Notes and statistics from the Giants' 27-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers:
*The Giants fell to 0-5 for only the fourth time in franchise history. They lost their first nine games in 1976, their first five in 1979 and 1987 (when three of them were strike-replacement games), and their first six in 2013. In those seasons, they finished, respectively, 3-11, 6-10, 6-9, and 7-9, The Giants were also winless through their first five games in 1947 (when they started 0-7-2), and 1966 (0-4-1).
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*Several Giants, including four wide receivers, were injured in the game. Odell Beckham, Jr. suffered a fracture to his left ankle, and Dwayne Harris a fractured foot. Sterling Shepard and Brandon Marshall sustained ankle injuries, the severity of which was not immediately announced.
Coach Ben McAdoo summed up the other injuries: "DRC (cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie) was in and out, he was hobbled a little bit, JC [linebacker Jonathan Casillas with a stinger), Landon (Collins) was in and out a little bit, he was hobbled up, (running back Orleans) Darkwa pulled up (with a calf injury)."
*For the second week in a row, the score of the Giants game was 17-16 at the end of the third quarter. Last week in Tampa they were winning, but lost, 25-23. This time they were trailing by a point. The Giants have lost their last six regular-season games, plus a postseason game, when they trailed entering the fourth quarter. Their last victory in a game in which their opponents led after three quarters was Nov. 14, 2016, when they trailed Cincinnati, 20-14, but won, 21-20.
*The Giants rushed for 152 yards, their highest total since they ran for 161 yards in the 2016 season finale in Washington.
*The Giants missed a two-point conversion attempt for the second week in a row, but this one came with a twist. They were penalized for delay of game prior to the attempt, pushing the ball back from the two to the seven-yard line. Eli Manning's pass for Beckham was too high. A Manning pass for Beckham also was incomplete on a two-point try last week at Tampa Bay.
*The Giants' took a 2-0 lead with 8:53 remaining in the first quarter when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers deliberately flipped the ball out of the back of the end zone. Rivers was in shotgun formation when center Spencer Pulley snapped the ball before Rivers was ready. Rather than risk giving up a touchdown, Rivers opted for a two-point deficit.
It was the Giants' first score on a safety since Sept. 24, 2015, when Rashad Jennings blocked a punt by Washington's Tress Way, and the ball bounced out of the end zone. That score also gave the Giants a 2-0 lead.
*The two points were the first the Giants scored in a first quarter this season.
*The Chargers broke a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. The Giants are 10-4 against teams that entered the game 0-4 or worse since the merger.
*The Giants did not sack an opposing quarterback for the first time since Dec. 22, 2016 at Philadelphia.
*Orleans Darkwa started with Paul Perkins inactive and led the Giants with a career-high 69 yards on eight carries, including a 23-yard touchdown – the Giants' first score on the ground by a running back this season. Eli Manning had a rushing touchdown last week at Tampa Bay, and Wayne Gallman scored on a touchdown reception in the same game.
*The 23-yard touchdown was Darkwa's fifth career score, and his longest run. His previous long run was a 20-yarder two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Darkwa's longest touchdown had been a 15-yard run against Dallas on Oct. 25, 2015. His most recent touchdown had been a one-yard score at Minnesota on Oct. 3, 2016.
*Gallman rushed for 57 yards on a team-high 11 carries, and tied Beckham for the team high with five receptions.
*Manning completed 21 of 36 passes for 225 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception on his final throw of the day. For the first time this season, he lost a fumble, which set up the Chargers' game-winning touchdown.
*Manning's ninth pass attempt was the 7,000th of his career. He is the seventh quarterback in history to throw at least 7,000 regular-season passes.
*Manning was sacked five times, tying the season-high set on Sept. 18 vs. Detroit. Manning was not sacked in the previous two games vs. Philadelphia and Tampa Bay.
*Beckham caught five passes for 97 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown. The five receptions increased his career-total to 313, all of them on passes from Manning. Beckham and Hakeem Nicks are now tied atop the list of 78 players who have caught at least one regular-season pass from Manning.
*Beckham gained eight yards on his first rushing attempt of the season, on an end-around in the first quarter.
*Roger Lewis scored on his only reception, a perfectly-thrown 29-yard pass from Manning in the third quarter. It was Lewis' first touchdown of the season, and the third of his two-year career. Last year, he caught touchdown passes of 24 yards vs Baltimore and 30 yards against Philadelphia.
*Before they left the game with ankle injuries, Marshall caught two passes for 15 yards, and Shepard had one catch for nine yards.
*Second-year safety Darian Thompson led the Giants with 11 tackles (eight solo) and intercepted a Rivers pass in the end zone on the Chargers' first possession of the second half. It was Thompson's first career interception, and the Giants' first pick of the season. Thompson also knocked down a pass for tight end Hunter Henry and pressured quarterback Philip Rivers on consecutive plays from the Giants' eight-yard line. That forced the Chargers to kick a field goal that cut the Giants' lead to 22-20 with 4:50 left in the game.
*Rookie defensive end Avery Moss, the Giants' fifth-round draft choice this year, saw his first NFL action at defensive end. He was inactive the previous three games after playing special teams in the season opener in Dallas. Moss knocked down a Rivers pass at the line of scrimmage with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
*D.J. Fluker played most of the game at right guard in place of John Jerry.
"John's been hobbled a little bit," McAdoo said. "I thought D.J. played fairly well last week. I wanted to give him a chance in the run game."
*The Giants' inactive players were defensive Olivier Vernon (ankle), center Weston Richburg (concussion), running back Paul Perkins (ribs), defensive tackle Robert Thomas, cornerback Michael Hunter, tight end Matt LaCosse and quarterback Davis Webb.
Vernon missed a game for the first time in his six-year career (second with the Giants). He played in 84 consecutive games, including 52 starts in a row. Vernon's 84-game streak was the third-longest on the Giants, following Eli Manning's 204 and John Jerry's 90 (both Vernon and Jerry began their streaks playing for the Miami Dolphins).
*Fourth-year pro Kerry Wynn made his eighth career start; the previous seven were in the 2015 season, most recently on Dec. 20 against Carolina. Wynn had three tackles (one solo).
*Richburg missed the second game in his four-year career. On Nov. 29, 2015, an ankle injury prevented him from playing at Washington. Brett Jones started for the first time in his career at center; his only previous start was at left guard, against Cincinnati on Nov. 14, 2016.
*Perkins was inactive for the first time this season and third time in his two seasons with the team. He was not in uniform for the first two games of his career, on Sept. 11 and 18, 2016.
Darkwa made his third career start at running back. He started two games in 2016, Oct. 3 at Minnesota and Oct. 9 at Green Bay.
*The Giants' game captains were Dwayne Harris, Sterling Shepard, and B.J. Goodson.
*The Giants lost their fourth consecutive game to the Chargers, and now trail in the all-time series, 7-5.
*Los Angeles' Melvin Gordon rushed for 105 yards, a season-high for a Giants opponent. Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott ran for 104 yards on opening day.
