Giants players insist they're still playing for something

ATLANTA -- The New York Giants are getting blown off the field on almost a weekly basis. The past two weeks alone they've lost by a combined 48 points to the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. They're barely competitive as a whole.

This Giants team is staking its claim to being the worst in the organization's 100 seasons of playing. They lost a franchise-record 10th straight game Sunday against the Falcons, a 34-7 demolition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"Disappointing" was the only word rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers could muster to describe the dishonor. Still, there are two weeks remaining, two more games left to play -- Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium (1 p.m. ET, Fox) during the holiday week and in Week 18 in Philadelphia.

The Giants (2-13) insist they're still playing hard and haven't thrown in the towel. They're just overmatched and making too many mistakes, such as the two pick-sixes against Atlanta.

Somehow, it still doesn't have them all hoping the season would mercifully end right now. Depending on the individual, the motivation varies this late in a lost season.

"At this point in time it should be the 'why,'" right tackle Evan Neal said. "Everybody has their own individual 'why' and why they play this game in the first place. And it's tough to have a losing season like this. But you have to still go out there and play. You got to figure out a reason to play every week."

For Neal, this is an opportunity to develop, get better. He is in his third season but has dealt with a variety of injuries and off-field disappointments despite being the seventh overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. He's trying to prove he's a starting-caliber tackle, currently 55th out of 67 tackles with an 84.5% pass block win rate.

Nabers' "why" extends beyond his top priority of winning. Setting more desirable records than the losing streak is among them. Nabers passed Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley for the Giants' rookie catch record with his 92nd reception in the first quarter Sunday. He has 97 receptions and 969 yards with two games remaining. Puka Nacua, at 105, has the overall rookie catch record.

"If I can put my name in the record books," Nabers said, "I'm going to do it."

Veteran wide receiver Darius Slayton has a different perspective. He's going out and putting his body on the line for the love of the game. He is the kind of guy who enjoys the competition and camaraderie of the locker room, to the point that he's one of the last players there on Fridays (when it's acceptable to leave by early afternoon) talking or playing cards with teammates.

"Just cherishing every opportunity you have," Slayton said. "Football, one day, will come to an end. Regardless of your predicament, you have two more opportunities to go out there and play the game you love. So gotta take advantage of it."

Slayton is well aware that he's going to be a free agent at the end of the season. How he performs can and will affect how he's viewed. So he's looking to put out some more quality tape -- if possible, in the league's 32nd-ranked scoring offense.

But these final two weeks are probably most meaningful to the scores of young, inexperienced players on the Giants' roster. Veteran right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor points out that guys such as defensive linemen Elijah Garcia and Elijah Chatman, linebacker Ty Summers and guard Jake Kubas played big roles against the Falcons.

It's not what they or the Giants expected this offseason or at the start of the year. So for those players, this is a massive opportunity to make their career.

"You try to play as hard as you can and don't let this get you down and put bad tape out there because, at the end of the day, every single team is watching," Eluemunor said. "Some guys may not be here next year, but by the way they're playing now, it may open up doors later in their careers because of how they played. The things they can get out of this is keep playing as hard as you can, and when the opportunity is there, take it and run with it."

For many, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There potentially is a pot of gold at the end of the season if it means they're able to secure their future in the league. Each season they can accrue means there is a better chance they can support their families and future generations.

But more than anything for most players, it's all about pride, about playing hard for the name on the back of the jersey and their teammates in the locker room. Players like outside linebacker Brian Burns and Nabers could have shut it down weeks ago dealing with what seems like a new minor injury every week.

Burns was playing through an ankle problem in Atlanta and Nabers left the contest for a few plays to have his shoulder checked. He also missed practice time last week with knee and foot problems.

"It's really just an individual battle between everybody and showing who they are, their character, to come out here and try to play as hard as they can knowing that our season isn't what we expected it to be," Burns said. "It would be the easy way to hang it up, quit and just let the season go out how it is. It's going to be a lot tougher for you to still fight in these games."br/]