Undisciplined Giants are winless after sloppy loss to Eagles
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The New York Giants are winless, undisciplined and angry.
Odell Beckham Jr. took an unsportsmanlike penalty for pretending to urinate like a dog. Eli Apple had two pass-interference penalties that led to touchdowns. Left tackle Ereck Flowers committed two penalties in the final minute that allowed Philadelphia another chance in regulation.
"I'm going to do what I do," Beckham said about his odd celebration. "I'm going to try to spark this team. The consequences are going to be what they are."
All the sloppy mistakes led to a 27-24 loss to the Eagles on Sunday as rookie Jake Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal as the clock expired.
"We aren't playing smart football," coach Ben McAdoo said. "We are all irritable right now and rightfully so."
After going 11-5 last season and reaching the playoffs, New York is 0-3 with four tough games coming up, starting at Tampa Bay next Sunday. Only three teams under the current playoff format have reached the playoffs after losing their first three games.
"I don't care about history, I care where we are at," veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. "Mentally, this hurts. It doesn't feel good, but we have the guys in this room to get it done."
Beckham's unsportsmanlike penalty came in the fourth quarter after he caught a 10-yard TD pass from Eli Manning to cut the deficit to 14-7. Beckham, down on all fours, took a few steps and then lifted his right leg in the air to mimic a puppy going potty.
"We can't afford to have penalties in that situation," Manning said.
Beckham said he doesn't mind the kickoff being pushed back to the 20-yard line because of celebration penalties.
"I don't care if you kick from the 5-yard line on our side," Beckham said. "We need to make a play."
Apple's first pass interference cost the Giants 41 yards and put the ball at the 3, leading to a TD that gave Philadelphia a 14-0 lead.
His second one came after Manning tossed three TDs in a span of 5:21 in the fourth quarter to give New York a 21-14 lead. The penalty went for 36 yards and set the Eagles up at the Giants 15. Corey Clement ran in for a score on the next play to tie the game.
The Giants had a chance for a winning drive in the final minute. But an illegal shift on Flowers moved them back 5 yards on second-and-3, and a holding call on Flowers made it second-and-18.
"Everything adds up in this league," McAdoo said. "When there are too many penalties, it makes it tough to win that way."
Despite the loss, the Giants have reason to be optimistic their offense is finally coming out of a long funk. New York had scored less than 20 points in eight straight games before breaking out in the fourth quarter.
Manning completed 35 of 47 passes for 366 yards, three TDs, two interceptions and was not sacked for the first time this season.
"We put enough points on the board to win," McAdoo said. "We had a chance to score more and we didn't handle the ball well enough, left some points out there."
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