SUPPORT » — The New York Giants saw their faint playoff hopes e

EAST RUTHERFORD Doug Kotar Color Rush Jersey , N.J. xtinguished on Sunday as they lost to the Tennessee Titans 17-0 in miserable conditions at MetLife Stadium.The loss, in a driving rain, poured buckets of cold, wet reality on the optimism that has permeated the Giants in recent weeks as they have rebounded from a 1-7 start to reach the periphery of playoff contention. The Giants are now 5-9, guaranteed to finish below .500.“We didn’t do anything well enough to expect to win,” coach Pat Shurmur said in a somber post-game assessment. “We didn’t run the ball, we didn’t stay on the field on offense. We had penalties. We didn’t tackle as well as we had in the last few weeks, which extended drives for them, and they beat us. We had a turnover that turned into points.”The Giants had an awful day on offense with Odell Beckham Jr. sidelined for a second straight game with a quad injury.The Titans controlled Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley, holding him to 31 yards on 14 carries. Barkley finished with 56 yards from scrimmage, only the second time this season he has been under 100 yards.“When you look at our offense Curtis Riley Color Rush Jersey , when you look at our success it starts with running the ball,” offensive guard Jamon Brown said. “We struggled with that today.”With no running game, no Beckham and a driving rain throughout the game Eli Manning had an awful day. Manning went 21-of-44 for 229 yards with an interception and a fumble that led to Tennessee’s second score. He was sacked three times.The Giants were penalized 10 times for 58 yards.Derrick Henry of Tennessee ran 33 times for 170 yards as the Titans simply manhandled the Giants’ defense. As a team, Tennessee ran 44 times for 216 yards.Safety Michael Thomas said the Giants need to “take a look in the mirror. Figure it out,” when it came to giving up that much rushing yardage.“You never want to see anybody rush for 100 yards, let alone 170 yards on you.”Moments that matteredKyle Lauletta inactive: After going 0-for-5 with an interception against the Washington Redskins in his NFL debut last Sunday, rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta was replaced as the backup quarterback by Alex Tanney. [Full story]Fourth-and-goal: Tennessee’s first-half touchdown came on a fourth-and-one run by Derrick Henry with 2:47 left in the first quarter.Bad Eli: The Giants reached the Tennessee 29-yard line on their first possession of the second half, but Manning was intercepted by Titans safety Kevin Byard at the 15-yard line. That did not cost the Giants points. A Manning fumble on the Giants’ next possession did. Manning fumbled when sacked on third-and-10 at the Giants’ 14-yard line. Tennessee turned that into a 14-0 lead five plays later on a 1-yard run by Henry.Injury newsGiants’ center Spencer Pulley left the game in the third quarter with a calf injury. John Greco took over at center. The Giants also lost cornerback Antonio Hamilton to a quad injury. What’s next?The Giants go on the road to face Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a 1 p.m. ET game. The first round of the 2018-2019 College Football Playoffs is here!It was a foregone conclusion that Alabama would be one of the teams playing today. The other three teams, however, had fraught paths which lead them to their final rankings. For much of the year it was assumed that some combination of Georgia, Ohio State Calvin Munson Color Rush Jersey , and Michigan would be among the playoff teams, but they all wound up falling just short. Joining Alabama today are the Clemson Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Considering these games feature the top four ranked teams in the nation, this evening is sure to be rich with scouting opportunities for April’s draft. There is the distinct possibility that we will be watching future New York Giants in these games.Cotton Bowl - Clemson vs. Notre DameESPN - 4 p.m.The story of this game might be the players not on the field. Clemson had three players suspended after testing positive for a banned substance — a suspension which as since been upheld after the B-sample came back positive as well. Among those players is defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who might be the best nose tackle in the draft and has been the rock in the middle of Clemson’s talented defensive line. But even without Lawrence, EDGE Clellin Ferrell and DT Christian Wilkins will likely give Notre Dame fits. Of course, Notre Dame boasts a talented squad of their own, including DT Jerry Tillery and CB Julian Love. And if you aren’t happy about Romeo Okwara being cut only to have a break-out season for the Detroit Lions, keep an eye on Julian Okwara, Notre Dame’s 6’4” Michael Strahan Color Rush Jersey , 240 pound EDGE. The younger Okwara brother is only a red-shirt sophomore, but he has submitted his name to the Advisory Committee for a draft grade. (Their parents named them Romeo and Julian? Just... Wow.)Players to watchClemsonClellin Ferrell (EDGE)Christian Wilkins (DT)Trayvon Mullen (CB)Kendall Joseph (LB)Mitch Hyatt (OT)Notre DameJerry Tillery (DT)Julian Okwara (EDGE)Te’Von Coney (LB)Julian Love (CB)Alohi Gilman (S)Orange Bowl - Alabama vs. Oklahoma ESPN - 8 p.m. This game could wind up being the highlight of the season, and story lines abound. Who will play quarterback for Alabama, Tua Tagovailoa or Jalen Hurts? What will Kyler Murry do after this season? The fact that this game could pit the Heisman Trophy winner against the runner up should be a story all its own.Will Oklahoma play defense? Can Alabama slow down Oklahoma’s playmakers and wide-open scheme? From a draft perspective, this game is absolutely chock-full of prospects. In particular, keep an eye on Oklahoma RT Cody Ford. The 6’5”, 340 pounder isn’t just as big and powerful as those numbers suggest, but he has excellent feet as well — and a penchant for ending plays with defenders on the ground.Players to watchAlabamaQuinnen Williams (DT)Raekwon Davis (DT)Anfernee Jennings (EDGE)Mack Wilson (LB)Deionte Thompson (S)Jonah Williams (OT)Ross Piersbacher (OG)Irv Smith Jr (TE)OklahomaCody Ford (OT)Bobby Evans (OT)Ben Powers (IOL)Rodney Anderson (RB)Marquise Brown (WR)