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Field Goal Attempt Was The Way To Go For New York Giants

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By @MuscleSportMag

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Considering that the New York Giants had gambled earlier in the game and won, they should have been a little more conservative when they faced fourth down-and-goal from the San Francisco 49ers’ four-yard-line. Trailing by only six points with more than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, a chip shot field goal would have been a wiser choice than what they did – go for it and come up empty.

The third quarter onside kick that was recovered by Mark Herzlich looked to be the spark that the Giants needed. But quarterback Eli Manning threw one of his five interceptions on the day in the ensuing possession.

But even on a day where their offense played very sloppy, the Giants still had a chance to steal this game. The 49ers led 16-10 and moved the ball deep into the red zone with what amounts to a lifetime left in the NFL. Plenty of clock remaining to try at least one rushing play from inside the five, but Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo called three consecutive fade pattern passes that fell incomplete to give head coach Tom Coughlin the biggest decision of the day. But, according to what he said in his postgame press conference, it was a no-brainer to go for it instead of taking the three.

“Score…score while we’re there. Here we are – four shots. I know what you’re saying. Blame it on me, but we were going to try to score a touchdown right there.”

Playing Monday morning quarterback is not always a fair assessment, but in this case there is plenty of ammo for it. If Josh Brown hits the short field goal, the score is 16-13 and the Giants (3-7) are kicking off with more than four minutes to go.

Their defense actually was having a fairly decent game, and with that last timeout and the two minute warning, there would have been ample time to make a stop, get the ball back, and put yourself in field goal range to force a tie. Sure, you want to win when you have already dropped four straight games, but this was an all-or-nothing move.

The offense was struggling all afternoon — having to go half the field instead of the entire length would have been a much easier road.

Joe Pietaro is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @MuscleSportMag, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. 

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