Fitz has a big day, Cardinals get first shutout in 25 years

By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Larry Fitzgerald had never completed an NFL pass, from the throwing end of one anyway. He'd never been on the winning end of a shutout, either.

Both things happened and more in the Arizona Cardinals' dominant 23-0 victory over the New York Giants on Sunday in what might have been Fitzgerald's final home game.

"No. 11 (Fitzgerald) was probably my fault," Giants interim coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "We should have double-teamed him more."

Fitzgerald caught nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. In the process, he has become the oldest player, at 34 to top 100 receptions and 1,000 yards receiving in a season.

"It's nice to play a game you love and be able to do it at a high level still," Fitzgerald said, "and especially being able to do it in a win."

He was asked this week when he will decide whether to come back for a 15th NFL season but said only that he'd take some time to figure it out. If he leaves, he will have that elusive completion, a 21-yarder to Jaron Brown after two incomplete tosses earlier in his career.

Fitzgerald said it never entered his mind that this might be the final time he plays at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"I don't like to get into that type of thinking," he said, "because it's a lot bigger than me."

The Cardinals (7-8) shut out an opponent for the first time in 25 years.

"Our defense, they've been playing unbelievable for the last six to seven weeks," Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. "To get that shutout is huge."

The Cardinals' last shutout also came against the Giants, 17-0 on Dec. 12, 1992.

The Giants have lost five in a row and nine of 10.

"No one wants to lose and lose as much as we have," said Manning, who was intercepted twice and had a fumble returned for a touchdown. "It's obviously been tough all year. Nothing has come easy. We've lost heartbreakers. We've lost some like this as well, where we just never could get much going."

The 36-year-old quarterback completed 27 of 45 passes for 263 yards and was intercepted twice, both by Antoine Bethea. Manning also had the ball stripped by Deone Bucannon and returned 21 yards for a touchdown by Robert Nkemdiche.

The Giants were last shut out on Oct. 12, 2014, 27-0 by the Eagles.

The only real New York threat came when Aldrick Rojas missed a 33-yard field goal although the Arizona defense held after a late deflected pass for an interception.

With the victory for Arizona (7-8), Arians moved into a tie with Ken Whisenhunt for most victories by a Cardinals coach (49).

The Giants fell to 0-3 under Spagnuolo, who took over after Ben McAdoo was fired.

Arians benched quarterback Blaine Gabbert after five starts and returned to Drew Stanton, who completed 20 of 34 for 209 yards, including TDs passes of 13 yards to Fitzgerald and 15 yards to John Brown, but was intercepted twice.

The Cardinals entered the game without a touchdown - but 10 field goals - in their previous 10 quarters, and they added another three-pointer with Phil Dawson's 21-yard chip shot with 5:29 left in the first quarter.

After the kickoff, New York drove near midfield but, looking over the middle, Manning apparently didn't see Bethea move from his safety spot to pick off the pass.

FINALLY A TD

Arizona's touchdown drought ended in the waning moments of the first half. In a drive that started at their 21, the Cardinals went 79 in 11 plays, aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Olivier Vernon on third-and-3, Stanton hit Fitzgerald with a 13-yard TD pass that put Arizona up 10-0 with 1:01 left in the second quarter.

Arizona took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards in eight plays, culminated by a 15-yard touchdown pass to Brown that made it 16-0. Dawson's conversion try was no good.

INJURIES

The Giants lost their leading receiver, tight end Evan Engram, on Bethea's first interception with a rib injury. New York safety Landon Collins was knocked out of the game in the third quarter. Spagnuolo said afterward he had a broken forearm.

Arizona linebacker Haason Reddick left with a foot injury in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Giants: Finish their season at home against Washington on Sunday.

Cardinals: Complete their season at Seattle on Sunday.

Foles shines as Eagles wrap up playoff bye

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nick Foles made sure the Eagles will get some time off after the holidays.

The Philadelphia quarterback threw four touchdown passes Sunday as the Eagles held off the New York Giants 34-29 at MetLife Stadium to clinch a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Foles, who was 24 of 38 for 237, took over as the starting quarterback after the Eagles lost Carson Wentz last week to a season-ending knee injury.

Making his first start since Nov. 6, 2016, when he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Foles said he had a little bit of rust at first but that as the game went on, things started to flow.

"There are definitely some things when I'll go back and watch, I can clean up, but I think the big thing was to keep playing and if something does go wrong -- maybe you miss a throw or the decision wasn't what I wanted it -- I can absolutely get better," he said.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning finished 37 of 57 for 434 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception.

Manning also tried to lead his team from behind on its second-to-last drive of the game by going for it on fourth-and-goal at the Philadelphia 6-yard line, but a false start called against right tackle Bobby Hart pushed the Giants back 5 yards.

On the subsequent play from 11 yards out, a pass attempt to Evan Engram fell incomplete as Eagles safety Corey Graham appeared to make contact with the tight end in the end zone.

"It's tough," Manning said. "I had (Engram) on a corner route. (Graham) was playing outside leverage, so I tried to back-shoulder it and give (Engram) a chance in the end zone. There was some contact, (but) I don't know if it was worth a call or not. I just tried to put it up high and have a chance to make a play, but obviously we didn't."

The Giants, who scored more than 20 points in a game for the first time since Nov. 12, produced touchdowns on their first three drives of the game. The scores came on a 1-yard run by Orleans Darkwa, a 13-yard pass from Manning to wide receiver Tavarres King and a 67-yard catch by wide receiver Sterling Shepard from Manning.

Aldrick Rosas' extra-point attempt on the Giants' opening-drive touchdown was blocked by Eagles rookie defensive end Derek Barnett, in what was the first of three major miscues by the New York special teams, the others including a blocked punt and blocked 48-yard field goal.

Those miscues resulted in a 12-point swing in favor of the NFC East champion Eagles (12-2).

"Special teams protection obviously got us in trouble," said Giants interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo when asked what happened.

"I didn't get to (special teams coordinator) Tom (Quinn), so I don't know exactly where it happened. I know that the one field goal was on our right side, but we gotta get it taken care of. When we see the film, we'll have a better idea if it was steps or we didn't punch here or punch there, but this time of year, we need to have that all sorted out."

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson wouldn't say if his team saw something in the Giants special teams protection on tape, but he did credit special teams coordinator Dave Fipp with doing his homework and coming up with a plan that in the end was a large part of the difference.

"Fipp studies the protections and had a couple different wrinkles in there," Pederson said. "Fipp does a good job of understanding protection and assigning some rushes."

The Eagles got on the board with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Foles to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in the first quarter.

Philadelphia went on a scoring tear with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter thanks to a pair of touchdown passes to their tight ends following two Giants miscues that led to the Eagles' scoring drives from the red zone.

The first, a 10-yard pass from Foles to Zach Ertz, was set up after Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby picked off Manning's pass intended for wide receiver Roger Lewis and returned it 37 yards to give his offense the ball on the New York 20-yard line.

The second, a 13-yard catch by Trey Burton from Foles, came after the Eagles' Kamu Grugier-Hill blocked Brad Wing's punt deep in Giants' territory. That touchdown put Philadelphia in front 21-20.

Rosas gave the Giants a 23-21 lead at the half on his 28-yard field goal, but the Eagles took it back with 10 unanswered third-quarter points, Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal and wide receiver Nelson Agholor's 10-yard touchdown catch.

The Giants (2-12) took advantage of an Eagles neutral-zone infraction that gave them a fresh set of downs, which allowed Manning to eventually connect with King on a 57-yard touchdown reception. The two-point attempt failed.

The Giants also couldn't convert on a 48-yard Rosas field-goal attempt that was blocked by Malcolm Jenkins, which left the score 31-29 until Elliot's 20-yard field goal increased the Eagles' lead to 34-29.

NOTES: The Eagles have won four of their past five road games against the Giants and have swept the season series against their NFC East foes in three of the last four seasons. ... Giants QB Eli Manning set a career high for passing yards in the first half of a game (252). ... New York S Landon Collins was ruled out due to an ankle injury he sustained midway through the second quarter. ... Giants LB B.J. Goodson aggravated an ankle injury in the third quarter. ... Giants WR Tavarres King sustained a concussion on his 57-yard touchdown reception. ... Eagles CB Patrick Robinson sustained a head injury and was being evaluated for a concussion. He didn't return. ... Eagles TE Trey Burton had to come out of the game in the fourth quarter due to cramping. ... The Eagles will host the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 25. The Giants will visit the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday.

Smith, Cowboys coast past Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Running back Rod Smith had an 81-yard touchdown reception and followed that with a 15-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter as the Dallas Cowboys manhandled the hapless New York Giants 30-10 on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Dak Prescott completed 20-of-30 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns for the Cowboys (7-6).

