Train-a Thought

Giants Embarrassment: New York Flat Lines Against Carolina, 41-99

East Rutherford, NJ -- The stadium -- and the fans -- deserved better than what they got. However the New York Giants failed to deliver, as their lifeless uninspired and sloppy showing against Carolina resulted not only in a 41-9 loss, it pretty much ended any realistic hopes the Giants had at earning a wild card berth.

Giants Stomp Out Washington 45-12

Landover, MD --If there’s one message that New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has consistently preached to his players, it’s that football games are won and lost as a team.

Giants Fall to Eagles Again, 45-38

The Giants blew a golden opportunity to take control of the NFC East by turning in a sloppy and  defensively challenged performance against the Philadelphia Eagles, whose 45-38 win completed the series sweep.

They Ain't Dead Yet: Giants Defeat Dallas, 31-24

The New York Giants know a thing or two about being resilient, as that was their running theme during their 2007 Super Bowl season. So it was no surprise that Tom Coughlin's Giants, with their backs pressed tightly against the wall, came out swinging on all ends to hand the Dallas Cowboys a huge 31-24 loss, a decision that reduced Dallas' NFC East lead to one game and puts the Giants right back into the thick of things regarding a playoff berth.
 
Although Dallas seemed to top the Giants in most every major statistical category, the big thing for New York was that they were able to shut down the Cowboy's rushing game, holding them to just 45 yards this time compared to the 251 yards they gave up back in Week 2's 33-31 win.
 
“I think guys just went out there collectively and had fun,” said DT Chris Canty. “Everyone wants to win on Sundays, but we wanted to win Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during our preparation, and I think that really paid off in this football game.”
 
On offense, the Giants put together 337 yards of offense and finally scored some touchdowns after going five quarters without doing so. Two of their scores came on back to back drives in the second quarter, as New York overcame a 10-0 Dallas lead on scores by Hakeem Nicks (21-yard touchdown) and RB Brandon Jacobs (1-yard rushing touchdown), which gave the Giants a 14-10 lead.
 
Dallas did take the lead again in the third quarter on a five-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Roy Williams which made is 17-14. But the Giants came right back with the knockout punch as Eli Manning hit Jacobs in the flat for a 74-yard touchdown pass, the longest play of Jacobs' career.
 
In the fourth quarter, Lawrence Tynes added a 23-yard field goal, and then it was the special teams' chance to contribute as Domenik Hixon returned a Mat McBriar punt 59 yards to give the Giants a 31-17 advantage.
 
Dallas would score just once more, a 22-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Monmouth College standout Miles Austin, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Giants' momentum.
 
The win boosts the Giants record to 7-5 and puts them a game behind Dallas for the NFC East lead. With Philadelphia, also 8-4, next up on the Giants schedule, the Giants will look to avenge their embarrassing 40-17 loss last month in hopes of evening the season series and gaining even more ground in the NFC playoff race.
 
“This is the way we are used to playing football,” said C Shaun O’Hara. “We need to just keep playing like this and remember what this feels like.” 
  

Johnson, Beckum Inactive for Giants

Lots to cover, so let's get right down to business...

GIANTS:RB DJ Ware (concussion); OL Guy Whimper; OL Adam Koets;  S Michael Johnson (groin); WR Sinorice Moss; WR Ramses Barden;  TE Travis Beckum (groin); CB D.J. Johnson

Beckum came out of Friday's practice with an injured groin that apparently was concerning enough to prompt the Giants to sign TE Bear Pascoefrom their practice squad just in case Beckum didn't improve. Now that he can't go for this week, Pascoe will be the third tight end, behind Kevin Boss and Darcy Johnson.

Now for the lineup changes: The team has made it official, announcing that DE Mathias Kiwanuka will start in place of Osi Umenyiora. I'll try to keep an eye on how many obvious running plays Umenyiora gets.

Chris Canty will get his first start as a Giant, fittingly against his former teammates. he'll replace Fred Robbins at defensive tackle. 

Jonathan Goffis confirmed as the starter at MLB over Chase Blackburn.

LB Bryan Kehl is expected to play the pseudo  nickel linebacker spot instead of CC Brown. Brown, meanwhile, is going to start in place of Michael Johnson at safety.

DALLAS: QB Stephen McGee(3rd QB); FS Ken Hamlin ; DB Cletis Gordon; LB Jason Williams ; G Montrae Holland; C Duke PReston; T Marc Columbo; and DE Curtis Johnson

Giants Revert to Sloppy, Uninspired Play in 26-6 Stinker vs. Denver

Denver, CO –  Turns out the spark the New York Giants got last week in their win didn’t last long after all, as the Giants gave up 16 unanswered first half points to a Denver Broncos team that had lost four in a row coming into this week’s game. The result? Another embarrassing loss, this one by a score of 26-6. 

