The Giants were not out of hailing distance just yet, trailing 21-13 in their playoff game Sunday night, and it looked as if the Pašckers had gift-wrapped a nice little present. Veteran kicker Mason Crosby sent his kickoff curving to the right sideline at Lambeau Field, and if it indeed landed out of bounds the Giants would be in business on their 40-yard line.
The ball sailed toward Bobby Rainey,š standing on thše sideline. What happened next was not suitable for family viewing.
It was a football obscenity.
Rainey, momentarily losing his sense of time and space, toed the sideline and caught the ball in the air. He could not stop his momentum and keep his balance, though, and stepped out of bounds on the 3-yard line. Immediately, Rainey realized he messed up as he took the football and knocked it against his helš°met.
It was the sort of blunder that cannot be made in a playoff game. This one cost the Giants three points, as they went three-and-out operating in the shadow of their own end zone. Brad Wing, enduring a shaky performance, got off a 50-yard punt that was returned 23 yards by Micah Hyde, setting the Packers up on the Giantsā 37-yard line. It didnāt take long for the Packers to get in field goal position and Crosbyās 32-yarder inflated the lead to 24-13 en route to a 38-13 victory.
āWe knew it was going to be a field-position game and I feel like I let the team, let the organization down in that respect and itās just disappointing,” Wing said.
Wing had a rough game. Raineyās performance was worse. Coach Ben McAdoo decided to use him ošn kickoff returns in the second half in place of Dwayne Harris and it turned out rotten. Harris late in the second quarter made a questionable decision, fielding a punt over his shoulder to force the Giants to start a series on their own 8-yard line.
Immediately after the Packers took a 7-6 lead and were swinging momentum their way, McAdoo had Rainey on the field as his third-down back. Rainey caught a pass for eight yards to set up third-and-1. Rainey at 5-foot-8 and 212 pounds is not small, but he isš very short and has never been confused with an inside runner. He got the ball on third down, though, and it was hardly a surprise that he was slammed and dropped by nose tackle Letroy Guion and safety Morgan Burnett for no gain.