Dec 12, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) is defended by Los Angeles Chargers inside linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga (57) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. — Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Fall to Chargers, 37-21: Instant Reaction

For the fifth straight year, the Giants will be limping to the finish line.

Author:
Michael Lee
Publish date:
Dec 12, 2021 8:28 PM EST

The New York Giants lost their second game in a row after falling to the Los Angeles Chargers 37-21. Twenty-one points are kind; the New York offense was horrific once again. The Chargers controlled the clock and dictated the game, as New York's defense was forced to play far too many snaps.

Mike Glennon passed concussion protocol but did very little by the end of the game, despite the Giants moving the football early on. Tight end Kyle Rudolph received a 60-yard catch and run from Glennon on the second Giants' drive--the only drive that ended in points not coming in garbage time.

Eli Penny escaped the backfield off play-action to find space for a 3-yard touchdown catch to tie the game up early in the first quarter, but virtually nothing else transpired for the Giants offense till the end of the game.

New York maintained a conservative approach to slow down the pressure of Los Angeles, a team that ranks in the top five of pressure rate this season. However, Joe Judge did call a 4th & 9 fake punt pass with punter Riley Dixon that sailed over the head of Keion Crossen.

Two consecutive offensive Giants drives acted as a microcosm of the Giants offense this season. The first one started with 2:15 left in the second quarter; the Giants ran the ball three times and punted after gaining 7-yards on the first run.

On the next drive, the Giants had 52-seconds left in the half. Glennon threw three incomplete passes, and the Giants punted the football; then, in typical Giants' fashion, Justin Herbert found Jalen Guyton for 59-yards and a touchdown with less than 20-seconds left in the half.

This has unfortunately acted as a routine for the Giants defense. However, it's unfair to blame the defense for these situations entirely. Yes, they surrendered 37-points in this game, but the Giants offense hardly had the football up until five minutes left in the game.

Yet again, the offense struggled, something they've struggled with over the last two seasons. Glennon finished 17 of 36 for 191-yards and two touchdowns with an interception, a fumble, and a rushing touchdown. Kenny Golladay led the Giants in targets with eight but only caught 2-passes for 15-yards. Tight end Evan Engram had 4-targets but only caught one for 8 yards. Darius Slayton was targeted three times and had zero catches to go along with a drop.

The leading receiver (besides Rudolph, who had one more catch outside the 60-yard one) was Saquon Barkley with 3-catches for 31-yards. Devontae Booker had 4-catches for 28-yards.

The Chargers were a bottom-five defense when defending the run, and the Giants gained some chunk plays on the ground. Barkley had 16-carries for 64-yards (4.0 YPC), and Booker had 8-carries for 57-yards (7.1 YPC). Averaging 5.2-yards per carry as a team is good on paper, but when an offense struggles to do anything else, then it's almost moot.

Justin Herbert and the Chargers' offense started hot and then removed their foot from the pedal in the fourth quarter. Running back, Austin Ekeler gained 67-yards on 12-carries to go along with a touchdown before exiting the game with an ankle injury.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi showed runs and success while running play-action passes built off the same look. New York was surrendering chunk plays and failed to slow down the overall passing attack by Herbert, who finished 23 of 31 for 275-yards and three touchdowns.

Guyton's touchdown before the end of half was demoralizing, but Jared Cook's 1-yard touchdown reception after an 11-play 41-yard drive in the fourth quarter was the final dagger. The rookie, Josh Palmer, also finished with a touchdown to go along with 5-catches and 66-yards.

Once again, the Giants were outgained by their opponent, 423 to 316-yards. The Chargers possessed the ball 34:20 to the Giants 25:40, with about six and a half minutes after the Cook touchdown.

The Giants season spirals to 4-9 as they conclude their two-game road trip. The offense is almost unwatchable, which stresses the above-average defense that the Giants possess. New York has a date with the Cowboys next week before going on another two-game road trip to Philadelphia and Chicago.

For what seems like too long, Giants football in December is all but irrelevant other than thoughts of draft positioning in 2022.