The 16 first-half points surrendered by the Giants defense was the first time in a regular season game since December 5, 2004 against Washington that the Giants failed to put any points on the board in the first half of a game. Moreover, excluding the final drive of the second half in which time ran out, the Giants defense surrendered scores in eight of their last nine series going back to the 14 game-tying points Atlanta had scored the week before.

“I thought we played very poorly tonight. There was no excuse for that, no ‘short week’ – none of that stuff,” said a subdued head coach Tom Coughlin.

What went wrong this week? Really the same things that plagued the Giants during their four-game losing streak which they snapped last week against Atlanta.

On offense Eli Manning was sacked three times and threw one interception as part of a 24-of-40 performance for 240 yards. The running game, meanwhile rushed for just 57 yards total as a group – 3.6 yards per attempt. And there were two additional turnovers (fumbles) to bring the Giants’ total to three.

The biggest problems though came on defense as New York was unable to stop the Broncos passing game from exploiting the middle of the field. There were missed tackles, very little pressure on the quarterback, and the rushing game continued to gash the Giants’ defensive middle to the tune of 40 carries for 138 yards.

With their opportunities running out, the Giants will have one final chance to right their ship as they’ll face three straight games against NFC East opponents starting in ten days against Dallas. The 8-3 Cowboys are currently the NFC East’s division leader, but one of their three losses was to New York earlier in the season. 

After that, they’ll host the Philadelphia Eagles, who annihilated the Giants earlier this month to the tune of 41-17. The Giants will need to bounce back with a win in that one in order to even the head-to-head tiebreaker that is used to decide playoff seeding, as the second determining factor used in breaking ties would be the best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.

Believe it or not, the Giants still feel that they’re a better football team than they’ve shown.  “I still feel that we can play better,” Coughlin said. However, time is running out for these Giants, who if they don’t find their ‘A’ game soon, are going to find themselves sitting at home in January.

Notes
LB Antonio Pierce, who has been sidelined indefinitely by a bulging disc in his neck, will remain inactive noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Watkins concurred with the original diagnosis of rest. Pierce is hoping that the disc will ultimately shrink to where he won’t need surgery. Originally the prognosis was six week; my understanding is that that prognosis is still the case.

No word on whether injured reserve has been discussed for Pierce, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it happens.  Pierce, who visits Dr. Watkins in Los Angeles, didn’t make the stopover in Denver to be with his teammates for their Thursday night game.

RB Danny Ware has informed the team that he wants to be known as “DJ Ware” from this point forward. DJ stands for “Danny, Jr.” and is what he was called growing up to avoid confusion with his father, Danny, Sr. 

So for those keeping score of the roster at home, that’s five Johnsons; two DJs; a Ross, Boss, and Moss; a Manning and a Manningham, and a Hedgecock in a pear tree.

Giants Snap Losing Streak in Overtime, 34-31

East Rutherford, NJ – The New York Giants snapped their four-game losing streak in dramatic fashion with a 34-31 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons.

While the offense played its best ball in more than a month, the Giants defense continued to struggle as for the second time in as many games, New York failed to keep their opponent out of the end zone in the game’s final 45 seconds.

This time around, it was Atlanta QB Matt Ryan connecting with TE Tony Gonzalez for an 11-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left to tie the score at 31, capping a 12-play scoring drive.

The Giants, who won the sudden death coin toss, made quick work of the Falcons, over whom they now how the tiebreaker for a wild card spot.

QB Eli Manning, who finished 25 of 39 for 384 yards and three touchdowns, connected with receivers Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham on passes of seven and 29 yards respectively. 

Four plays after the Manningham reception, K Lawrence Tynes, who earlier in the game missed a 31-yard field goal wide left, broke the tie with his 36-yarder.

“It is a really good feeling to kind of be a hero for 30 seconds and help your team win a football game,” Tynes said after the game. “I was really looking forward to overtime when we got the ball for sure.”

The Giants jumped out to a 17-7 first half lead, the first time since their game against Oakland where they led at halftime.

Following a shaky start  that included an Atlanta interception of a Manning pass intended for Steve Smith and the game's lone sack, New York got on the board on Tynes’ 39-yard field goal to give his team the 3-0 lead.

After the Falcons temporarily took a 7-3 advantage on RB Jason Snelling's seven-yard touchdown run, Manning connected twice with TE Kevin Boss on touchdown passes of 28 and four yards.
 
In the second half, Atlanta pulled to within three after Snelling, starting for the injured Michael Turner, recorded his second touchdown of the game, this one a one-yard rush.
The Giants responded with a two-yard score by RB Brandon Jacobs and then a three-yard fourth quarter touchdown pass to FB Madison Hedgecock.

