FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Maybe it’s a little far-fetched and perhaps too simplistic an explanation for all that went wrong with the Giants’ defense in Sunday’s 28-10 loss to the Vikings. And who knows if things would have been that different had he been on the field to defend one of the best running backs in football.
But it’s safe to say that the absence of rookie linebacker Ryan Connelly was at least a factor in the stunning regression of a defense that seemed to be getting significantly better the previous two games. Not only had Connelly made his presence felt in back-to-back victories over the Bucs and Redskins, but he’d been given the added responsibility of calling defensive signals in the absence of the injured Alec Ogletree.