... and full of pain.

The Jets avoided losing this week by the clever strategy of not playing.

The Giants, alas, had no such reprieve. They managed to blow a 10-point fourth quarter lead and lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-20. The Giants D crumpled when the game was on the line, sadly, but played stoutly for the first three quarters. This loss is on the offense, and especially on Eli and his wide receivers, who seemed listless and out of sync all game. That was especially true in that all-important fourth quarter, when all the Gmen could manage was three and out, three and out, and three and out.

Truth be told, I don't think the game was even as close as the final score appeared. The Steelers dominated Big Blue throughout, and Eli never did get anything going. The longest Giant plays downfield were a couple of pass interference penalties against Pittsburgh, at least one of which was very questionable. And in the red zone, when we need TDs, we settled for field goals.

This is the third week in a row the Giants O has looked anemic. Unless we can turn that around, and soon, I think Big Blue may be piling up a lot of losses in the weeks to come. That is, sadly, something we've seen before with Coughlin's Giants -- we streak off to a nice 6-2 start, then stumble badly in midseason.

I do wish we had done better, though. An lot of people back in New York and New Jersey could have used a lift, after the nightmarish week they've been through with Sandy. That includes family and friends of mine, of course... remember, I am an old (very old) Jersey boy. I hear that half of Bayonne is still without power, that Brady's Dock (once owned by my mother's family) is messed up, and that First Street (where I lived for many years) was hard hit. Here's hoping recovery will be swift.