Atlanta kept chipping away at the score on a four-yard Ryan pass to WR Eric Weems prior to the tying toss to Gonzalez.

“It's nice to win; we were miserable around here for a month,” said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.

“We did do a lot of soul searching, probably, this past two weeks just in terms of believing in each other, trusting, that type of thing. We didn’t necessarily start the game out all that well, (but) we did finish it okay. We feel really good about winning.”

The Giants won't have much time to enjoy this week's happy outcome as they head out on the road to meet the struggling Denver Broncos, who prior to this week dropped their last three games, on Thanksgiving night.

Giants Let One Get Away, 21-20

East Rutherford, NJ – The Giants had good reason to be optimistic that this would be the week that their fortunes were reversed. However, the great week of practice so many players said they had this past week failed to transfer over to the playing field as the Giants let a 21-20 decision slip away from them with less than 30 seconds left in the game. 

The defense played a little better this week, largely due to the shakeup in the lineup which saw the return of LB Michael Boley, who finished second in tackles, at weakside linebacker, the addition of Chris Canty, who returned from a calf injury, and the benching of safety CC Brown, who was often at the heart of several miscommunications on defense.

The offense also did a slightly better job with protecting the ball as it only lost one turnover this week and was able to sustain drives to the point where New York dominated the time of possession 37:47 to 22:13.

But there were still enough of the recurring problems that contributed to sinking the Giants’ ship this week such as another botched field goal attempt, this one in the first quarter, which in retrospect would have been the difference in the game.

There were also nine penalties, four by the offense, including a big one called against RG Chris Snee on the Giants second to last possession of the game. That penalty, wiped out a Brandon Jacobs run to the San Diego one and the Giants never recovered from it, having to settle for three points instead of making it a two-possession game with 2:07 left in regulation.

“We had the ball in the Green Zone twice at the end and we kicked the field goal,” said LG Rich Seubert. “That is how you lose games.”

Although the defense seemed to clean up a lot of its communication problems and made more plays this week than it had since the losing streak began – the Giants picked off San Diego QB Philip Rivers twice while DT Fred Robbins recorded his first sack of the 2009 season -- in the end it was a back-breaking 18-yard catch-and-run by WR Vincent Jackson that gave the Chargers the 21-20 win.

“The receiver and the quarterback made a great throw-and-catch,” said CB Corey Webster, who was beaten on the touchdown down play. “(Rivers) just the ball in position where his guy could make a play on it.”

With their fourth loss in a row, the Giants limp into the bye week at 5-4 with a long laundry list of things to address in the next two weeks.

“All we can do is go back to the drawing board and keep working hard,” Webster said. “We have a lot more football to play and we have a bye week this week, so hopefully we’ll just keep getting better.”

Canty, Boley Active for Giants

Well for those of you who followed the tea leaves and figured that DT Chris Canty and LB Michael Boley would be in the lineup this week, go ahead and pat yourselves on the back. 

Canty, who was last in the lineup in Week 1’s win against Washington, and Boley, who last played against Kansas City, are expected to see a limited number of snaps in their first week back from their respective injuries

There was one surprise with the Giants inactive report. LB Bryan Kehl, who started out well on special teams but whose play dropped off the last few weeks, was one of the players who isn’t dressing for the Giants. 

The rest of the inactives for the Giants include receivers Ramses Barden and Sinorice Moss; CB Aaron Ross (hamstring); RB Gartrell Johnson; OL Adam Koets and Guy Whimper; and DE Dave Tollefson.

Lastly, the Giants announced that Aaron Rouse will start at free safety in place of CC Brown. Michael Johnson will start at strong safety.  And Boley will start at weak side linebacker for Chase Blackburn.

San Diego’s inactives include starting inside linebacker Kevin Burnett;  C Nick Hardwick (ankle);  CB Dante Hughes; LB Tim Dobbins;  G Tyronne Green; WR Buster Davis; and DE/DT Vaughn Martin. QB Charlie Whitehurst is the third quarterback.

Giants Fall to Eagles, 40-17

Philadelphia, PA – The New York Giants, looking to put an end to the sloppiness and inconsistency that has plagued their team performance the last couple of weeks, had virtually no answers in their matchup against division foe Philadelphia, who handed the Giants their third straight loss, a 40-17 decision. 

As had been the case with the past two losses, the Giants have been out of sync as a team. QB Eli Manning, with his two interceptions this week, is now averaging two picks a game during the three-game slide.

The Giants defense, which looked a little better last week against Arizona, reverted to some bad habits in terms of tackling and leaving gaps open for the opponent to exploit. Through the three-game slide, the Giants have surrendered 112 points to opponents, an average of 37.3 yards per game, compared to the 71 points (14.2 per game) they allowed during their 5-0 start earlier this year. 

