Giants.com breaks down the state of the team following Sunday's loss:
While it didn't end on a last-second field goal for the third week in a row, Sunday's loss to the Chargers was just as demoralizing.
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Not only did the Giants drop to 0-5, but they suffered several injuries, including to four wide receivers who had to leave the game early. But in the NFL, there is no time to feel sorry.
"Another tough ballgame," coach Ben McAdoo said. "Thought the guys went out and played hard, I thought they fought their tails off. Came up just short, a couple mistakes at the end really cost us, and ran out of firepower there at the end – no excuses. I felt we had opportunities to move the ball, put points on the board, and this is where we stand."
IT WAS OVER WHEN
On fourth-and-10 at the Chargers 48, Tre Boston intercepted Eli Manning's last-ditch attempt intended for tight end Evan Engram. Philip Rivers came on with 40 seconds left in the game and took a knee, improving to 3-0 against the Giants as a starter.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
After having already lost Sterling Shepard, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris to injuries, Odell Beckham Jr. became the fourth Giants wide receiver to go down with just over four minutes left in the game. On the next play, Melvin Ingram sacked Manning and forced and recovered a fumble at the Giants 11. Two plays later, Rivers threw a touchdown to Melvin Gordon for the go-ahead score with 2:58 remaining.
AROUND THE LOCKER ROOM
"To tell you the truth, very frustrating. All we can do is go back and look at the film, tell you what's going on. Appreciate every guy that played their heart out, but it just wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to win us the football game and all we can do is go back and see what's going on. That's all we can do." – defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul
"To be honest, it didn't hit me and then I was like wait, why do we have three tight ends out here. Then, I realized that Dwayne went down, Shep went down, Brandon went down, Odell went down -- it's crazy." – left guard Justin Pugh on the final drive
"It hurts. Like, what, three, four of my brothers got hurt today. They're like big brothers to me. So, it really hurts. But, it's just time." – wide receiver Roger Lewis, who caught a touchdown amid the injuries at his position
WHAT THE LOSS MEANS FOR THE GIANTS
For a season that began with such high expectations, the Giants find themselves winless after five weeks, their worst start since going 0-6 in 2013. The road doesn't get any easier, either. Big Blue heads to Denver for a Sunday night game against a 3-1 Broncos team fresh off the bye.
"You just keep working," McAdoo said. "You look in the mirror. You learn a lot about yourself in times like these. So, you've got to work for yourself, work for your teammates. We're all pros – this is what we get paid to do. We get paid to win, not just compete. So, we've got to find a way to win."
WHAT THE WIN MEANS FOR THE CHARGERS
Including Sunday's contest, 19 of the Chargers' last 23 games have been decided by one score. They are now 5-14 in those games as they picked up their first win of the season. The Chargers head to Oakland in Week 6.
"We can't get too excited about 1-4," defensive end Joey Bosa said. "But we've got to feel this and remember this and try to get there again as many times as possible."