Both teams exchanged field goals on their respective opening drives, with the Cowboys getting a 21-yarder from Dan Bailey and the Giants a 39-yarder from Aldrick Rosas.

The Cowboys had a chance to increase their lead, but Bailey's 53-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter hit the right upright. It was Bailey's first missed attempt of the season and his first of two misses in this game.

The Giants (2-11), meanwhile, turned to their tight ends to help them break the 3-3 deadlock. Eli Manning, back under center after being benched last week for Geno Smith, connected with rookie Evan Engram for a 35-yard reception to the Cowboys' 21-yard line.

Fellow tight end Rhett Ellison finished off the successful drive with a 1-yard reception from Manning.

The Cowboys quickly answered by scoring on a four-play, 75-yard drive, which was capped by Prescott's 50-yard touchdown pass to Dez Bryant. The wideout was wide open after cornerback Brandon Dixon missed the tackle.

The Cowboys had another chance to break the tie and take the lead in the third quarter, but Bailey's second missed field-goal attempt, this one from 50 yards, sailed wide right.

The Cowboys finally broke the tie in the fourth quarter when Prescott connected with tight end Jason Witten on a 20-yard touchdown reception. On their ensuing drive, Prescott found Smith on an 81-yard touchdown to pad the Cowboys lead to 23-10, with Bailey missing the extra-point attempt.

"Rod just did a good job of beating his guy," said Prescott of Smith, who finished with five catches for 113 yards and 47 rushing yards on six carries.

"We know Rod's talent -- that's why we pushed him and have given him the ball so many times in the run game and the pass game and he's great. Check downs are going to get first downs, and in the run game he's been spectacular."

Added Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett: "He's just a good football player. He's taken advantage of his opportunities. Some of them short yardage or third down or at the end of the ball game. Certainly the touchdown was big -- the coverage they were playing dictated the ball would go there and he was ready for his chance and certainly took advantage of it."

Prescott, whose Cowboys have outscored opponents 111-95 in the fourth quarter, said the key was to keep their composure when things weren't clicking early on.

"We were feeling ourselves and staying with it and staying within the game and not getting overwhelmed that we weren't doing things well early," he said.

The Giants' defense, which had held firm through three quarters of the game, had no answers for the Cowboys in the fourth quarter.

In the game's final 15 minutes, Prescott completed 4-of-6 pass attempts for 158 of his 332 passing yards and two of his three touchdowns.

"For some reason we're still looking for answers to the fourth quarter," Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said as he shook his head.

Said Giants interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo, "We do have to figure out a way in the fourth quarter when it gets down to gut wrenching time to make a play or two.

"Now I'm going to put a little bit of that on me -- I didn't like a couple of the calls I had in the fourth quarter that resulted in bad plays for us defensively. I don't want that to all be on the players."

Spagnuolo took over for the ousted Ben McAdoo last week and retained the defensive play-calling duties. He declined to mention which plays he would like to have back.

The Giants' offense didn't exactly help itself either in the second half. Three of Manning's 28 pass attempts in the game's final 30 minutes were dropped by his intended targets: wide receivers Roger Lewis and Sterling Shepard, and tight end Evan Engram. Those three dropped balls cost the Giants easy first-down conversions.

True to form, Manning chose to look at the glass as being half full.

"Obviously, I know those guys," Manning said. "I have a lot of respect for our receivers -- they work hard, they practice hard and they do everything we ask them to do. I understand drops are part of the game. They run the right routes and are in the right spot. I have confidence they'll make the next one and a couple of them made some outstanding plays for us today."

Smith, relieving starting running back Alfred Morris, recorded his 15-yard touchdown run to cap a three-play, 21-yard drive that took just 18 seconds.

NOTES: With the win, Dallas swept the season series with the Giants for the 21st time (the most against any opponent) and for the first time since the 2014 season. The win also snapped a two-game losing streak in games played on the Giants' home turf and improves the Cowboys' overall record this season to 4-1 against NFC East opponents. ... Giants TE Evan Engram's 35-yard reception extended his streak to eight games with at least one catch. ... Cowboys WR Cole Beasley's 54-yard fourth-quarter reception is a career long. ... Giants S Landon Collins suffered a left ankle injury in the fourth quarter. ... The Cowboys became the 12th NFL franchise to reach 500 wins in its history. The Cowboys reached that plateau in the second-fewest games played (879) behind only the Chicago Bears (863). ... The Cowboys visit the Oakland Raiders next Sunday night, while the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles.

Giants fire head coach McAdoo, GM Reese

The New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo on Monday following a forgettablee week which included Eli Manning's benching and the team's loss to the Oakland Raiders, McAdoo told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.

Additionally, the Giants also fired general manager Jerry Reese, NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reports.

Giants owner John Mara said last week that changes could be coming, adding there were "no guarantees" that McAdoo would last through the end of the season. Mara said he was "embarrassed" by the team's record and promised changes would be coming.

McAdoo posted a 13-15 record in his nearly two seasons as Giants head coach. He led the Giants to an 11-5 mark and a second-place finish in the NFC East last season before this year's 2-10 nightmare. In all, he spent four years in the Giants' organization, serving as Tom Coughlin's offensive coordinator in 2014-15 before taking over as head coach.

Redskins beat Giants 20-10 in turkey of a Thanksgiving game

By HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — In one particularly embarrassing fourth-quarter sequence that drew boos from the home crowd, Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins went from planning to punt on fourth-and-1 to calling timeout and deciding to go for it, to drawing a delay-of-game penalty and, in the end, punting anyway.

Which, naturally, elicited more jeers.

By the end, Cousins was hearing cheers, because he made up for a pick-6 by showing the patience to produce a pair of second-half TD passes on slow-developing plays, helping the Redskins beat the New York Giants 20-10 on Thursday night on a drab field in a drab game between two injury-depleted teams that did not look ready for prime time.

"There were several plays that I would chalk up to the fact that they were sloppy because it was a short week. We just didn't have the reps that we needed to," said Cousins, who was 19 for 31 for 242 yards. "I'm just glad we found a way to win."

The two NFC East rivals combined for more punts (nine) than points (six) in the first half, which ended 3-all on a pair of short field goals — from 30 yards by New York's Aldrick Rosas, and 28 by Washington's Nick Rose. The big play on Washington's lone scoring "drive" of the half? A 37-yard flag for pass interference on New York's Ross Cockrell; the entire possession covered 38 yards.

But Cousins, for whom every game is seemingly a referendum on whether Washington (5-6) should sign him to a long-term deal, connected with Jamison Crowder on a 15-yard pass in the third quarter that broke a 3-all tie, and with Josh Doctson on a 14-yarder with 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the game.

On the Crowder play, Cousins was flushed out of the pocket and bought time by moving to his right before throwing into the end zone, where his receiver was "pretty wide open," according to the QB. On the one to Doctson, Cousins looked for another receiver but eventually came back to last year's first-round draft pick, saying, "He got separation and made a great catch."

In between, cornerback Janoris Jenkins intercepted Cousins' pass and returned the ball 53 yards to make it 10-all.

That one play involved more yardage than Eli Manning and the Giants (2-9) generated in the entire second half.

"Not very good," coach Ben McAdoo summed up.

They gained 47 yards and one solitary first down over the last two quarters. One possession ended with an interception by Manning, four ended with punts, and another dissolved when they turned the ball over on downs.

"It's no fun losing. It's no fun not scoring enough points offensively. It can wear you out. It can test you," said Manning, who was 13 for 27 for 113 yards. "You have to keep going to the drawing board and find ways to play better."

This was the first time the Redskins had hosted a game on Thanksgiving, and they and the Giants didn't exactly treat the national TV audience to a thriller. More of a snoozer.

Given the ugliness, perhaps it was fitting that it was contested on a terrible-looking field. A large swath of brown ran down the middle, all the way from one end zone to the other.

Route-runners stumbled and fell for no apparent reason. Redskins back Samaje Perine gained 3 yards on five carries in the first half, although he did finish the game with 24 runs for 100 yards. Some fans on Twitter blamed the shaky footing for Cousins' poor throw that turned into Jenkins' score.

The ineptness was on display all night, never moreso than on what Redskins coach Jay Gruden called "football folly" — that botched fourth-down gong show that he blamed on a player who was supposed to be in the game but wasn't because he had taken off a shoe.

What?

Yes.

