EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was supposed to be a statement game for the New York Giants. Well, in retrospect, that's exactly what it was.

	Kerry Collins gets sacked by Grant Wistrom, bottom, and Ray Agnew in the Giants' loss Sunday.

The statement, based on Sunday's gruesome 38-24 loss to the St. Louis Rams, is as follows: The Giants are a mediocre football team. Nothing more, certainly nothing less.

"I am very disappointed," Giants head coach Jim Fassel said. "We did not play the way I think we should play.

"They played good. They played real good. But we can't turn the ball over."

For the record, the Giants fumbled four times and recovered two, and Kerry Collins threw two interceptions.

If the postseason had started before the Rams-Giants game, believe it or not, the Giants would have held the home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Based on a 6-1 conference record, the Giants' 7-2 mark was better than the same record shared by St. Louis and Minnesota.

Heading into the game, the Giants actually entertained visions of beating the Rams. They had them outside on grass and away from the fast track at the Trans World Dome. They knew the Rams were doubting themselves after losing two of three games. Well, as it says on your rearview mirror, that score may not be as close as it appears.

	Giant Disappointments
	New York may be 7-3, but they have beat up on weak teams and have been unable to stay close to the top teams in the league. The Giants have rushed for at least a hundred yards in all seven of its wins but have cracked that barrier only once in three losses (against Washington, Tennessee and St. Louis), and have been unable to score, stop the run or hold onto the football against the three division leaders they have played.
		7 wins	3 losses
	PPG	21.1	14.6
	PPG allowed	10.1	27.3
	Rush YPG	154.4	67.3
	Rush YPG allowed	66.5	135.0
	TO margin	+9	-6

Typically, the Giants fell into a 14-0 first-quarter hole and never recovered.

"We have to figure out a way to start the game better when we are playing a real good team and it's a big game," Fassel said. "I will figure that out. I will take responsibility for that."

The Giants' vaunted defense? The Rams scored 28 points in less than the game's first 28 minutes. St. Louis, not expected to terrify anyone with a running game not featuring Marshall Faulk, carried the ball 28 times for 141 yards. This, after backup running back Trung Canidate broke his wrist in the first half.

The Giants' offense, which entered the game with one of the league's best running games? The Giants -- remember the old Thunder and Lightning moniker? -- ran 19 times for 135 yards, but it didn't matter much. Collins was decidedly ungood, completing 17 of 34 passes for 240 yards and those two costly interceptions.

The Giants have made a living this year beating the teams they are supposed to beat. They have lost their three games to Washington, Tennessee and, now, the Super Bowl champion Rams.

"My focus right now is where it has been," Fassel said. "I don't care what everyone else is saying about us. I don't care. I know what our record is, and I know that we have gotten better to this date.

"We didn't do that today."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.