EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Not even Saquon Barkley could bail out the Giants’ offense on Sunday.
Neither the splendid rookie running back nor the attack he has powered all season could find traction on a rainy, dreary afternoon in MetLife Stadium. The result was a 17-0 loss to the Tennessee Titans that guaranteed the 5-9 Giants will finish under .500 and eliminated them from playoff consideration.
“Didn’t do anything well enough to expect to win, didn’t make plays, we didn’t run the ball, we didn’t stay on the field on offense, we had penalties, so we didn’t play well enough there,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “I thought on defense, they ran the ball, we didn’t tackle as well as we did in the last few weeks, which extended drives for them, and they beat us. There was a turnover there that turned into points. It was a close game and we just didn’t find (the end zone), and when you don’t get in the end zone, you can’t win.”
The Giants failed to score a point for the first time since their 23-0 loss at Arizona last Dec. 24, and for the first time at home since Dec. 15, 2013, against Seattle – also by a 23-0 score.
One week after running for 227 yards and scoring 40 points in a victory in Washington, the Giants rushed for just 47 yards and tied a season-low with 15 first downs. Their 260 total yards was just five more than their season low, set at Dallas in Week 2.
They traveled inside the Tennessee 20-yard line just twice, both in the second half. The first time, Eli Manning threw an interception. They later advanced as far as the Titans’ four-yard line, but Manning’s pass to Evan Engram fell incomplete with 1:41 remaining, ending the Giants’ last chance to score.
