Five Plays that Doomed the Giants vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Coach Gene Clemons looks at the five turning points in the Giants' 37-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

The New York Giants Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers was always going to be an uphill battle.

The Chargers are a fundamentally sound squad with an athletic defense and an immensely talented offense. The Giants, meanwhile, have been a disorganized mess at times, a disappointing development in a year in which there was so much hope.

For this week's game against the Chargers, not many people outside the Giants' team headquarters expected a Giants win. But then again, not many people were expecting a Giants team that a week before were blown out by a middle-of-the-pack Dolphins team to get blown out again.

That's what happened, as by halftime, the Giants were in such a deep hole that if you turned off the game, you didn't miss anything.

We know there were a lot of plays that led to their demise, but here are the five biggest plays that spelled doom for the Giants.

4th-and-2, 50, 12:33, Q1

The Play: Giants punt on 4th-and-short

The offense's first drive of the game can set the tone for how the game will be played and give a glimpse into how far a team is willing to go to get a victory. Apparently, the Giants didn't get the memo as they continued their conservative ways.

After an incomplete pass, Devontae Booker ran for eight yards to the 50-yard line. But on third down, the Giants attempted a pass. That would have made sense if it were four-down territory, but the punt team came on the field when it fell incomplete.

This was a great opportunity for the coaching staff to show the players that they were all in and had faith in their ability to pick up short yardage. But by continuing to be conservative, the opportunity was not only missed, but the punt also went for a touchback, the Giants failing to pin the Chargers deep.

3rd-and-8 NYG 12, 12:07, Q2

The Play: Giants defense cannot hold Chargers to an FG on 3rd down.

After a drive where the Giants defense made the Chargers work to score a touchdown, the Giants used a 60-yard pass to set up a game-tying touchdown.

On the next drive, the Giant defense was able to bend but not break and finally had the Chargers in a 3rd-and-8 on the 12-yard line. The red zone defense has been excellent for New York this season, and it would have been a great time to get a stop and force the Chargers into a field goal.

Instead, Joshua Palmer was able to get leverage on an out route against cornerback Jarren Williams, and Herbert delivered a perfect strike that led Palmer into the end zone, putting the Chargers up by a touchdown.

3rd-and-11 LAC 41, :17, Q2

The Play: Giants defense surrenders long TD pass before halftime.

After a Giants three-and-out, the Chargers got the ball back with 39 seconds remaining in the half. A first-down pass, a sack by Azeez Ojulari, and an incomplete pass to running back Austin Ekeler left the Chargers with 3rd-and-11 with little time--and nowhere near field goal range.

The Giants got pressure on Herbert as Lorenzo Carter flushed him to his right, but as he grabbed Herbert, the Chargers quarterback unleashed a moon ball to the end zone. The Giants safeties blow the coverage, and the result is a crippling 59-yard LA touchdown to Jalen Guyton.

That pushed the lead to 24-7 before halftime. The Chargers got the ball back after halftime, and they added a field goal to extend their lead to 20 points.

4th-and-9 NYG 38, 8:05, Q3

The Play: Giants fake punt is no good.

The problem is not that the Giants went for it on fourth down. The problem is the play calling leading up to the fake. Consecutive incomplete passes followed a first-down, 1-yard Barkley run. That sequence indicated that the Giants planned to go for it on fourth down.

The play call could have been different had that decision been made going into the drive. Maybe they don't pass the ball twice in a row, and then they don't need to fake the punt.

Instead, the Giants whipped out the fake, which they worked on all year. Punter Riley Dixon threw a pass to the receiver's back shoulder, the receiver never turning back to look for the ball.

4th-and-9 NYG 49, :28, Q3

The Play: Sack on Glennon leads to the final Chargers touchdown drive.

On third down, the Giants were sacked for a 2-yard loss. They needed a first down in a last-ditch effort to make this game competitive on fourth down.

Glennon was looking to pass the ball down the field. Joey Bosa was able to corral Glennon, bring him down, and force a fumble that gave the ball back to the Chargers' offense.

Los Angeles then went 41 yards in 11 plays and drove the final nail in the Giants coffin with a 1-yard pass from Herbert to Jared Cook. Even though a full quarter of play remained, any remaining hope the Giants had left with that last Chargers score.

Yes, the Giants scored two touchdowns in garbage time due to the Chargers taking their foot off the gas pedal. While it was good to see Barkley cooking, it makes you wonder why they didn't try to lean more heavily on Barkley when the game was still in the balance. 

More from Giants Country

• Giants Fall to Chargers, 37-21: Instant Reaction
• New York Giants Embarrassed By Chargers 37-21
• Joe Judge Insists Giants are Building a Foundation
• Giants QB Daniel Jones to Have Neck Re-examined
• New York Giants Week 14 Report Card: Not Nearly Good Enough 
• Giants 37-21 Loss to Chargers: By the Numbers 
• Joe Judge Reveals Why Giants Have a Solid Foundation in Place

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