The New York Giants will meet the San Diego Chargers in an important NFL football game for both teams. The game will be live streaming from San Diego at 4:25 PM ET.
The Giants' dismal start and the Chargers' current downfall have left both teams on the outside of the playoff race in their respective conferences.
New York's surge has given it a glimmer of hope, though, and it'll look to send reeling San Diego to a fifth defeat in six games Sunday on the road.
The Giants (5-7) began the season with six straight losses, but they've rebounded to win five of six to remain two games back of Dallas and Philadelphia in the NFC East with four to play.
Justin Tuck recorded a career-best four of the team's five sacks in last week's 24-17 win over Washington as New York scored 10 unanswered in the fourth quarter.
"Honestly, the mood has been great," said Tuck, who played every defensive snap with Jason Pierre-Paul sidelined by a shoulder injury. "I think guys have played loose and are having fun out on the football field, which I can't say we did do the first couple of weeks of the season.
"I think this team is very close right now and we just have to play into each other. I think that's our tremendous difference."
While the Giants have regrouped from their slow start, the Chargers (5-7) are floundering down the stretch. They've dropped four of five after a 4-3 start, including last week's 17-10 loss to Cincinnati that followed an emotional 41-38 win over Kansas City on Nov. 24.
San Diego set a season low for points and committed three turnovers.
Though the Chargers are only one game behind Baltimore for the AFC's final wild-card spot, they would have to leap four teams while finishing strong to earn it. They still have to face Denver and Kansas City again, too.
"We've got to go out and win games," head coach Mike McCoy said. "We have to do a better job. The players, coaches and the organization have to do their job better."
Philip Rivers mostly has done his part, completing an NFL-high 70 percent of his passes with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His passer rating of 104.4 ranks sixth after he finished with marks of 88.7 in 2011 and 88.6 last season.
San Diego's offense ranks fourth at 401.6 yards per game, and it is second converting 46.4 percent of its third downs.
Rivers was selected fourth overall by New York in the 2004 draft, three spots after the Chargers took Eli Manning with the top pick. The two were traded for each other on draft day after Manning said he didn't want to play in San Diego, and he's gone on to win a pair of Super Bowls with the Giants.
"Philip Rivers has had an outstanding career in San Diego and Eli Manning has had an outstanding career here, so I think you have a win-win situation there," Coughlin said.
Coughlin has praised Manning for keeping his head up despite the struggles, which have included an offensive line that's allowed him to be sacked 31 times -- already the most of his 10-year career.
"He gets back up, shakes it off," Coughlin said. "Nobody wants that, we don't want that, we're not looking for that, believe me, and I mentioned that this morning. He does a great job of handling that."
The game will be live streamed on the Fox Television Network.
