VICTOR CRUZ’S INJURY IS THE FINAL INSULT FOR THE OVERMATCHED GIANTS
… Then they went to Philadelphia.
By the end of a 27-0 loss Sunday night, the Giants (3-3) no longer had a winning record; their newly revamped offensive line had allowed Eli Manning and his backup, Ryan Nassib, to be sacked eight times; the defense appeared overmatched; and one of the team’s best players, wide receiver Victor Cruz, was most likely lost for the season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.
It was a staggering collective loss, and the thoroughness of the rout made the Giants seem unprepared, or underskilled, for the high echelon of play displayed by the Eagles (5-1), the defending division champions.
— Bill Pennington, New York Times
TRASH TALK LEADS TO GARBAGE TIME
Maybe the Giants were expecting to play an 0-4 team?
Nope. Regardless of Jason Pierre-Paul’s pregame evaluation of the Eagles’ talent, the best way to assess the current state of affairs in the NFC East is to quote the great philosopher Bill Parcells.
“You are what your record says you are,” his Tuna-ness once said.
— Hank Gola, New York Daily News
GIANTS ROUT IN PHILADELPHIA HARD TO UNDERSTAND
… with 9:35 remaining in the third quarter receiver Victor Cruz was carted off Lincoln Financial Field in tears with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, ending his season.
It made an awful night worse for the Giants, ensuring ripple effects that will last well beyond one bad loss.
If fans were dazed and confused by the nationally televised flop, the coach and his players did not offer many answers for them afterward. They were too busy being dazed by Cruz’s injury and confused by the outcome.
“It still baffles me,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “I have no rhyme or reason why.”
— Neil Best, Newsday
THE GIANTS’ DARKEST DAY IN A LONG WHILE
They were devastated on so many levels, on the scoreboard by the Eagles, 27-0, and in their hearts on the Black Sunday they lost Victor Cruz for the season with a torn right patella tendon.
Cruz had become a fallen brother trying to catch a 3-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning, and the sight of him clutching his knee and writhing in pain was unbearable to them. One by one, as the dreaded cart came for Cruz, his teammates patted him on the shoulder pad, but Cruz was sobbing inconsolably into his red and white gloves and probably felt nothing and heard nothing.
Because he knew. Knew there would be no more salsa in 2014.
— Steve Serby, New York Post
EVERYTHING GOES WRONG FOR GIANTS IN PHILLY HUMILIATION
In the hush of a locker room where players toweled off and dressed in zombie-like fashion, showing little emotion other than extreme devastation, the Giants said they will fight on, will move forward without Victor Cruz. It did not sound convincing.
If this Giants season fades away, mark down Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field as the time when everything started getting fuzzy and blurred.
Already trailing 20-0 early in the third quarter en route to a non-competitive and embarrassing 27-0 loss to the Eagles, the Giants were shocked by the sight of Cruz, their top receiver and most popular player, going down in a heap in the right corner of the end zone after failing to hold onto a fourth-down lob pass from Eli Manning. Cruz went down, stayed down and was carted off with a torn right patella tendon, a devastating knee injury that ends his season.
For a team that had just been overwhelmed by an NFC East opponent in every imaginable way, it was a final slap in the face after an evening of punishment.
“Everyone is grieved,’’ Tom Coughlin said.
— Paul Schwartz, New York Daily News
