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The humiliation of the 2017 season reached a new low for the New York Giants on Sunday as they were overwhelmed by the Los Angeles Rams, 51-17. The 1-7 Giants are off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. They were 0-6 in 2013, 1-8 in 1980 and 0-8 in 1976.
The Giants were embarrassed on Sunday in just about any way imaginable.
The 34-point loss was the Giants’ worst since a 38-0 loss at Carolina on Sept. 22, 2013 and the most one-sided at home since Nov. 15, 1998 (37-3 to Green Bay). Their previous largest deficit in MetLife Stadium was 30 points (40-10) to Indianapolis on Nov. 3, 2014.
They gave up a 52-yard touchdown on a third-and-33 play, and no NFL team had given up even a first down on third-and-30 or more since 1989.
The Rams scored on eight of their first nine possessions. The 51 points the Giants gave up were the most they have surrendered at home since 1964. The Giants last surrendered 50 or more points in 52-49 loss to the New Orleans Saints in 2015.
Manning wasn’t good. He completed 20-of-36 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. In the first half to badly missed deep throws to a pair of wide open receivers, Sterling Shepard and Tavarres King, that would have gone for touchdowns.
The Giants trailed at halftime, 27-10. Los Angeles blew the game open with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on their first three second-half possessions.
The stands were not close to full when the game began, the booing started before the first quarter was over and by the fourth quarter MetLife Stadium was virtually empty.
Related coverage
- Eli Manning passes 50,000 career yards, but leaves more on the field
- What did we learn from Rams 51, Giants 17? The Giants should be embarrassed
- Giants vs. Rams: No winners and one Giant loser
- This is what bad defense on third-and-33 looks like
Moments that mattered
- Injured Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. turned 25 on Sunday. Happy birthday!
- Jared Goff hit tight end Tyler Higbee with an 8-yard touchdown pass with 10:55 left in the first quarter. That made nine straight games in which the Giants have surrendered a touchdown pass to a tight end. That came four plays after LA recovered an Eli Manning fumble at the Rams’ 48-yard line.
- The 5-yard touchdown catch by Tavarres King with 3:16 left in the first quarter was his first career regular-season touchdown catch.
- The Rams scored first-half touchdowns an a third-and-33 52-yard screen pass to Robert Woods and a 67-yard pass to Sammy Watkins. Per Football Outsiders, the third-and-33 conversion was the first one in the NFL in 28 years.
Last team to convert third-and-30+ was the #Giants themselves. Phil Simms, 57-yard TD to Meggett on third-and-31, Week 14 1989 vs. #Broncos. https://t.co/lSpZ82RxM1
— Aaron Schatz (@FO_ASchatz) November 5, 2017
Per Pro-Football-Reference, teams were 0 for 36 gaining a 1st down on 3rd and 33 since 1994, averaging 4.56 yards.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) November 5, 2017
PFR stats for that only go back to 1994.
- Manning became the seventh quarterback in NFL history to surpass 50,000 passing yards when he hit Sterling Shepard for a 37-yard gain in the fourth quarter.
What’s next?
The Giants will travel to the West Coast to face the San Francisco 49ers. The game could feature the debut of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, acquired from the New England Patriots in a deal before the NFL trade deadline. That 4:25 p.m. ET game could have implications for the 2018 NFL Draft.