Maybe all the issues were a result of being so depleted by injuries: Washington has placed 15 players on injured reserve this season, including its top two running backs, and New York's total is 14, including star receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Both offensive lines have been particular areas of concern, and Thursday was no different. The Redskins were missing three starters, while the Giants were using their eighth starting combination of the season.

So maybe it was no surprise that there were 10 sacks, plus penalties for false starts and holding.

In the game's first eight possessions, the club combined for seven punts and one turnover on downs, when the Redskins failed to convert a fourth-and-1 in Giants territory thanks to Doctson's dropped pass. Indeed, there were the same number of drops as first downs (four) in that stretch.

CROWDER COMES THROUGH

Crowder had a game-high seven catches — no other player on either team had more than three — for 141 yards and his first score of the season.

INJURIES

Giants: LB Deontae Skinner (hamstring), LB Curtis Grant (right leg), CB Donte Deayon (forearm and jaw).

UP NEXT

Giants: At Oakland on Dec. 3. The Raiders are another playoff team a year ago that is under .500 currently.

Redskins: A second consecutive Thursday night game, this one Nov. 30 at the Dallas Cowboys, a team that won 33-19 at Washington last month.

Ingram, Collins, Lockett named NFC Players of Week 11

​Running back Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints, safety Landon Collins of the New York Giants and kick returner-wide receiver Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 11 (November 16, November 19-20).

Ingram led the Saints in rushing in the team's 34-31 thrilling overtime victory over Washington with 11 carries for a season-high 134 yards with one touchdown. Ingram recorded the longest run of the day with a 36-yard touchdown run. Ingram also surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards becoming only the second Saint to do so. Ingram's two runs in overtime set up Wil Lutz's game-winning field goal.

Collins led the Giants with a career-high 14 tackles (10 solo) and intercepted his second pass of the season. He had nine tackles (seven solo) and the interception in the second half and overtime.

Lockett piled up 197 yards on five kick returns, which was not only a career high for him, but the fifth highest single-game total in franchise history behind Leon Washington (253), Maurice Morris (231), Washington again (222) and Charlie Rogers (198). That was also the highest kick return total in a game since the NFL moved the touchback on kickoffs from the 20 to the 25-yard line in order to discourage returns.

Rosas' field goal in overtime gives Giants unexpected win

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Roger Lewis Jr. made a spectacular catch to set up the winning 23-yard yard goal by Aldrick Rosas in overtime and the New York Giants responded from weeks of adversity to beat the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs 12-9 on a blustery, cold Sunday.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Giants (2-8) and sent the Chiefs (6-4) to their fourth loss in five games.

The winning kick came two plays after Lewis was yanked to the ground on a deep pass from Eli Manning, but still caught the ball while flat on his back for a 34-yard completion on a fourth-down heave. Had he not caught it, flags flew for pass interference.

It was an unexpected was for a team that came into the game in turmoil, with questions about the future of coach Ben McAdoo and many wondering whether the Giants had quit in one-sided losses to the Rams and then the winless 49ers in the past two weeks.

Few expected them to beat the Chiefs, especially with Andy Reid's record coming off a bye week. He was 16-2.

The Giants not only won, they intercepted Alex Smith twice, setting up their first nine points. Orleans Darkwa scored on a 1-yard run after Damon Harrison's interception. Rosas, who missed the extra point after the Darkwa TD, kicked a 26-yard field goal to give the Giants a short-lived 9-6 lead with 1:38 left in regulation after Janoris Jenkins' interception.

With one time out, Smith drove the Chiefs 69 yards in nine plays, the big shot a 32-yard pass to tight end Travis Kelce. Harrison Butker tied the game with a 23-yard field goal — his third short one — with :01 left in regulation. The drive was kept alive when Jenkins' interception was nullified by a pass interference penalty against him.

McAdoo pulled out every trick in his book, using a fake punt; a halfback option that was intercepted; an odd formation with his tackles lined up 5 yards wide; and then the decision to go on fourth-and-5 from the Chiefs 36 with just over two minutes to play.

The Giants took the lead early in the second quarter after defensive tackle Harrison intercepted a deflected shovel pass and returned it to the Kansas City 26-yard line. Led by DT Robert Thomas' blocking, Darkwa scored from 1 yard after Marcus Peters was called for pass interference in the end zone.

Rosas, who had missed a field goal in each of the last four games, had his extra point pushed wide right by the wind.

Kansas City cut the lead in half on the next series, driving 61 yards in more than nine minutes. Butker ended up with his first 31-yard field goal.

GIANTS RESPOND

The Giants' unexpected performance came less than a week after co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said the embattled McAdoo would remain in charge through at least the end of the season. Days later, McAdoo and his team held what he termed "a brutally honest" team meeting in which mistakes and lack of effort plays were shown for all to see after the two losses by a combined 82-38 margin.

INACTIVES

The Giants were missing two key starters. WR Sterling Shepard was out after having a career game against San Francisco, making 11 catches for 142 yards. He was added to the injury report Saturday with an illness and could not play. CB Eli Apple was at home with his mother, who had brain surgery on Thursday. "He's My best friend, my nurse and part time ninja," Annie Apple tweeted Sunday morning. ...Thanks for being my side every step of the way."

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Host Buffalo next Sunday.

Giants: at Washington on Thanksgiving night.

Giants' owners end rumor about McAdoo

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With speculation running amuck regarding the immediate fate of New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo, team ownership finally stepped up to weigh in.

In a joint statement released on behalf of team, CEO John Mara and chairman Steve Tisch acknowledged that while they are perhaps even more frustrated with how the Giants' 2017 season has gone than the fans, they are not about to make any rash decisions regarding their embattled head coach.

"Ben McAdoo is our head coach and has our support," the statement read. "We are in the midst of an extremely disappointing season. Our performance this year, particularly the past two weeks, is inexcusable and frustrating. While we appreciate that our fans are unhappy with what has occurred, nobody is more upset than we are."

Despite their increasing frustration, Mara and Tisch are sticking with the age-old organization practice of waiting until the dust settles and doing all evaluations after emotions have returned to normal.

"Our plan is to do what we have always done, which is to not offer a running commentary on the season," the statement read. "It is our responsibility to determine the reasons for our poor performance and at the end of the year, we will evaluate the 2017 season in its entirety and make a determination on how we move forward."

The Giants last had to employ this approach in 2014 with then-head coach Tom Coughlin, after the Giants blew a 21-0 lead against the Jaguars to lose 25-24.

Their patience sort of paid off as Coughlin led the team to a 3-1 finish in its final four games that season, thus saving his job.

McAdoo finds himself in a similar situation with seven games left. He's so focused on righting the ship that when asked what it meant to him to have ownership's backing, he sounded almost surprised.

"I'm in the process of finishing grading the film of the last game and starting up on the next one (against the Kansas City Chiefs)," McAdoo said. "That's where my focus is right now, working to find a way to get the team better and get our first home win of the year."

--Giants head coach Ben McAdoo finally got his long-anticipated chance to watch the tape of his team's 31-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and the biggest thing that jumped out at him was inconsistency.

"The thing that was disappointing that showed up on film is the desire to finish on a consistent basis," he said during his conference call Monday with reporters. "There were plays we were capable of making, and the desire to finish wasn't consistent. I need to coach it better and we need to do it better. Not every play or every player, but it did show up on tape."

One such player who has come under fire for his inconsistent play is cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who was playing in his first game since being suspended by McAdoo a week earlier.

While McAdoo said he initially didn't want to throw anyone under the bus for their effort or lack thereof, he did offer some honest feedback on Jenkins' play, starting with the 47-yard touchdown reception by tight end Garret Celek, a play in which Jenkins looked like he gave a half-hearted attempt at tackling the big tight end.

"I think he got caught up on a big body there and he needs to find a way to get the big body on the ground," McAdoo said of Jenkins.

McAdoo was asked if overall, he was satisfied with the effort he got from Jenkins, who at times during the game looked disinterested and appeared to be going at half speed.

"Like I said before, there were some players in the ball game that needed to show a consistent desire to finish better," McAdoo said. "I think the post ball on the third down is a tough play and a tough spot for him to be in against a player that has tremendous speed and they're going to make some plays on you.

"He had an opportunity on third down where he slipped, he could have come up and had a chance to pick the ball off. If he had his footing there, I expect him to pick the ball off. There were some opportunities on some balls on the perimeter where his desire to finish consistently needs to show up and we need to get the guys on the ground. We need to tackle better as a defensive unit and he was a part of it."

Since returning from his suspension, Jenkins has shown little remorse for letting his teammates and his coaching staff down. His play against the 49ers further fanned the flames of controversy that there might be strife between him and McAdoo.

