.
After leading 6–0, the Giants’ D, who had been dominating all game to that point, gave up two touchdowns in the final 2:20 of the first half, one being on a Hail Mary as time expired in the half. That was the point of no return for the Giants, as the game would quickly spiral out of hand in the second half.
I couldn’t help but think back to the last time these two teams met in the playoffs, when Eli Manning connected with Hakeem Nicks on a Hail Mary touchdown to end the first half. Talk about payback.
Regardless, no matter how many plays we left on the field, the case remains that the Giants’ season is over. After thinking about that all day, there’s one thought that keeps coming back: Our Window Is Closing.
That’s right, it’s plain and simple. Our window to win another championship just inched a little closer towards shutting. Eli Manning is 36 now, and this was the first year his play noticeably declined (even according to his own standards). He’s still a franchise QB who most other teams would take in a heartbeat, but we, as a team, have 2, 3, MAYBE 4 more years of a serviceable Eli Manning. And then Giants fans everywhere will realize just how much we took Eli for granted.
That being said, there’s still a lot of good that can be taken out of this year.
For instance, the Giants defense played better this season than it has in recent memory, forming arguably the best secondary the team has ever fielded. Landon Collins received All-Pro status (along with Damon Harrison), Janoris Jenkins established himself as a shutdown corner for this D (receiving a Pro Bowl nomination himself), and Jason Pierre-Paul proved he could still be an effective player with only seven-and-a-half fingers (here’s to hoping we can resign him to a deal that works for both sides).
On the offensive side, while there’s still a lot of room for growth, rookie WR Sterling Shepard looks like he’ll be an asset for this offense for years to come. Couple that with another Pro Bowl nomination for Odell Beckham, and Eli should have a solid set of weapons for the remainder of his career (however long that may be).
Yes, I know, I’m rationalizing to make everything feel better. Yesterday still happened, and it still sucks.
But hey, there’s always next year…
