You could see this one coming. The Giants, we all knew, weren’t as good as their 2-0 record indicated, and the San Diego Chargers weren’t nearly as bad as 0-2. In fact, by the end of last season, many were asking if the Chargers were the second best team in the AFC, and, hence, the second best team in the NFL.

At 0-2 and with successive dates coming up with New England and Pittsburgh, the Chargers’ season would likely have been over if they lost to the Giants, and, to a man, they played as if they knew it. For the Giants’ part, they were full of themselves, having scored more points in their first two games than any team in Giants history and heading into a relatively soft spot in their schedule – next week they play what looks to be a mediocre St. Louis team at the Meadowlands – the Rams have outscored three opponents by a total of just six points – and then they draw a bye.

What none of us was quite prepared for was the way the Giants lost. The marquee match-ups were supposed to be “The Battle of the Tight Ends”- the Giants’ Jeremy Shockey vs. the Chargers’ Antonio Gates, two of the best at their position in the league. Both played well; Gates caught six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Shockey had six for 101 yards, though he dropped a long pass he should have caught in the third quarter.

The other big battle was “San Diego vs. Eli Manning.” I guess nothing much of consequence has been going on in San Diego lately, so Chargers fans felt compelled out of boredom to show up in droves to insult Manning for refusing to go to San Diego in the 2004 draft.

Since the Chargers have a superb quarterback in Drew Brees and picked up a superb prospect in Philip Rivers with the Manning compensation picks, I don’t know why this was an issue. Most likely, the players wouldn’t have cared much if not for the week-long harangues in the local press and on the radio talk shows; most of them, when asked, shrugged and replied that it was more important to get a win than to “get even” with Manning.

Even for what, exactly? Well, Chargers linebacker Donnie Edwards told reporters, “I was born and raised here in San Diego. It’s almost like a slap in the face for us.” One wishes an adult could have been around to reply, “Just wait until this team offers you a few hundred thousand dollars less than you think you’re worth and see if you consider the offer a slap in the face.”

Obviously, the Chargers and their fans (who continuously chanted, among other things, “Drew’s your da-deee!” when Eli came on and off the field) were looking for something to motivate them, and – surprise! – it worked. The Chargers offense returned to their 2004 form with shocking swiftness, piling up 25 first downs and 485 yards. Brees threw for 191 yards on only 22 throws with two touchdowns, but running back LaDainian Tomlinson was simply unreal, carry ing 21 times for 192 yards and three scores, one on a 62-yard run. He also threw a 26-yard scoring pass on an option to a wide open Keenan McCardell, who at age 35 is one of the oldest wide receivers in the league. McCardell was so open on Tomlinson’s pass he should have felt insulted, and in fact, after the catch, he stood in the end zone looking around as if to say, “Why doesn’t anyone want to cover me?”

Brees and Tomlinson are good, but they’re not that good. All afternoon, the Giants were blowing assignment after assignment, their safeties faked out by receivers in motion which left linebackers isolated on wide-outs in key situations and Tomlinson driving through holes big enough for Adam Sandler’s quarterback in “The Longest Yard” to run through.

The Giants’ lack of motivation was illustrated on the opening drive when, on fourth and inches from the 5, coach Tom Coughlin called for a field goal instead of going for a first down, which, even if it had failed would have left San Diego deep in their own territory. The players clearly wanted to go for it, and Coughlin’s timidity seemed to strip a lot of enthusiasm out of his offense.

Sifting through the wreckage, there was something for Giants fans to salvage: the arrival of Eli Manning. Held in check by his own coach’s play calling until the Chargers were up 21-3 in the second quarter, Manning finally blossomed, hitting on 24-of-41 for a whopping 352 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

After three games, Manning is averaging 7.8 yards per throw with five touchdowns against just two interceptions – and those two interceptions out of 88 throws. These aren’t championship numbers, but they’re very close, and Manning is showing improvement every week. The question now is when his head coach will be ready to show enough confidence in him to unleash him on the first possession and give the Giants defense the opportunity to defend a lead for an entire game. Right now, the young quarterback appears to be progressing more swiftly than his coach.

As for next week, the Rams’ pass defense is one of the weakest the Giants will face all season. This time, Giants fans hope, Coughlin has gotten the message and will go for it.