Giants PK Lawrence Tynes misses his second attempt at a game-winning field goal Sunday against Philadelphia.
(US Presswire)

If Giants fans were told their team would have a chance for a game-winning 44-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining in Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, most would probably have felt very confident.

Kicker Lawrence Tynes, after all, hadn’t missed a field goal yet in 2012 and he was the reigning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Maybe 44 yards isn’t a chip shop, but this is a player that easily hit from 47 and 49 yards in the Giants’ Week 3 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Obviously that kick never happened. WR Ramses Barden picked up an offensive pass interference penalty while trying to prevent Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha from making an interception. The Giants were pushed back 10 yards, and Tynes missed the 54-yard attempt and New York is now 0-2 in the division after a 19-17 defeat. 

Offense: D+

With WR Hakeem Nicks out with knee and foot issues, the Giants were desperate for a big game on the ground. Andre Brown was coming off a 113-yard performance and Ahmad Bradshaw was coming back from a neck injury. The Eagles pass defense ranked third in the NFL. It seemed like the right week to run the ball. New York had just 57 rushing yards on three yards per carry, which is a major reason the Eagles had the ball nearly seven minutes longer than the Giants.

Previous game's grades: A

 Defense B-

Ultimately the Eagles’ running game got going, but the Giants defensive line played well for the first half. Middle linebacker Chase Blackburn was phenomenal (eight tackles, one sack) and CB Prince Amukamara was solid if not spectacular in his first start. Ultimately, Michael Vick’s elusiveness and some poor tackling in the second half sank the Giants, but there were some signs of encouragement. Most notably, New York’s defense was spectacular in the red zone.

Previous game's grades: A-

Special Teams B

Punter Steve Weatherford only put two of his five punts inside the 20-yard line and Tynes missed his first field goal of the season (from 54 yards), but the unit was saved by the play of rookie David Wilson. The first-round pick had one 53-yard kick return and averaged 36.2 yards over his six attempts. The scariest part is that Wilson feels he could have scored on his one bad return of the night. On Monday he said he was trying to cut back to an open seam, but just slipped.

Previous game's grades: A

Coaching C-

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride had some gutsy play calls (QB Eli Manning converted on fourth-and-one out of the shotgun) but the Giants offense looked sloppy for most of the game. Gilbride did recognize that Victor Cruz was being defended by CB Brandon Boykin -- and not Nnamdi Asomugha or Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie -- so credit him for exploiting that mismatch (Cruz had nine catches for 109 yards). Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s unit played well for a half, but failed to make the right adjustments at halftime, and were ultimately soft against the run for the final 30 minutes. Tom Coughlin said on Monday he would have called the final drive differently if given the chance.

Previous game's grades: A

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