McAdoo, who takes pride in having an open-door policy, was asked if he would approach a player who might be struggling with an aspect of the program or would he wait until the player approached him.

"I try to make my way through the roster each and every week as best as I can and build relationships with these players," he said, adding that he would prefer to keep his conversations and the identities with those with whom he speaks private.

When asked if he might consider sitting a player who continued to give a lackluster effort, he said, "That's something we're taking a look at. We have a 46-man roster on game day and the players who are going to go out and do it the way we ask them to do it and do it on a consistent basis are going to get a chance to play."

He added, "We're all in this thing together as coaches and players. I'm not here to throw anybody under the bus today, whether it's a coach or a player. We're looking forward to playing at home Sunday (vs. the Chiefs) against one of the best teams in football and getting our first win at home."

--If head coach Ben McAdoo and his assistant coaches can't put a finger on what's gone wrong with this team, perhaps the men on the field who each week seem to be getting their collective backsides handed to them might have an idea.

Or so you'd think.

In reality, the Giants' players might as well have taken a page from their head coach's book and told reporters that they needed to watch the tape as they had few answers for the team's 31-21 loss to the previously winless San Francisco 49ers.

"I don't know how to explain it," said safety Landon Collins, who added that he was hurt and discouraged after this latest debacle. "They made big plays. We didn't stop the big plays."

"We got schooled," added cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. "I did not see enough relentless play, attitude, you name it, I did not see it. Everything we should have done, I felt we did not do it."

Well, almost everything. The Giants' offense was probably the best of the three units as far as consistency, but the defense, last year a top-10 overall unit, which although stricken by injuries this season, has failed miserably in taking the leap defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was hoping to see after last year's success.

How bad was it?

The Giants' run defense, which last year finished third in the league, allowed 186 yards on the ground, their second highest total this season and the ninth time this year they've allowed over 100 yards to an opponent.

The pass rush officially managed only two quarterback hits, both by defensive end Olivier Vernon, who also had the only interception for the Giants and who, one might argue, was the only member of the defensive front that showed up for the game.

The pass coverage? Coming into this week, the defense had allowed 30 big pass plays of 20 or more yards.

Of the 49ers' 10 longest plays from scrimmage, five were pass plays of 20 or more yards, with four of those going for 30-plus yards.

"It seems like you have two teams that came out there with their backs against the wall," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "You had a team that came out swinging harder than the other."

At this point, about all the Giants can do is finish out the remaining seven games and hope that they are at least competitive going forward.

"We're not a good team right now. Hopefully, we can turn this around to be competitive. It's sad that I'm sitting here talking about us not competing in games instead of winning, but that's the truth," said linebacker Jonathan Casillas.

"We have to be able to compete, hang around to the end and pull out a victory."

"We have seven games to finish the season, finish right man," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "Each week is a new week, we get another opportunity. We cannot continue week-in and week-out to put out another performance like that."

NOTES: OL Justin Pugh (back) will likely be out a while according to head coach Ben McAdoo. Pugh, who has already missed one game due to the back problem he said began in the Week 7 game against Seattle, said his back locked up on him early in the game against the 49ers. ... DT Damon Harrison (ankle) will likely be limited in practice this week, according to head coach Ben McAdoo. Harrison twisted his ankle in the loss to the 49ers and had to be carted off the field for further evaluation. Harrison's status for Sunday is uncertain. ... LB Kelvin Sheppard (groin) is expected to be limited this week in practice. ... TE Matt LaCosse, who was waived by the Giants Saturday to make room for fullback Shane Smith on the 53-man roster, will sign with the Giants' practice squad this week per a source. ... QB Eli Manning started his 208th consecutive regular-season game, tying his brother, Peyton, for the second-longest consecutive starts streak by a quarterback in NFL history. Manning has started every Giants game since Nov. 21, 2004. He has also started 12 postseason games, including two Super Bowls. ... WR Sterling Shepard led the Giants' receivers with career-high totals of 11 catches for 142 yards. His previous bests were eight receptions (for 117 yards) vs. New Orleans on Sept. 18, 2016, and 133 yards (on seven catches) at Philadelphia on Sept. 24. Shepard was also the first Giants' receiver with at least 11 catches in a game since Odell Beckham Jr. had 11 at Philadelphia on Dec. 22, 2016. ... TE Evan Engram's nine-yard touchdown catch was his fifth touchdown reception of the season, tying Bob Tucker's franchise record for rookie tight ends, set in 1970. Engram has a touchdown reception in each of the last four games, the longest streak by a Giants player since receiver Rueben Randle caught a touchdown pass in each of the final four games of the 2015 season.

REPORT CARD VS. 49ERS

--PASSING OFFENSE: C - The Giants definitely have themselves a stud in tight end Evan Engram, who has scored every week since the team lost receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall. While Eli Manning's numbers weren't bad -- 28 of 37 for 273 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions -- he did lose his fourth fumble of the season and his pass protection left something to be desired as it allowed three sacks and five quarterback hits.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus - The Giants managed to record 114 yards on the ground, 70 of which were gained by Orleans Darkwa. It wasn't perfect -- there were a couple of rushing attempts for zero or negative yardage -- but the rushing offense was one of the most consistent of the Giants' units this week.

--PASS DEFENSE: D - Other than defensive end Olivier Vernon, who returned to the lineup after missing four games, the pass defense was invisible and lacking in effort. The lack of effort shown by cornerback Janoris Jenkins alone should land him a permanent seat on the bench the rest of the way as well as his poor attitude leading up to the game in which he sounded unremorseful for having earned himself a suspension in the first place.

--RUSH DEFENSE: F - The Giants gave up 186 yards, a season high, to a 49ers team that coming into this game had averaged just 92.9 rushing yards per game. The 186 yards, by the way, was the second highest total allowed by the Giants' once vaunted run defense this season, falling just short of the 193 yards they allowed to the Eagles in Week 3. The Giants' run defense has now allowed opponents to rush for at least 100 yards in every game but one, a Week 6 win over Denver.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: F - Lost in the debacle of the Giants' season has been the poor performances of both kicker Aldrick Rosas and punter Brad Wing. Rosas not only sent the opening kickoff out of bounds at the 2-yard line, he missed another chip-shot field-goal attempt, making this the fifth straight game in which he's had at least one field-goal attempt he has failed to convert (he didn't have any attempts in the Week 5 loss to the Chargers). Wing, who finished with a 41.3 gross average but just a 33.7 net, failed to put any of his three punts inside the 20, something he did regularly last year.

--COACHING: F - Talk certainly is cheap when it comes to the Giants. After the players swore up and down last week that they had Ben McAdoo's back, they came out and their actions told quite another story. Enough said.

Goff throws career-best 4 TDs, Rams rout defenseless Giants

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — If the last two games are any indication, the Los Angeles Rams are for real — and then some.

Jared Goff set career highs with four touchdown throws and 311 yards passing, Todd Gurley ran for two more scores and the surprising Rams made one big play after another in beating the defenseless New York Giants 51-17 on Sunday.

The win was the fifth in six games for the Rams, whose 6-2 start is the franchise's best since 2001, when the club went 14-2 in the regular season and eventually lost to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

What's even more impressive is that 31-year-old Sean McVay's team has won the last two games by a combined 84-17 margin, including a 33-0 win over the Cardinals in London.

Goff downplayed the success.

"Eight games in, eight games in," the second-year quarterback warned. "You've seen it in the past, teams start out hot and don't finish the season that way, or vice versa. We need to go week to week right now. We're excited about where we're at, for sure, 6-2 is really good. We finished the second quarter of the season 3-1. That's really good. But we have half the season to go."

McVay said the Rams' last two games have been almost perfect in all three phases in remaining unbeaten in four road games. It's five if a "home" win in London is included.

The Rams' high-powered offense showed no rust coming off the bye, scoring on eight of their first nine possessions while reeling off six plays of 35 yards or more. The defense forced three turnovers that the offense turned into 17 points and the special teams blocked a third-quarter punt that Gurley converted into his second TD.

"It's exciting," said Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who intercepted Manning late in the first half. "A lot of guys in this locker room haven't been in this situation, 6-2. It's big and every game is going to be more important, so we are doing everything one game at a time, one day at a time."

Greg Zuerlein added three field goals against the Giants (1-7), who allowed the biggest offensive performance against them in a home game since Cleveland beat them 52-21 in the regular-season finale in 1964.

The Giants had not given up more than 27 points in any of its first seven games.

"You lay an egg like that, obviously we didn't play well," Giants halfback Orleans Darkwa said. "We've got to go back to work. We started fast. We made some plays. We put on a good drive. But we wound up turning the ball over, and you can't do that."

