EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning has long been a fourth-quarter fortress of calm and clutch playmaking.
But not Sunday, not during a season that kept crumbling with Manning's three interceptions on consecutive drives against the type of pressure the two-time Super Bowl MVP has typically ignored in big games.
The quarterback nicknamed "Easy" has been pressing too hard to lift his wounded team, coach Tom Coughlin conceded after a crushing, 36-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that buried the Giants' season.
For a while Sunday, Manning was the reason the Giants showed signs of life. He threw a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to receiver Rueben Randle. The second putting the Giants up 21-19 late in the quarter.
But then Manning and his team came unraveled. With the Giants winning two Super Bowl championships among the past six, neither players nor fans are used to failure on this scale: The Giants are 0-5 for the first time in a non-strike season since 1979.
Manning became the first quarterback since Daunte Culpepper in 2005 to throw 12 picks in first five games.
Also, "Tom Coughlin: Blame me, not Eli Manning, for 0-5 start."
And here's the other Manning. Boy, what a game, "Peyton, Broncos outduel Cowboys thanks to Romo INT."
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