What went wrong …
1 Secondary collapses late — Although they were stout for most of the game, the Giants’ defense couldn’t hold a six-point lead with 2:07 left. Philip Rivers led San Diego on an eight-play, 80-yard drive in only 1:46. The drive culminated with Rivers finding Vincent Jackson on an 18-yard scoring strike.
2 Short yardage — The Giants failed five times on on third-and-less-than-4. The most costly short-yardage failure came with less than three minutes left. Up 17-14, Terrell Thomas picked off Rivers and returned it to the San Diego 4-yard line. A holding call on first down pushed them back 10 yards and they settled for a field goal. The one-possession game left the door open for Rivers. “We have to score when the opportunities are there,” Jacobs said. “We got it down on the 4-yard line and didn’t punch it in, and the consequence was a loss.”
3 Hold that line — The Giants had given up just 10 sacks all season, but the Chargers broke through for five in yesterday’s win.
What went right for the Giants …
1 Sealed with a pick … almost — Terrell Thomas’s late interception and 32-yard return should’ve been the deciding factor had New York not gotten conservative with the play-calling after Philip Rivers’s gift-wrapped interception.
2 Early resiliency — The Giants stumbled out of the gate with a fumble on their first possession. After the Chargers scored a touchdown with a short field early in the second, Big Blue answered with a 16-play, 76-yard drive. They converted two third downs inside the San Diego 25 to extend the drive. Eli Manning hit Steve Smith for a six-yard score to tie it at 7 before the half.
3 Get off our field — The Bolts’ running game was nonexistent. The Giants owned a 15-minute edge in time of possession.