The loss also put coach Ben McAdoo's future in question just one year after he led the team to the playoffs. He suspended cornerback Janoris Jenkins on Tuesday for missing a workout Monday and the depleted secondary was torched by Goff, who was 14 of 22 with no interceptions.

"I'm disappointed," said McAdoo, who insisted his team did not quit. "Expected us to come out and play a better football game than we played. We have it in us. It's my job to get it out of us."

Goff's touchdowns were of 8 yards to tight end Tyler Higbee, 52 to Robert Woods , 67 to Sammy Watkins and 4 to Woods .

Eli Manning (20 of 36 for 220) threw two touchdown passes and become the seventh NFL quarterback to reach the 50,000-mark with his completion of a garbage-time pass to Sterling Shepard in the fourth quarter. His TDs covered 5 yards to Tavarres King and 10 yards to Evan Engram.

Goff's touchdown pass to Higbee came after Aaron Donald sacked Manning and forced a fumble that Connor Barwin recovered.

The play that killed the Giants was the 52-yarder to Woods on a third-and-33 screen play on which the receiver was barely touched. It turned a 10-7 lead into a 10-point advantage and New York never looked the same in seeing its seven-game winning streak against the Rams end.

INJURIES: in addition to Jenkins, the Giants defense was without starting DE Olivier Vernon, WLB Jonathan Casillas, MLB B.J. Goodson and backup CB Donte Deayon. LB Keenan Robinson, who was filling in for Casillas, left with a quad injury in the first half.

UP NEXT:

Rams: Return home to face Houston in their first game at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 34 days. They are 1-2 at home.

Giants: At San Francisco next Sunday.

Giants indefinitely suspend CB Jenkins

New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins has been suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules, the club announced Tuesday.

The suspension takes effect immediately, with Jenkins scheduled to miss Sunday's home game against the Los Angeles Rams.

"As a member of this team, there are standards and we have responsibilities and obligations," coach Ben McAdoo said. "When we don't fulfill those obligations, there are consequences. As I have said before, we do not like to handle our team discipline publicly. There are times when it is unavoidable, and this is one of those times."

Jenkins was not in attendance on Monday as the Giants returned from their bye week, with McAdoo telling reporters that the 29-year-old had been excused for personal reasons.

"At that point, neither myself nor any of the coaches had heard from Jackrabbit," McAdoo said. "I did not speak with him directly until Tuesday morning."

It was at that point that Jenkins had been informed of his suspension.

Jenkins is the second cornerback for the Giants (1-6) to be suspended this season, with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie receiving a ban three weeks ago after leaving the field during the team's setback to the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 8.

Jenkins recorded an interception for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 15 and has 24 tackles in six games this season.

Back from bye, Giants try to look forward

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo welcomed his roster of players back from their bye-week break with a few quick meetings, an hour-long jog-thru practice Monday and a message to flush the 1-6 start to the 2016 season and focus on the remaining nine games that lie ahead starting this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

In speaking about the mood of his team, a team that many preseason forecasts had as a Super Bowl contender, McAdoo was asked if he agreed with the statements made last week by general manager Jerry Reese about the team buying into the hype that surrounded them.

"You go back again and look at the first half of the season and I don't think you can point to just one thing," McAdoo said Monday after practice when asked about the hype train being the reason for the team's collapse.

"Were we a hungry enough football team? You can make a case we weren't. That's just part of it."

Most of the players who spoke to the media Monday agreed that perhaps the team let their glowing preseason press clippings go to their heads.

"You can look back at what I said; I said I thought this was the best team we had on paper," said offensive lineman Justin Pugh, adding, "but that doesn't win games for you, and obviously that didn't win games for us. So I'm guilty of that because I said it publicly."

"I say yes because of the record," said linebacker Jonathan Casillas. "I think in spurts throughout this 1-6 start, you have seen signs. But, I don't think it has been consistent. At year's end, you'll look back and see if we were a good team or a bad team and as of right now, I don't think we've played up to being a good team."

Wide receiver Sterling Shepard disagreed. "Some would say that," he said, adding, "I don't know if I would say that."

Regardless, the onus is now on McAdoo and the players to get things figured out and right the sinking ship.

"One thing I wanted them to keep in mind is don't forget how badly you once wanted what you now have," McAdoo said in revealing his message to his players.

"We have to flush the first half and move on in the second half. It's important for us to get better as a football team and the thing I asked of these guys is to take it one play at a time, one game at a time. Don't hold on to what we did in the first half, and let's go out there and be the best team we can in the second half of the season."

Pugh believes the lesson has been well received. He said, "I think in this league if you ever get too high this league will humble you really quick. That's something you can take as an individual and as a team. You want to remain at a medium and be consistent because this league will beat you up if you ever think you're too good. We're at a low point now at 1-6, so we have a lot to prove."

--After a 1-6 start, Giants fans want changes and they want them made yesterday.

Unfortunately, there are only so many changes that the team can make moving forward for these last nine games of the season, and there is no guarantee that the changes the coaching staff is going to make will produce the desired results.

Still, head coach Ben McAdoo isn't oblivious to the fact that tweaks to his program need to be made, though he reminded reporters that the roster is what it is and that there is only so much that he and the coaching staff can do.

"There will be some subtle changes, but, again, our players are our players," he said. "We have good players. We have to put them in a position to be successful on Sunday."

The first thing McAdoo said the coaches looked at is how they've deployed their personnel.

"We wanted to make sure we were using our players the right way," McAdoo said. "Is there an opportunity moving forward to interject some younger or maybe some veteran players into different roles that we haven't been using them?"

There probably is. One such change that could be coming is for the Giants, who kept four tight ends on their roster, but have made heaviest usage of Evan Engram, to get others from that position group involved in the passing game.

While the rookie has delivered the goods -- he leads the team with 342 yards on 30 receptions -- with the Giants' receiving corps trying to find their footing, it's probably just a matter of time before opponents start to hone in on limiting Engram's impact in the game.

To combat that, one possible forthcoming change could see veteran Rhett Ellison, who has six receptions for 50 yards, get more involved in the receiving game. Per Pro Football Focus, Ellison has run 87 pass routes this year, but has been targeted just eight times.

The personnel usage will also affect the scheme, which was another area McAdoo said the coaching staff looked at.

"We wanted to take a look at things schematically; the schemes that have been working, and what hasn't been working and those that haven't been working, either throw them out or is it a quick fix we can fix over the second half of the year."

There are a few things the Giants might be planning to adjust here as well. One of the biggest might be to send more running plays to the right side of their formation behind the current right-side configuration of D.J. Fluker at right guard and Justin Pugh at right tackle.

The Giants, who have run 14 plays (26th in the NFL) behind the right guard, are averaging 3.0 yards per carry; they are averaging 5.53 yards per carry when running behind the right tackle, and 5.45 yards per carry on running plays to the right end.

McAdoo wouldn't say what changes were coming, only hinting that they would be subtle. And while there are changes coming, there is no guarantee those will cure what ails this team.

"We need to move onto the second half. It's important for us to get better as a football team and the thing I asked of these guys is just take it one game at a time and one play at a time. Don't hold onto what we did the first half, but let's go out here and be the best team we can be in the second half of the season."

--The NFL trading deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and while the Giants are unlikely to be active participants -- they've only done so twice in-season since 1986, trading for running back Ottis Anderson from the then St. Louis Cardinals, and then in 2013 when they acquired linebacker Jon Beason from Carolina -- this year the Giants have some options if they should want to start tearing down a 1-6, injury filled team and getting it ready for next year.

The most obvious and frequently mentioned player is Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The veteran cornerback has one year remaining on his contract, and is unlikely to be back with the Giants after this year anyway. Toss in the fact that Rodgers-Cromartie is coming off a fresh feud with head coach Ben McAdoo that resulted in a suspension, and it certainly would make a lot of sense for the Giants to see if a team that's poised to be a contender could use a player of Rodgers-Cromartie's status.

According to some unconfirmed reports, Rodgers-Cromartie has been wanting out from the Giants ever since his run-in with McAdoo a few weeks ago.

The veteran cornerback, who was suspended for leaving the bench area in a loss against the Chargers in Week 5, denied Monday that he wants out.

"A trade ain't on my mind," said Rodgers-Cromartie, adding, "Where am I going to go? I ain't packed up."

Another player who could have value on the market is linebacker and team defensive captain Jonathan Casillas. Casillas, who returned to practice Monday after being sidelined the last two games with a neck injury, is the only one of the Giants involved in an in-season trade before, that coming in October, 2014, when the Bucs traded him to the Patriots for New England's fifth- and sixth-round picks the following year.

