After winning the Super Bowl in February, the Giants' 2012 season went up in smoke. (US Presswire)

Forget the second-place finish, the 9-7 record and the fact that the Giants missed the playoffs for the third time in the last four years. They were, however briefly, considered one of the NFL’s top teams for a good portion of the 2012 season, and there were plenty of highlights to corroborate that perception.

Of course, New York ended up blowing it in the end, so there are more than enough lowlights, as well. It’s hard to imagine how one team can be capable of such drastically different performances, but that was the kind of season it was for the defending Super Bowl champs. 

Highlights:

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  • Holding the Packers to 10 points in Week 12 -- Green Bay was surging as the Giants came out of their Week 11 bye, and many assumed that the Packers would win at MetLife Stadium for the second year in a row. However, DE Jason Pierre-Paul and CB Justin Tryon each recovered a fumble and CB Corey Webster made an interception to hold the Packers to just 10 points.

     
  • QB Eli Manning sets franchise single-game passing record in Week 2 -- The Giants were looking at an 0-2 record after Manning tossed three first-half interceptions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, but he ended up breaking Phil Simms’ record for passing yards in a single game instead. Manning finished with 510 passing yards and three touchdowns while WR Hakeem Nicks had 10 catches for 199 yards.

     
  • Shutting down the 49ers in Week 6 -- In a rematch of the 2012 NFC Championship Game, the Giants shut down RB Frank Gore while collecting 140 running yards of their own against the 49ers' top-ranked run defense. The result was a lopsided win in which the Giants easily out-possessed the 49ers.
Lowlights:
  • Failing to show up against the Falcons in Week 15 -- The Giants were still considered a postseason threat until they were dismantled by the Falcons in Atlanta. New York was out-possessed by 17 minutes and outscored 34-0 in what may have been the ugliest loss in recent memory. The Giants’ short-handed secondary was burned for 265 passing yards by Falcons QB Matt Ryan, who had all the time in the world to throw the football.

     
  • Losing, 33-14 to the Ravens in Week 16 -- One week after being demolished in Atlanta, the Giants went to Baltimore for some of the same treatment. The Ravens had two running backs run over the century mark as the Giants yielded 533 yards on the day.

     
  • Losing a winnable game to the Eagles in Week 4 -- The Giants didn’t play their best football in Philadelphia back in Week 4, but they had every chance to beat the Eagles. An offensive pass interference penalty on Ramses Barden pushed K Lawrence Tynes out of his range and he subsequently missed a 54-yard attempt with 10 seconds left in the game. Philadelphia won 19-17.

Follow the Giants and Alex Raskin @CBSGiants and @AlexRaskinNYC.