Tom Coughlin has been searching for answers all season.
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The Giants have little turnaround to game plan for the Bears since Wednesday is a travel day, so they wasted no time Tuesday in developing a blueprint to both knock off the Bears and end their current winless streak.
“Very little sleep,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “We’re so busy today and I suppose it is a good thing. … We already spent our time [on Monday] in reflection [on the Eagles’ loss]. Time spent [and] it wasn’t very pleasant. [But] time to move on.”
The task of moving on and preparing for a talented Bears team that currently sits tied atop the NFC North is daunting for the Giants considering they’ve shown ineptness in all three phases of the game at crucial times. Whether it’s been an untimely turnover, a big play allowed by the defense, or a special teams touchdown, the Giants have had trouble closing out games in which they were competitive until the waning moments of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter has been a killer for Big Blue, as they’ve been outscored 61-21. That’s a recipe for failure, no matter how good a team is supposed to be or how much talent they have. The loss to the Eagles was the latest example of a team not able to seal the deal, as Philadelphia scored 14 unanswered in the final stanza.
“They’re close games at that point in time and then they become, because of the turnovers, non-close games,” Coughlin said.
The coach hopes his team plays with more poise, ball security and urgency at Soldier Field.
“There’s no simple formula. I’m not going to give you one statement that answers all,” said Coughlin. “We just have to go back to work. We have to go back to work and we have to do a better job. We’ve got to figure out how to solve this issue.”
“It’s a little frustrating knowing that all of these games, all we had to do is finish strong and finish the way people are used to us finishing, and that’s winning the fourth quarter and dominating time of possession and things of that nature,” Victor Cruz said. “We’re not doing that. It’s pretty frustrating. But we understand that one of these games have to turn for us. One of these games has to be the one where we minimize our turnovers and minimize our penalties and are able to break through and get to the other side and win a ballgame. … Hopefully this will be it.”
Big Blue notes …
»The Giants and Bears, two of the oldest and most historic teams in NFL history, will meet for the 57th time. Chicago owns a 32-22-2 edge in the all-time series, including 27-19-2 in the regular season and 5-3 in the postseason.
»Manning leads the NFL with 12 interceptions in five games. The Giants’ 20 turnovers are nine more than any other team that has played the same number of games.
»The Giants have allowed an NFL-high 182 points and have been outscored by 100 points.
»Big Blue has allowed at least 31 points in each of their first five games, the first team to do that since the 1954 Chicago Cardinals. It’s the first time the Giants have surrendered that many points in each of five consecutive games.
»The offense isn’t doing the struggling defense any favors, as the rushing attack is the league’s worst, averaging only 56.8 yards a game.
»Running back David Wilson (neck) has already been ruled out versus the Bears, furthering hindering a disappointing running game.
»The list of players on the injury report was lengthy, as more than a handful of players sat out Tuesday’s practice: center David Baas (neck), long snapper/linebacker Zak DeOssie (back), cornerbacks Jayron Hosley (hammy) and Corey Webster (groin), tight end Adrien Robinson (foot), defensive end Damontre Moore (hammy) and safety Cooper Taylor (shoulder).
Defensive tackle Linval Joseph (ankle), wideout Louis Murphy (ankle) and tight end Brandon Myers (ankle) were limited in practice.
Linebacker Mark Herzlich (toe) and cornerback Terrell Thomas (knee) were able to participate.
»The Giants announced that defensive end Justin Trattou will either be waived or put on injured reserve (IR) now that the team re-signed running back Da’Rel Scott. The veteran back was released following the Week 4 loss at Kansas City, but with Brandon Jacobs as the only other reliable veteran on the roster, the team was forced to reunite with Scott. Rookie Michael Cox is another option, although not a viable one.
»Injured running back Andre Brown (leg), who is on the temporary IR list, was seen running on the side during practice.
Follow Giants beat writer Tony Williams on Twitter @TBone8.