But Casillas, who is in the final year of his contract, isn't interested in going through that experience again, even if a potential landing destination is the Patriots, who lost inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower to a pectoral injury.

"I've been a part of a trade and I don't want to be a part of a trade and leave this team," he said. "I wouldn't trade this locker room, these group of guys for anyone in the world. And, I've been a part of two Super Bowl teams and I've left a team who had a similar record to go to a Super Bowl team. So, I've been there. I don't want to do it - not with this team. Never."

Running back Shane Vereen, who is in the final year of his contract, is another plausible option who could be on the trading block. The Giants have reduced the number of snaps they've given to Vereen, who in Week 1 took a season-high 31 snaps on offense, but who in the last two weeks has received 12 and 16 snaps respectively.

"I'm excited to be here, ready to be here," Vereen said. "It's a business, I understand it. If something happens it happens. But I want to finish what I started here."

Head coach Ben McAdoo, when asked how he was planning to approach the trade deadline, said he would evaluate those players the front office asked him to look at and give his input. Otherwise, "We need to get our team ready to go on Sunday."

NOTES: C Weston Richburg (concussion) remains in the league's protocol. Richburg, who has missed the last three games, is unlikely to play Sunday. ... RT Justin Pugh (back) did not practice Monday. Pugh worked on a side field with a trainer, where he did light jogging. His status for Sunday will be updated later in the week. ... DE Olivier Vernon (ankle) did not practice Monday. Vernon, who remained in East Rutherford over the bye week to get treatment on his balky ankle, did some light straight-ahead jogging on an outside field under the watchful eye of a trainer. Vernon said he felt good Monday and described himself as being "day-to-day." ... LB B.J. Goodson (ankle) did not practice Monday. Goodson had been in a walking boot since suffering his ankle injury two weeks ago. ... WR Sterling Shepard (ankle) did some light work on the side. Shepard said before the bye week that he was hoping to be ready to return to action this week. ...

DE/OLB Cap Capi (hamstring) did not practice Monday. His status will be updated later in the week. ... LB Jonathan Casillas (neck) was back at practice after missing a couple of weeks. Casillas told reporters that he feels much better. ... RB Paul Perkins (ribs) was not seen at practice during the part open to the media. Perkins was excused by head coach Ben McAdoo for personal reasons and is expected back at work Wednesday. ... CB Eli Apple was not at Monday's practice. Apple, who had traveled out of the area for the bye week, was reportedly delayed in his return to New Jersey Sunday due to inclement weather that caused turmoil at area airports. ... CB Janoris Jenkins was excused by head coach Ben McAdoo from Monday's practice due to what the coach said were personal reasons. ... LB Calvin Munson (quad), who was inactive for the last game, returned to practice Monday.

REPORT CARD AFTER 7 GAMES

--PASSING OFFENSE: D - People will point to the injuries suffered at receiver; Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris were all done for the season after five weeks, replaced by guys who were with the team in the summer but deemed not good enough for the 53-man roster nor deemed good enough to be picked up elsewhere. However, the losses at receiver are only part of the problems of a passing offense that has seen quarterback Eli Manning miss on some of his throws, an offensive line that seem to spring leaks in protection at random, drops, poor route-running and a somewhat limited passing attack that is based on getting rid of the ball quickly. Rookie tight end Evan Engram, who is tied for the team lead in touchdowns with three (with Beckham) has been a bright spot in this unit

--RUSHING OFFENSE: C - It took injuries to starting running back Paul Perkins, and offensive linemen Weston Richburg and Bobby Hart for the running game to finally hit its stride. In a lost season, the running game, which is currently averaging 3.9 yards per carry, has actually been a bright spot for an offense which, for the second year in a row, is struggling to find yards, points and consistency. Orleans Darkwa (5.4 yards per carry) and rookie Wayne Gallman (3.9 yards per carry) have given the running game a shot of adrenaline, but the team needs to do more to help this unit out in the second half of the season.

--PASS DEFENSE: C-minus - Between a lethargic pass rush that has struggled to at least disrupt opposing quarterbacks, and a back seven that has allowed more big pass plays this year than they did at this point last year, the Giants have had some problems. Injuries certainly haven't helped. The Giants don't have a viable third defensive end to fill in for the injured Olivier Vernon; nickel linebacker Keenan Robinson and Jonathan Casillas have both suddenly started to look like they're on the back nine of their respective careers, and opponents have had success attacking cornerback Janoris Jenkins deep down the field. A glaring issue for the pass defense has been their inability to corral opposing tight ends, who have scored at times in seven games this season while either a linebacker or safety is often left trailing in pursuit.

--RUSH DEFENSE: D - After being so stout against the run last year, the run defense is allowing opponents an average of 4.2 yards per carry and has managed to hold opposing rushing attacks to under 100 yards on the ground just once this season (vs. the Broncos). Defensive tackle Damon Harrison is still playing solid run defense, but the Giants are clearly missing the contributions of defensive end Olivier Vernon on the edge, and have been inconsistent with shedding blocks and filling holes, something they did regularly last year.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: F - Last year, the special teams were a big part of the solution. This year, the unit has yet to make any game-defining plays to help the team win. Instead, there have been numerous big returns allowed by both the kickoff and punt coverage units, including a punt return for a touchdown allowed in Week 2. The kicking game has also struggled; punter Brad Wing, who was money last year, put together a nearly month-long stretch in which his kicking was all over the place while rookie Aldrick Rosas closed out the weekend before the bye with at least one miss in his last three games (including one blocked field goal).

--COACHING: F - Head coach Ben McAdoo's inexperience in key intangibles such as communication and flexibility have been among the biggest issues with this coaching staff. It took him five weeks to delegate the play-calling, for example. Also, his tendency to give up on the running game prematurely in favor of the pass even in close games has been troublesome. And save for the win against Denver, McAdoo has struggled to connect with his players as he did last year. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's group has taken a major step backward from last year, when they looked like a championship caliber defense. Part of the problem has been injuries, especially to defensive end Olivier Vernon, but the regression of guys like cornerback Eli Apple and the linebackers, and the struggles of Darian Thompson haven't helped matters. Special teams coordinator Tom Quinn's unit has been more of a hinderance through the first seven games than a help.

Wilson throws 3 second-half TDs, Seahawks D dominates

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The way Seattle was moving the ball on offense and how its defense was dominating the banged-up New York Giants, Russell Wilson knew it would just be a matter of time before the Seahawks found a way to win.

It was just a matter of being patient. It paid off.

Wilson threw three second-half touchdown passes and the Seahawks limited the Giants' receiver-depleted offense to season-low 177 yards in a 24-7 win on Sunday.

"The score was 7-3 and we were calm," Wilson said. "No panic. For us, we just had to stay the course. We've been here before. The defense was lights out tonight. Credit to them and what they were able to do. For us, we just had to make plays. We were moving the ball down the field. We just weren't finding the end zone."

Wilson hit Doug Baldwin with a go-ahead 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. He put the game away with a 38-yard TD throw to Paul Richardsonon a play that had to be reviewed because of simultaneous possession and he closed out the scoring with a 1-yard toss to Jimmy Graham with 2:14 to go.

The Seahawks (4-2) limited the Giants (1-6) to 46 yards rushing, 14 first downs and just 24:34 in time of possession. The defense only forced one turnover, but the fumble byEli Manning led to the Richardson touchdown.

The points came in the second half and once Seattle was ahead it was unlikely that the Giants would find a way to rally against its defense.

"We came out here to win a ballgame and play some good football," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "It took us a while to put it all together. Really liked the way our guys hung together when we were kicking ourselves around in the first half. The belief in both sides of the ball was solid. We knew we were going to turn this thing."

The Giants, who stunned Denver on Sunday night for their first win, were only in this game because their defense made plays and limited the Seattle to a field goal in the first half despite being on the field for more than 20 minutes.

The unit set up the Giants' touchdown with a forced fumble and a 32-yard return by Landon Collins to the Seahawks 17. It set up a 5-yard TD toss to Evan Engram , the only receiver who could get open on a consistent basis.

Blair Walsh had kicked a 39-yard field goal late in the first half to get the Seahawks within 7-3.

Seattle took the lead with a four-play 59-yard drive that featured passes of 29 yards to Graham and 23 yards to Richardson by Wilson, who was 27 of 39 for 334 yards.

The Giants had a chance to tie the game early in the fourth quarter but a 47-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas was wide right.

Seattle was forced to put on its next series but they got the ball back quickly when Jarran Reed sacked Manning and forced a fumble that Frank Clark recovered at the Giants 37.

