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(SportsNetwork.com) - It will be an exercise in futility when the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans go at it Sunday at LP Field. The Giants have lost seven in a row to fall to 3-9 and the Titans are riding a six-game slide that has dropped them to 2-10. New York suffered through an eight-game slide from Nov. 7 - Dec. 26, 2004. It was head coach Tom Coughlins first season in the Big Apple and the Giants went 6-10 that year. This could be Coughlins last season in New York. Coughlin was obviously disappointed in last weekends 25-24 loss in Jacksonville, as the Jaguars rallied from a 21-0 deficit to stun the visiting Giants, who had only three points in the second half. Very disappointing, discouraging, Coughlin said. We came down here feeling like we could win ... and nothing happened on game day. The Giants lost all three fumbles and quarterback Eli Manning passed for 247 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Manning fumbled late in the game when he was sacked by Jaguars defensive end Chris Clemons. Jacksonville scored twice on fumble returns. Manning didnt throw an interception for the first time since Nov. 3 versus Indianapolis and had been picked off seven times in the previous three games. Hes focused on Tennessee and getting the Giants back on track for the first time since Oct. 5 versus Atlanta. Coughlin got his message across to Manning and the team. He wants us to worry about Tennessee, getting a win, be able to enjoy, be happy about we are doing, and be able to celebrate as a team together, and celebrate a victory, Manning said. That is what we are going to do, we are going to focus on this week and take it one week at a time, and compete our tails off, and work hard, and that is all we can do, that is all we can control. The Giants have lost four in a row on the road and are 1-5 as the visitor. They need to clean up their act in the second half, having scored just 13 points over the last two quarters in the previous four games. The Jaguars had a 22-3 scoring advantage in the second half on Sunday. I dont have a reason, I dont have an explanation, Manning said. We have to be better, we have to be better in the second half of all these games. That is where games are won. It is usually going to come down to that third and fourth quarter, who plays football. That is where the situations of the game come. We are not making the plays; we are making mistakes, we are not making enough plays in that situation to win the games. New York has lost the last three games in which it led at the half. The 3-9 record is the worst after 12 games since 1995, when the G-men had an identical mark. The Titans havent won since Oct. 12 versus Jacksonville and will play two straight and three of their last four games in the Music City. They are only 1-4 at LP Field this season. Tennessee has given up 40 or more points (88 total) in each of the last two games and 20-plus points in the last five. In Sundays 45-21 demolition at the hands of the Houston Texans, the Titans allowed 457 total yards and Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 358 yards and six touchdowns. Houston had a 24-0 lead in the first half. Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins scorched Tennessee for 238 yards receiving and two scores on nine catches. Tennessees defense has been abysmal all season and is 18th in passing yards allowed (243.8), 30th in total yards (385.2) and last in rushing yards allowed (141.5) and points (28.2). Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt discussed what the players could do to improve over the last few weeks of the season, especially the younger players. Its an important part of the process, Whisenhunt said. Getting a chance to see them in games, if you just look at the quarterback, for example, weve got to see him before this game against three pretty good defenses in the league, three pretty good, established defenses. You get a good assessment of him on where he is and how hes going to handle that. Were getting to look at a lot of different guys in situations. Some of it because you want to look at young players, some of it because its an injury situation. It does give them an opportunity to show what they can do. Titans rookie QB Zach Mettenberger left Sundays game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and suffered a Grade 1 AC sprain. Mettenberger, who passed for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception, said he thinks he will be able to come back versus the Giants, while Whisenhunt will make the decision later in the week. According to Mettenberger, hes definitely playing this week and is experiencing some soreness. It?s only been three days since I injured it, so obviously theres soreness still, he said. I cant go out there and 100 percent rip a ball right now, but Im sure by the end of the week Ill be fine. Jake Locker, who was replaced by Mettenberger as the starter last month, completed 6-of-12 passes for 91 yards with a TD and two interceptions. The Titans and Giants have split the first 10 meetings between the teams, and Tennessee has prevailed in each of the past five, including a 29-10 victory on Sept. 26, 2010. Manning threw for 386 yards on 34-of-48 passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions. New York took the first five games in this series from 1973-1994. Mettenberger and Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. were teammates at LSU. Beckham was just named Offensive Rookie of the Month. Without a doubt, he is the best athlete I have ever been around personally, Mettenberger said of Beckham. Not just football, but basketball, baseball, soccer, he can do it all... I have seen him do it all. I am very proud of him and the work he has put in, and the success he is having on the field. