EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — So much for the Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl hype.

For this week at least.

In other words, don't put Eli in Peyton's class yet, not after throwing four interceptions in the New York Giants' 24-21 loss to Minnesota on Sunday. In fact, Eli and the Giants were so bad that coach Tom Coughlin started shouting about his team's shortcomings even before he got the microphone for his post-game press conference Sunday.

To be fair to Eli, he wasn't the only Giant who was terrible.

But he WAS part of a trifecta that had never occurred before in NFL history — Minnesota got its touchdowns on an interception return, a punt return and a kickoff return.

Eli was to blame for the first, Darren Sharper's 92-yard interception on the first play of the second quarter that gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead. The special teams were to blame for the second and third, an 86-yard return by Koren Robinson on the second-half kickoff and a 71-yard punt return by Mewelde Moore in the third quarter.

This was a game that could have been an easy victory for either team.

The Vikings might have won easily had they converted opportunities into points.

But Paul Edinger missed a field-goal attempt after New York fumbled the opening kickoff on its own 27 and had another partially blocked after Sharper got the first of his three interceptions a little later. (To his credit, Edinger did kick a 48-yarder to win the game after the Giants finally tied it, despite swimming uphill for almost 59 minutes.)

In other words, it should be easier with five takeaways and 394 yards in returns.

On the other hand, if not for Manning, the Giants could have won easily despite the two special teams returns — their 405 yards from scrimmage was nearly triple Minnesota's 137.

This, after all, was a 6-2 team playing at home against one that came in 0-4 on the road and had been outscored by almost 100 points in their four games away from the Metrodome. And the defense smothered the Vikings' offense — except when it counted on the last drive.

Sharper's interception came just as the Giants seemed ready to take over the game despite their early errors — with the game scoreless, they began the second quarter with a second and six from the Minnesota 11. Then the second-year QB was suckered by the ninth-year safety.

"I thought he was going back too deep but he didn't and just saw it coming," Manning said. "I should have thrown to the other side."

He didn't. Sharper grabbed the ball and had just about a clear path to the opposite end zone. Manning was the only potential tackler and he tried, but Sharper just cut back and that was it.

Manning was equally awful for most of the rest of the game.

Yes, he engineered a 67-yard drive that resulted in the tying touchdown with just over a minute left.

But on the drive before that, a short TD pass to Tiki Barber was nullified because guard Chris Snee was illegally downfield. Then Manning got a ball tipped right into Sharper's hands in the end zone, one of at least four passes batted down at or near the line of scrimmage.

There were also five or six drops and five or six open receivers missed, including Plaxico Burress, whom Manning missed by about five yards while wide open around the Vikings' 15 in the fourth quarter.

This isn't to say that Eli won't eventually be close in ability to his brother, who is in his eighth season.

Yes, he still can execute in crunch time, as he did to drive the Giants down for the tying score, on a 3-yard Tiki Barber run. He beat Denver with two fourth-quarter drives and tied Dallas with another.

But he's still not a finished product.

"Obviously, I am not where I need to be as a quarterback and as player but I am learning and trying to play smart football.

He paused and added:

"Throwing four interceptions is not a good way to play smart football."