INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Giants left New Jersey on Dec. 4 and still have not made it back home.
Their travels took them to Miami, where they played and lost to the Dolphins, to Tucson, Ariz., for six nights and three days of practice and then on a quick charter flight to Los Angeles. They will face the Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The Giants will return home after the game, 10 days after packing up for this extended road trip.
Will they unpack another loss?
This getaway could not stow away all the baggage the Giants carry with them, and that does not refer to any suitcases or backpacks. The sight of five — yes, five — quarterbacks wearing red jerseys on the practice field at the University of Arizona is all you need to know about this bizarre situation.
Daniel Jones is feeling fine, but does not have medical clearance for contact and will miss a second consecutive game with a neck strain. Mike Glennon, the backup, started and played every snap in the 20-9 loss to the Dolphins last week. Glennon was diagnosed with a concussion afterward, but has been cleared and will start against the Chargers. Jake Fromm, signed off the Bills’ practice squad after Jones got hurt Nov. 28 in the victory over the Eagles, looked as if he was in line for his first NFL appearance, but now will serve as Glennon’s backup.
The scenario with the other team on the field cannot be more starkly different. The Chargers hammered the Bengals last week in Cincinnati, powered by three touchdown passes from Justin Herbert, the 23-year-old quickly rising the chart at his position. Herbert has his team solidly in the playoff race. The Chargers (7-5) would be the No. 5 seed in the AFC if the season ended today.
If the season ended today for the Giants it might be considered merciful. They will enter Sunday 4-8 and solidly in last place in the NFC East, knowing their season will end after their Jan. 9 game against Washington. The drudgery of the season took a hiatus in the Sonoran Desert, as head coach Joe Judge lessened some of the wear-and-tear on the bodies of his players and kept his team in warmer climates to better acclimate the Giants to what will await them (65 degrees) on Sunday. The Giants played at SoFi Stadium last season, losing to the Rams.
“I think this gives us the best chance of preparation to beat L.A.,’’ safety Logan Ryan said of the extended trip. “We’re not practicing in the snow in 33 degrees and then going into SoFi, it’s a warmer place, I played there last year. It’s a greenhouse. It’s really hot on that field.’’
While in Tucson, the Giants stayed at a swanky hotel near the mountains, complete with a game room for hanging out. A group of players went to see the Arizona men’s basketball team crush Wyoming at McKale Center on Wednesday. A group dined together Thursday and watched the Vikings hang on to beat the Steelers at a college-type sports bar near campus.
“Good to reset,’’ receiver Sterling Shepard said.
“I like it because it’s kind of like college,’’ running back Saquon Barkley said. “You’re forced to be with your teammates a lot more. Not a bad thing, meaning being forced, but we’re put in hotels. We’re eating together more. We’re talking crap, playing games, watching football together — all the stuff that you kind of have in college ball and you miss. You don’t really have that when you get to the NFL.’’
The Giants practiced, of course, but the feel was more training camp than down the stretch of the regular season. Judge allowed Giants fans to watch some early periods and media access was relaxed around the field. Shepard was given the opportunity to walk through the field house and avoid a crowd of Tucson-area Giants fans, but he opted to take the outside route, stopping and signing and posing for pictures.
“It’s kind of like a, not a vacation, but just to kind of get away from a normal surrounding and enjoy some nice weather, especially in December,’’ special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said of Tucson. “You can walk outside and its 75 degrees, that’s a beautiful thing.’’
If only the Giants would have been more deserving of all this.
“Whether we were back home or out here, it’s tough,’’ defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “Everything’s a little tougher when you’re losing.’’
Even in nicer weather.