On the first play, Wilson pitched the ball to J.D. McKissic and took a return lateral. He tossed a pass to the left corner of the end zone and Richardson and Collins made a simultaneous catch. It was ruled a touchdown and the review didn't change it.

"What an exciting play," Wilson said. "It was a great call by (Darrell) Bevell. I tossed it to J.D. and he throws it back to me. I just let Paul do his thing, one on one.

Referee Tony Corrente said the play was over once the players touched the ground with simultaneous possession.

"So at that point when they were on the ground together, and they're tussling to begin with, the catch is over," Corrente told a pool reporter. "That's the touchdown."

Graham, who had dropped a touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, caught one late.

Despite being outgained 222-42 and having the ball just over nine minutes, the Giants led 7-3 at the half.

Manning's TD pass to Engram (six catches for 60 yards) came two plays after rookie defensive end Avery Moss knocked the ball out of Thomas Rawls' hands and safety Landon Collins returned it 32 yards to the Seahawks 17. Manning finished 19 of 39 for 134 yards.

"The defense played their tails off today," said Giants running back Orleans Darkwa, who led the team with 35 yards rushing. "As an offense we have to put points on the board, simple and plain. With the bye week coming up we have to figure out what we do well and what we do bad an improve from there."

GOING EAST: Seattle is now 5-0 at MetLife Stadium, including their Super Bowl victory over Denver. They have beaten the Giants three times — 36-25 in 2011 and 23-0 in 2013 — and knocked off the Jets last year 27-17.

UP NEXT

Seahawks: Host Houston on Oct. 29.

Giants: bye week, Host Rams on Nov. 5.

Manning, Pierre-Paul and rest of Giants stun Broncos 23-10

By ARNIE STAPLETON
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — It was a wipe-out all right, just not the one expected by just about everyone outside the New York Giants.

"I don't think anyone picked us to win this game," Eli Manning said after the Giants' first victory Sunday night, a 23-10 romp of the Denver Broncos in a prime-time stunner.

Manning called it "a special win" for a reeling team that was without six starters a week after losing three wide receivers to season-ending injuries, including star Odell Beckham Jr.

Capping a stormy week of injuries and infighting, the Giants (1-5) pulled off one of the season's biggest upsets by dominating Denver in every phase from start to finish.

The Broncos (3-2), who are averaging just 14 points since their 42-17 rout of Dallas a month ago, blew a golden opportunity to close in on Kansas City in the AFC West after the Steelers knocked off the last unbeaten team in the league earlier Sunday.

"It's the National Football League," Denver's Von Miller said. "It's not about who you've got playing for you or what stars are in the game or what the team looks like. It's any given Sunday."

Visiting teams went 8-5 in Week 6 and are 46-44 overall this upside-down NFL season.

Jason Pierre-Paul had a trio of sacks for the Giants, who came into Denver tottering from a tumultuous week in which three wide receivers landed on injured reserve, five other starters were sidelined with injuries and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was suspended for insubordination.

"Nobody is giving us a chance in hell to win this ballgame," coach Ben McAdoo declared as he prepared to bring his team to Denver, where the Broncos were healthy, coming off a bye and leading the league in defense and swagger.

Yet the Giants had a goal-line stand to go with four sacks and two interceptions, double their season total. And it was the Broncos who bumbled their way through a nightmarish night filled with muffs and mistakes, flags and frustration.

"Our record wasn't good, but that doesn't mean we're a bad team," said McAdoo, who handed offensive play calling duties to coordinator Mike Sullivan for the first time. "We're a good football team."

So are the Broncos.

"Sometimes it just ain't your day," defensive end Derek Wolfe said, adding, "We didn't overlook this team. It wasn't like, 'Oh, they're 0-5 and we're going to overlook them.' No, we were like, 'These guys are a good team and we have to go out and play our best. We didn't play our best and that's why I'm (ticked)."

The sheer amount of sidelined starters actually worked in the Giants' favor.

"We didn't know what offensive linemen were playing, where they were playing, what receivers were playing," Wolfe said. "When you don't know who's playing, it's hard to game plan against them."

Quarterback Trevor Siemian was knocked out of the game briefly, and he lost his right tackle Menelik Watson (right calf) along with receivers Emmanuel Sanders and rookie Isaiah McKenzie to ankle injuries. Demaryius Thomas limped through a 10-catch night.

Before being soundly booed as they retreated to the locker room trailing 17-3 at the half, the Broncos kept hollering at each other in the huddle, couldn't convert third downs and gave up more big plays than they had all season.

The biggest came when Siemian, who earlier threw into triple and even quadruple coverage while overlooking open targets, threw a pick-six to cornerback Janoris Jenkins . His 43-yard interception return for a touchdown with 48 seconds left before halftime gave New York a two-touchdown cushion and left Siemian writhing in pain.

Siemian dived at Jenkins as he scooted past him near the goal line, and Siemian jammed his left shoulder into the ground. It's the same shoulder that bothered him almost all of last year and required surgery in January. He was replaced by Brock Osweiler but returned to start the second half.

"I tried to tackle the guy and that's certainly not my specialty," Siemian said. "I'm fine, a little sore, but I'm fine."

On this night, it was the Broncos who were the team in turmoil, falling behind 20-3 before Siemian hit Jeff Heuerman from 13 yards out with four minutes remaining.

KICKING WOES: Brandon McManus' miss from 35 yards out, his fourth missed chip shot of the season, was an ominous sign for Denver. He also had a 53-yard attempt that was blocked.

McManus has been anything but money since signing an $11.25 million extension last month. He's missed five field goals in 13 tries. Last year, he missed five times in 34 tries.

Coach Vance Joseph, however, said he won't be bringing in another kicker anytime soon.

"We'll address it with him," Joseph said. "But sitting here right now he's our guy."

BIG GAIN: The Broncos were allowing just 50.8 yards rushing per game. Orleans Darkwa gained almost that many on one run in the second quarter when he knifed right up the middle and wasn't pulled down until safety Justin Simmons caught up with him 47 yards later.

That set up Manning's 5-yard TD toss to tight end Evan Engram that gave New York a 10-0 lead.

Darkwa finished with 117 yards, the most this season against Denver.

The Broncos gained just 46 yards on the ground and C.J. Anderson failed to punch it in from the 1 even though it appeared he might have nudged the nose of the football over the goal line.

"For whatever reason," Siemian said, "we just didn't get it going collectively."

UP NEXT

New York returns home to host the Seattle Seahawks before a bye week.

The Broncos visit the Los Angeles Chargers in the first of three consecutive road games.

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Folk redeems himself with 34-yard FG to beat Giants 25-23

By FRED GOODALL
Asociated Press
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Buccaneers insist their confidence in Nick Folk never wavered.

The veteran kicker brought in to help Jameis Winston win games missed two field goals and an extra point, giving the New York Giants a chance to breathe life into their season Sunday.

But with the clock running down and the Bucs (2-1) trailing by one point, though, Winston took a knee twice to position the ball in the center of the field for a 34-yard field goal that gave the Bucs a 25-23 victory and kept the Giants winless.

"After he missed that second one, I went to him and told him: 'You're going to win this game for us,'" Winston said after answering Eli Manning's second TD pass with an impressive drive that began at his 25.

"He wasn't down at all, his spirits were up ... and he won it. I never had a doubt."

The Giants (0-4) lost on a last-second field goal for the second straight week . They took a 23-22 lead on Rhett Ellison's 2-yard TD reception with 3:16 remaining.

Manning threw to Odell Beckham Jr., in the rear of the end zone for a 2-point conversion that was disallowed because the receiver had stepped out of bounds before making the catch.

"It's tough to lose two games in a row on walk-off field goals," Manning said.

"A tough one there that came down to the end again," Giants coach Ben McAdoo said. "We've got a lot of fight in us, but so do a lot of teams in this league. We have to minimize the mistakes and maximize the details to give us a chance to win these games."

Winston threw TDs passes of 6 yards to Mike Evans and 58 yards to rookie O.J. Howard in building an early 13-0 lead. His 14-yard scoring pass to Cameron Brate put the Bucs up 22-17 midway through the fourth quarter, setting the stage for an exciting close.

"The way Jameis was throwing the ball, I was confident we'd have a chance," Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said after the third-year pro completed 22 of 38 passes without a turnover in what amounted to a complete turnaround from the previous week when Winston tossed three interceptions in a lopsided loss at Minnesota.

"When Jameis plays like (Sunday)," Koetter added, "we're going to be hard to beat."

A week after scoring his first two touchdowns of the season and being fined $12,154 for a dog-like TD celebration, Beckham had seven receptions for 90 yards, including a 42-yarder that led to Manning's pass to Ellison for New York's short-lived one-point lead.