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Manning has thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions in his last three games against AFC opponents. Protection has been an issue for Manning, who was sacked four times against the Jaguars. The Giants have allowed 21 sacks during the seven-game slide after giving up only seven in the first five games. Perhaps that will change with the pending return of right tackle Justin Pugh. He has missed the last two games with a quadriceps injury. The Giants made some moves this week and placed offensive linemen Geoff Schwartz and Adam Snyder, defensive linemen Mathias Kiwanuka and Robert Ayers, and linebacker Terrell Manning on injured reserve. Coughlin commented on New Yorks laundry list of injuries. The message is keep fighting; thats what the message has been all along...The other message is opportunity. Giants running back Rashad Jennings posted 91 yards and two TDs on 26 rushes last week, while rookie Andre Williams leads all first-year NFC players with five rushing touchdowns. Jennings and Williams should see enough action against Tennessees shoddy run defense, the worst in the NFL. Jennings is bothered by an ankle issue that is not deemed serious. The Giants have struggled against the rush this season, allowing 140.6 yards per game. Titans rookie Bishop Sankey leads the team with only 474 yards and posted 42 on 10 carries last week. Sankey has yet to hit the 100-yard mark in a game this season. New York will have to watch for Kendall Wright, who had 132 yards and a touchdown on seven catches against Houston. Titans tight end Delanie Walker ranks second among AFC tight ends in receiving yards (673) and has 44 catches for four touchdowns. Walker has good speed for his big frame. Tennessee is rated near the bottom in most offensive categories, but should be able to move the football on a Giants stop unit ranked 19th against the pass, 25th in points allowed and 29th in total yards allowed. Titans tackles Taylor Lewan (ankle) and Michael Oher (toe) have been limited this week and neither played against the Texans. Theyre day-to-day. OVERALL ANALYSIS Defense will be at a minimum between the Giants and Titans, while a sense of urgency is expected to be through the roof. New York hasnt been able to find success in the second half of games recently and no lead is safe. The Giants, though, are a much better team than the Titans and will fight their way to a road win Sunday. It doesnt matter whos at quarterback for the Titans because they have more problems than making calls at the line of scrimmage. Sports Network predicted outcome: Giants 27, Titans 24 Officiel Air Max Pas Cher . 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Daley had a goal and an assist, Kari Lehtonen recorded his fifth shutout of the season, and the Stars clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 with a 3-0 victory against the St. Grossiste Air Max 90 Chine . The government says top golfers are expected to compete in the PGA Tour event at the Ashburn Golf Club in the suburb of Fall River from July 3-6 and again next year. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild found out during the second intermission their spot in the playoffs was secure. Satisfaction came only after they won their way in with a strong finish. Mikko Koivu had the only score in the shootout after Ryan Suters goal tied the game with 65 seconds remaining in regulation, and the Wild beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Tuesday night to clinch a wild-card spot in the Western Conference playoffs. "We wanted to get in the right way," said right wing Jason Pominville, who had two goals and an assist. "We stuck to it and found a way to score one late, and I think its a sign of a good team when you get in the right way against the best team in the NHL right now." Koivu, who had two assists, switched to his backhand to flip the puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask in the second round. When goalie Ilya Bryzgalov stopped Brad Marchands try with his pad to end it, he pumped his arms as he skated out of the crease to celebrate with his teammates. The Wild will be the seventh seed and face the division winner with the fewest points. "The message was, Lets not wait for anything. Lets not back our way into anything. Lets not come through the back door. Lets go charging through the front door," coach Mike Yeo said. "And what a better way to do it against a team like Boston." As play was about to begin for the third period, the overtime loss by ninth-place Phoenix at Columbus that guaranteed a place in the post-season for Minnesota was announced to the crowd and received with a hearty cheer. The Wild then went a step further by assuring themselves of the top wild-card slot by rallying for the win. They kept up the pressure in overtime after Suters delivery, outshooting the Bruins 6-2 in overtime. Reilly Smith, Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson scored for the Bruins, who fell to 16-1-3 in their past 20 games. The Bruins, who clinched the No. 1 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, held leading scorer Jarome Iginla out for the third time in the past four games because of a lower-body injury. Iginla became the biggest threat to the Wild during his days with then-division rival Calgary. His 677 points, including 37 goals, in 71 career games are the most by any Minnesota opponent.dddddddddddd "Try to get some rest for certain guys and still try to play good hockey," Rask said. "Theres still something to play for. But its not always easy to find that 100 per cent perfect game in these situations." Late in the second period, Zdeno Chara wound up from the point on a power play. Eriksson and Gregory Campbell were parked just outside the crease, and the puck appeared to deflect first off Campbells stick before Eriksson poked it in for the lead with 3:42 left before the break. That didnt mean they were playing their best, though. "I felt we were a little sloppy tonight. We werent very sharp in our passing and our playmaking," coach Claude Julien said. "We didnt have everybody really playing that well. Some of our big players were just very average." Bryzgalov, the latest unlikely leader to emerge for the Wild, made 44 saves over the past two games to blank Pittsburgh and Winnipeg and put Minnesota on the brink of the post-season. His shutout streak ended at 145 minutes and 15 seconds, when Smith sent in an unassisted power-play goal for his 20th score this season. But Bryzgalov, who took over for Darcy Kuemper when the rookie suffered an upper-body injury last month, improved to 7-0-3 since arriving at the trade deadline. "The quicker you can clinch, the better it is," an impressed Julien said. Last season, the Wild limped to the No. 8 seed by winning their final game to finish 5-8-1 in April. This time, theyll have more momentum. "We played ourselves into the playoffs the way that you want to. It says a lot about the guys in here, and hopefully we can keep this thing going here," Suter said. NOTES: Wild goalie Josh Harding, the winner of the NHLs Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy last year for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport, was announced Tuesday as the teams repeat nominee for the award. Harding has been on injured reserve since Jan. 2, continuing to deal with multiple sclerosis, but returned to practice with the Wild last Wednesday. ... Bergeron has 10 goals in his past 11 games. ' ' '