Another Blown Save

For a second straight week, the Giants were storming toward an opponent’s goal line, yards from taking a commanding second-half lead. After a sluggish start, the Giants had turned dominant, and all the momentum was theirs.

But for a second consecutive week, the Giants, with the door to certain victory thrown open before them, could not run through it. A flawed team finds ways to lose even in the most promising situations.

A week ago, a mental breakdown at the goal line doomed the Giants in Dallas. On Sunday, against the Atlanta Falcons, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was once again steps from the end zone, holding the football behind the line of scrimmage as he waited to throw the pass that could give the Giants a 17-point third-quarter lead.

The Giants’ home crowd was on its feet cheering. But one moment of excitement became two seconds of anxiety followed by another second of dread. Manning held the ball too long. He was sacked from behind, he fumbled and the Giants lost possession.

The game changed in a flash, the energy transferring to the Falcons even before Manning picked himself off the turf. With striking efficiency, Atlanta scored two touchdowns and charged back for a stunning 24-20 victory.

The Giants stumbled off the field, glassy-eyed at the prospect of having to explain another collapse.

“We talked all week about finishing,” an exasperated Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. “That wasn’t a finish for me.”

Tackle Justin Pugh added: “I feel sick. We just let two games get away. We should be 2-0.”

Instead, the Giants are 0-2, the same record they have had to start each of the last two seasons. The surprising Falcons are 2-0.