EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The formula for playoff success has been passed down from generation to generation. Play defense. Run the football. Physically impose your will on your opponent.
None of those truisms were evident on Sunday when the Falcons were dominated by the New York Giants 24-2 at MetLife Stadium.
“It’s pretty tough,” Atlanta center Todd McClure said. “You have one goal, to get to the Super Bowl, and you come up short.”
The Falcons’ rushing attack, ranked 17th in the NFL during the regular season, generated a collective 64 yards on 21 attempts. The NFC’s leading rusher, Michael Turner, was held to 41 yards on 15 carries by the Giants, who had the league’s 19th-best run defense in the regular season.
“They did nothing,” Turner said of the unexpected. “They’re a great defense. Early in the year, they had injuries. But in the last couple weeks they’ve been doing a great job.”
The Falcons were not interested in conducting a post mortem immediately once their season had concluded four games short of their stated goal. When they replay this game, what will be conspicuous will be their inability to handle the short one.
There were two crucial fourth-and-one plays in which the Falcons couldn’t convert. They couldn’t blow the Giants’ defense off the line of scrimmage.
“The team that controls the line of scrimmage wins the game,” lamented Turner.
The first fourth-and-one play occurred with 13:44 remaining in the second quarter; the other came with 4:21 left in the third. Both times offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey selected Matt Ryan, instead of Turner, to gain the yard.
While Ryan is 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds, it was a curious move.
“As a competitor you want the ball in your hands,” Turner said. “The first one was kind of a high-percentage play for us. The second one ... it is what it is.”
The line felt accountable for the two failures.
“Obviously, you feel like you let everybody down,” McClure said.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning supplied the Falcons with a gift two points and a brief lead when he was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. But Manning more than made up for the mental gaffe when he hooked up with Hakeem Nicks for a 72-yard touchdown pass that pushed the Giants’ lead to 17-2.
Falling behind, the Falcons became a pass-heavy offense in order to get back into the game. Ryan finished with 199 yards on 24-for-41 passing. He was not picked off and sacked just twice, but he spent much of the game running away from the Giants’ pass rush.
Turner and McClure provided protection for their quarterback from critical questions.
“I can’t answer that right now,” Turner said when asked if he felt the offense became too predictable.
“We had to start throwing the ball,” McClure said.
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