Giants news, 12/28: Did Giants seal Tom Coughlin's fate Sunday night?

Good morning New York Giants fans! Here are your news updates for this Monday morning.

Vacchiano: Coughlin "appears to be coming to an end" with Giants

Say what you want about the 2015 Giants, but in the majority of their losses, the team has shown fight and resiliency. Well, that was before their embarrassing loss to the Minnesota Viking son Sunday night. So embarrassing, that Ralph Vacchiano is confident that Tom Coughlin will be coaching his last game as the Giants head coach.

But the 69-year-old Coughlin still remains more likely to take the fall for that than GM Jerry Reese. He’ll also be the one likely held responsible for too many mismanaged game situations. Too many games that fell apart in the end. Still, the most damning thing in ownership’s eyes might be what it saw on the field against the Vikings.

The last thing it wanted to see was a team that refuses to fight until the end.

For updates on Jerry Reese, Dan Graziano also backs up the notion that his job is likely safe.

No chance. Reese is safe. https://t.co/PSy8Nm5nrF

— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) December 28, 2015

Sunday night recap

Admittedly this is a section that many will want to avoid but if you didn't see the truly embarrassing play of the Giants on Sunday night then the vicious New York media would love to let you all know.

Giants blown out by Vikings, 49-17, in game without Odell Beckham Jr. | NY Daily News

It was a completely meaningless game to the Giants, with no playoff hopes to fight for and little chance of changing the complexion of this train-wreck season.

And the Giants treated it exactly like that.

So much for heart and spirit and "Giants pride." On Sunday night at TCF Bank Stadium, one night after being officially eliminated from the playoff race, the Giants played like a club that had given up, rolling over for the Minnesota Vikings in a 49-17 loss that left head coach Tom Coughlin talking about everybody — including him — needing to do some "soul-searching."

A Giant Embarrassment as New York Falls to Vikings 49-17 | Inside Football

The ugliness for the Giants also included concussions suffered by right tackle Marshal Newhouse and safety Craig Dahl, and the ejection of linebacker J.T. Thomas in the fourth quarter for throwing a punch at tight end MyCole Pruitt.

With the loss, New York has dropped five of its last six games, with a meaningless regular-season finale next week against the Eagles which could very well be Coughlin’s last with the Giants.

"I’m not worried about it," Coughlin said. "That’ll take care of itself. I don’t coach worried about that."

Unfortunately for Coughlin, his team’s latest stinker might very well have sealed his fate.

Why Tom Coughlin has to go | NY Post

The Giants can no longer stick with the status quo. It’s time for Coughlin to go. The Giants need to be rebuilt, starting with the head coach, who can no longer rest on his laurels. Two Super Bowl victories aren’t enough to buy Coughlin another year.

His most loyal supporter failed him Sunday night. Eli Manning was awful. The only pass the Giants quarterback completed in the first quarter was to the other team for the first of his three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. At halftime, his quarterback rating was 19.2.

Without Odell Beckham Jr., who was serving his one-game suspension, there was no real offensive threat. By the time Rueben Randle caught a 72-yard touchdown pass from Manning, the Giants still trailed 32-10. The defense? It’s still ranks last in the league and after all the fuss about Beckham’s actions against the Panthers last week, linebacker J.T. Thomas was ejected in the fourth quarter Sunday night for taking a swing at a Viking.

There is no coming back from this. Not even a victory over the Eagles in the regular-season finale Sunday at MetLife Stadium should save Coughlin now. It’s time for a change.

Why humiliating loss to Minnesota Vikings was an embarrassment for the organization | NJ.com

The Minnesota Vikings were playing for a playoff spot. The Giants were playing for ... pride?

In that case, they appear to be a rather listless, lifeless and prideless bunch after falling 49-17 to the Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium.

"We had an opportunity to play for pride," head coach Tom Coughlin said. "Tonight, it's just very difficult for me to explain it.

"I didn't see this coming."

Building the 2016 team

Postseason hopes were killed with a Washington Redskins victory on Saturday night, but this ugly loss sheds light on areas the Giants need to improve. James Kratch of NJ.com evaluates the top five areas of need to be addressed this offseason.

Defensive line: Most people wonder whether or not the Giants will re-sign defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. But bringing end Robert Ayers Jr. back might be the more pressing issue. Ayers, a pending free agent, has been great down the stretch for the Giants, and he leads the team with eight sacks (1.5 came against the Vikings. The Giants need to bring the Jersey City native back.

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins will be back from injury in 2016, and tackle Jay Bromley played well against the Vikings. But the Giants have decisions to make at tackle with pending free agents Markus Kuhn and Cullen Jenkins.

And then, of course, there's JPP. There is no denying he was a productive player for the Giants after returning from his fireworks accident. But he is likely going to be seeking to be paid more than that. How high are the Giants willing to go after such a small sample size, and with him showing clear limitations with his clubbed hand? And if another team is willing to make Pierre-Paul a big offer, would the Giants match or let him walk?