Blue Christmas: Giants get smacked around by Redskins

REDSKINS 23

GIANTS 10

It was right there in front of them. A week ago the Giants seemingly saved their season when Jason Pierre-Paul's outstretched hands tipped away a Dan Bailey field goal attempt to send the Giants into a playoff tizzy as New York escaped Dallas with a 37-34 victory. In spite of a season full of mega disapointments, highlighted by a four game losing streak in the middle of their season, the Giants were still in control of their own destiny.

Win out against the Redskins with Rex Grossman, the Jets with Mark Sanchez, and the Cowboys with Tony Romo, not exactly the elite list of quarterbacks, and the Giants would be in the show.

Instead, the Giants came out flat, unmotivated and unprepared for a Redskins team that beat them way back in Week 1 when the Skins came away with a 23-10 victory at Metlife Stadium.

For the Giants this is an inexcusable performance for the team now has to prepare for an Intra-City brawl with the desperate Jets. The Giants no longer control their own fate. The Cowboys smacked the Buccaneers Saturday, as Tony Romo tallied four total touchdowns, and if New York is to make these playoffs, they have to beat the Jets and the Cowboys to get in. The room for error is zero.

From the outset, things looked ominous in this game. First, the Giants couldn't take advantage of a Rex Grossman interception when as Big Blue went three-and-out on their opening series. The Giants then allowed Washington to march right down the field as Grossman completed three of four passes, including a 19 yard pass to Dante Stallworth to move the Redskins to within field goal range and take a 3-0 lead.

If looking for another microcosm on this bloody Sunday, look no further than the Giants ensuing drive after the Skins' field goal. Eli Manning had Hakeem Nicks wide open down the sideline, but the receiver dropped the ball, forcing fourth down.

Manning was truly awful. He completed one of his first eight passes for 11 measly yards, and never got into a groove as the Redskins pounded the Giants offensive line, forcing Manning to throw three interceptions, and holding down the Giants running attack to only 91 total yards.

However what was most disturbing about this loss was the ineptitude of the Giants defense, which had absolutely no answer for the Redskins mediocre offense. They allowed the Redskins to move the football at will and even made Grossman look like Joe Theisman-reincarnate for a better part of the afternoon. The defense had no energy, no passion, nobody, not even Pierre-Paul seemed willing or able to make a big play when the team needed it. The Giants defense was totally flat.

Case in point came in the second quarter as Grossman completed a huge 16 yard pass to Stallworth on third and 17 to set up a critical fourth and one. On that fourth down, the Giants failed miserably to make the stop; Grossman threaded the needle to Jabar Gaffney for a seven yard gain.

Three plays later, Grossman found a wide open Santana Moss in the back of the endzone for the touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

When the Giants needed an answer after that Redskins score, they didn't get it as Manning was picked off by Ohiomosugo Atogwe at the Giants 41 yard line, setting up the Redskins for another scoring drive. The Skins then relied heavily on the running game and on the combination of Roy Helu, Evan Royster, and Darryl Young for 26 of Washington's 41 yards with Young capping it off with a six yard scamper into the end zone to make it 17-0.

Overall, this represented a complete meltdown for the Giants. They looked ill-prepared and unmotivated. They never once made a huge play to turn the game around, and, for the a better part of the afternoon, the players stood around, slumped over with rejection etched on their faces, and this was even a look that was apparent when the Giants were only down 3-0.

For those who have been calling for the head of Tom Coughlin, they now have credence to that argument. Coughlin didn't get this team ready. He didn't get them motivated to play Sunday, and it showed. When he needed to make adjustments, the results never came. This one is on the head coach, and if the Giants should totally collapse over the next two weeks and miss the playoffs, one can make the argument that it is time for him to go.