Manning finished 30 of 49 for 288 yards and no interceptions. He threw a 4-yard TD pass to Wayne Gallman in the third quarter and also scored New York's first rushing TD of the season on a 14-yard scramble.

The Giants are off to their worst start since 2013, when they started 0-6 before winning seven of 10 down the stretch to finish 7-9.

"It's surprising," Manning said. "We still have a good team. We're doing some good things, but we're not making enough plays to win the game. In this league you have to earn it. It's not easy. We're doing some good things, but not enough to win a game."

INJURIES

Giants: Beckham left for the final four plays of New York's first TD drive when he injured a finger on his right hand attempting to make a catch along the sideline. He returned on the team's next possession. ... DE Olivier Vernon left in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. ... DT Damon Harrison left in the third quarter with a bruised knee, but returned. ... C Weston Richberg left in the second half with a concussion. RB Paul Perkins sat out part of the second half with a rib injury.

Buccaneers: They played without LBs Lavonte David (ankle) and Kwon Alexander (hamstring), as well as S T.J. Ward. ... S Keith Tandy left in the second half with a hip injury and did not return.

NOWHERE TO RUN

The Giants continue to struggle running the ball, finishing with 91 yards on 28 attempts. Gallman finished with 42 yards and 11 carries. Manning was team's second-leading rusher with 22 yards on three attempts. Jacquizz Rodgers led Tampa Bay with 83 yards and 16 attempts, filling in for Doug Martin, serving the final week of a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers.

IN THE BOOTH

The Fox broadcast crew working the game featured twin brothers Ronde and Tiki Barber, who played their entire NFL careers for the Bucs and Giants, respectively.

After playing together in college at Virginia, Ronde spent 16 years for Tampa Bay and Tiki starred for 10 seasons in New York. They were 2-2 in head-to-head meetings as pros.

UP NEXT

Giants: Return home to face the Los Angeles Chargers.

Buccaneers: Remain at home, hosting New England on Thursday night.

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Giants open against Cowboys for third straight year

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- In what is becoming a rite of September, the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys will face each other at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday night to open the season for the third straight year.

They split the previous two season openers, but it's difficult to put a value on how much winning the clash means. In 2015, the Cowboys won, but neither team went on to make the playoffs. Last season, the Giants won, then the Cowboys didn't lose again until December, when the Giants completed the season sweep with a home victory. No matter, Dallas still won the NFC East.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott both started as rookies for Dallas a year ago. They made their presence felt as Prescott passed for 3,667 yards and 23 touchdowns and Elliott led the NFL with 1,631 rushing yards.

But now the usual hype that surrounds training camp has been buried under a mountain of Elliott news as he and the NFL Players Association have battled the league in court over a six-game suspension. Elliott was suspended for violating the league's personal-conduct policy in relation to a domestic violence case.

The Elliott saga continued Tuesday as the NFL's arbitrator upheld the suspension. But Elliott will be allowed to play against the Giants on Sunday night because he filed a temporary restraining order against the league; the deadline for that decision is 6 p.m. ET Friday.

The NFL will allow Elliott to play Sunday and, theoretically, serve his suspension from Week 2 to Week 7. That would avoid giving either team a competitive advantage in Sunday night's Cowboys-Giants game.

"(Elliott) seems very focused, locked in on meetings, the walk-through," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told the media on Wednesday. "We'll have a good practice today. He's done an excellent job in his preparation."

In New York, there are questions about whether the Giants' brightest star, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., will play. Beckham has been spotted riding a stationary bike and jogging, though not participating in full practices, this week. He injured his left ankle in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 21.

On Wednesday, Beckham said there's a chance he'll play vs. the Cowboys, despite the fact that the Giants officially listed him as "did not practice."

"I wouldn't count it out," Beckham said. "My heart's just not gonna make this easy."

Even if Beckham doesn't play, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has plenty of weapons to use against the Dallas defense. New York added wide receiver Brandon Marshall and drafted tight end Evan Engram, boosting an offense that averaged 330 yards per game last season.

While the Giants have been coy about Beckham's status, coach Ben McAdoo struck a bold note as he emphasized his team's need to stop the Cowboys on the ground.

"All backs run the same when there's nowhere to run," McAdoo said, referring to the Cowboys' evolving situation at running back.

If anyone in the league can tough-talk a Cowboys team that averaged 376 yards per game last season, it's the Giants. New York held Dallas to 260 yards in defeating the Cowboys 10-7 in December. Furthermore, Cowboys star receiver Dez Bryant caught just two passes for 18 yards in two games against the Giants in 2016.

The Giants' secondary's success against Bryant has been a talking point this offseason. The Cowboys' receiver traded barbs with Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins on Twitter, adding intrigue to Sunday night's rematch.

All of it should make for a good show. But if the last two seasons have taught us anything, it's that the opening act can be deceiving.

Steelers take advantage of New York miscues for 20-12 win

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Watching T.J. Watt and Josh Dobbs in their first NFL game, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin got what he expected from the draft picks.

They had their ups and downs, and they showed they belonged in the league, as did eighth-year linebacker Arthur Moats.

Dobbs threw a 28-yard touchdown pass, Moats set up Chris Boswell's go-ahead 37-yard field goal in the third quarter with an interception and Watt —the younger brother of Houston's J.J. Watt — lived up to his first-round billing with sacks on his first two series in a 20-12 preseason win over the New York Giants on Friday night.

With the Steelers short-handed, Dobbs, Watt and Moats were on the field most of the game.

"I think just getting out there in general, having a play on (special) teams and then having the sack as I did, it calmed the nerves a little bit," said Watt, who had five tackles, two sacks and three quarterback hits.

"At the same time I felt like I belong here. I came into this game with a certain amount of confidence because of the work I put in."

A fourth-round pick out of Tennessee, Dobbs didn't get off to a quick start. His two early interceptions led to two New York Giants field goals, but he turned his game around with a 44-yard pass to Cobi Hamilton to set up Bosworth's first field goal and he added a 28-yard scoring strike to Hamilton for a 10-9 lead after Donte Deayon fumbled a punt in the final minute of the first half and Mike Hilton recovered at the Giants 28.

"Of course there were some throws you want back and some plays that were good," Dobbs said. "I was able to respond from a little adversity at the beginning of the game, but this is a good start and I'll be able to build off this."

Terrell Watson added a 15-yard touchdown run in a game that had little offense with Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers and Eli Manning of the Giants being given the night off.

Moats was a force on defense for the Steelers. He had six tackles, three sacks, three quarterback hits and a pass defended in addition to his interception. He laughed when asked when was the last time he had a game like that.

"Playing Madden," he said.

"Any time you are keeping score you want to win," Moats said. "Even though it's the preseason and some teams may not take it as serious, any time we are out there and representing the Steelers organization we want to put our best foot forward and we did that tonight."

Pittsburgh also was without injured backup quarterback Landry Jones, but that didn't matter because the Giants didn't get much from either Josh Johnson or Geno Smith, and New York was generous with the football.

A 45-yard field goal by Mike Nugent on the opening series of the second half put New York ahead 12-10, but Moats' interception and Boswell's field goal put the Steelers ahead 13-12.

Watson capped a nine-play, 53-yard drive that Bart Houston guided in his first series after taking over for Dobbs, who was 8 of 15 for 100 yards and two interceptions.

Blake's interception and 11-yard return to the Steelers 39 set up a 27-yard field goal by rookie Aldrick Rosas, who added a 52-yarder late in the second quarter for a 9-3 lead.

An interception by lineman Devon Taylor led to a 30-yard field goal by Nugent and a 6-0 lead.

JOSH AND GENO

Johnson and Smith had their ups and downs in the battle for the No. 2 job behind Manning. Johnson was 5 of 10 for 31 yards. Smith was 10 of 16 for 114. Neither got much protection from their line and running game (23 carries for 73 yards) offered little help.

Giants coach Ben McAdoo said Johnson moved the team in and out of the huddle well, but Smith started off with a hot hand but his interception "was a blind throw."

INJURIES

Steelers second-round draft pick JuJu Smith-Schuster left the game with a concussion in the first quarter. Giants veteran S Duke Ihenacho pulled a hamstring in the second quarter and did not return.

MISSING STARS

Steelers WRs Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant, who is coming off a one-year suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, did not play. Bryant will return to practice Sunday. Giants WRs Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard did not play. Brandon Marshall played the first series. New York also rested DE Jason Pierre-Paul and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

"It's a great feeling, it's a long time coming," Bryant said of getting back to practice after the game. "I worked hard and I'm just happy the process is almost over."

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