“You can look at tall the stats you want, but that’s not the story of the game,” said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. “The story of the game is the fundamentals. It’s tackling – when you have 21 rushes for 175 yards, we didn’t tackle well.”

Indeed they didn’t, as on the very first Eagles drive of the game, FB Leonard Weaver burst up the middle virtually untouched en route to a 41-yard touchdown run to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead. Those were the first of 16 unanswered points posted y the Eagles, who came back to score a 17-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to TE Brent Celek and then a 30-yard field goal on the third play of the second quarter by David Akers.

The Giants did manage to gain some momentum as Manning found TE Kevin Boss in the end zone for an 18 yard touchdown reception, Boss’ first touchdown of 2009. That score made it a respectable and manageable 16-7 with 13:06 gone in the second quarter.

The momentum was short-lived though, as on the ensuing kickoff, the Giants failed to properly cover Lawrence Tynes’ kickoff. Elli Hobs fielded the ball at his own seven and broke free for 39 yards before Kevin Dockery brought him down. One play later from his own 46, McNabb threw deep to the speedy DeSean Jackson, who darted past three Giants defenders en route to a 54-yard touchdown to make it 23-7.

The Eagles just kept piling it on after that was Manning was picked off by Quentin Demps at the Eagles 45 on the ensuing possession. That set up another quick-strike Eagles scoring drive, this one cumulating in a 23-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Jeremy Maclin to make it 30-7 at the half.

After the intermission, the Giants settled down a little bit, holding the Eagles to a 35-yard Akers field goal on their opening drive. New York added a 42-yard score from Tynes to make it 33-10 with 5:13 left in the third quarter and then followed that up with a one-yard touchdown run by Ahmad Bradshaw for the Giants’ final points of the game.

The Eagles would cap their scoring fest with another big play against the Giants defense, a 66-yard touchdown run by RB LeSean McCoy to cap another horrific showing by the Giants defense, which was gashed for 391 yards of total offense, including 211 in the air.

“I think we have to go back to the drawing board and focus on the little things,” said DT Fred Robins. “There is still a lot of football to play and I think we have to get back to the basics on defense.”

They also have to get that fire back into their step, as all too often, the Giants, particularly on defense, looked dazed and confused.

“I think as a team we are really angry right now because we do not like to lose games,” said CB Corey Webster. “We have to get back to fighting to the end of the game after 60 minutes.”

The question though is it too late? The Giants, thanks to their three-game slide, have slipped from first to third in the NFC East, with three more division games still to come.

“We have some great leadership and I bet they will speak up to get things turned around,” said Boss, one of the bright spots for the Giants this week. “We really have not been in a situation where anyone has had to say anything the last couple of years. We really do have to change our play and get things turned around.”

NOTES
Giants CB Corey Webster allowed his first touchdown since Week 9 of last season, when Terrell Owens, then with Dallas, scored against Webster in a game the Giants eventually won.

The Giants’ receiving group, already missing Mario Manningham with what is reportedly a separated shoulder, took additional hits as Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss both had to leave the game with injuries. Hixon aggravated a hip pointer and Moss hurt his foot.

Webster’s fourth quarter punt return was his first ever as a member of the Giants. Webster used to return punts in college, and had wanted to return punts for the Giants, but was never given the opportunity due to the depth in front of him.
 

 

Not in the Cards: Giants Fall Short Against Arizona, 24-17

East Rutherford, NJ – Despite an improved defensive performance against another potent offense, the Giants offense and special teams couldn’t get much, if anything right as New York dropped a 24-17 loss, its  second in as many weeks, to the Arizona Cardinals.

How bad was it? The Giants turned the ball over four times, including a big first quarter turnover in which a deep pass intended for Domenik Hixon was wrestled away in the end zone by Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for a touchback.

The offense also   had two delay of game penalties, both on third and short plays which ended up being drive killers.

The offensive line, playing without starting right tackle Kareem McKenzie, gave up three sacks as the interior of the line had several miscommunications in the blocking. They also had trouble sustaining drives, as starting n the second quarter, the Giants offense logged six consecutive three-and-out series.

Of course the offense wasn’t helped much by special teams. Domenik Hixon, who last week had a career day, averaged only 13.5 yards on punt returns and 19.0 on kickoff returns. Meanwhile the normally reliable Jeff Feagles had his worst day punting in quite some time, averaging 34.4 yards and netting 34.4 yards as at one point, four consecutive punts in need of distance failed to travel more than 35 yards.

“I try to kick the ball out of bounds every time,” Feagles said. “For me to have short ones like that, that’s my fault. I have to try to cut down my angles and try to get a little more distance on (the kicks).” 

Not all was lost for the Giants. The defense, which last week was gashed beyond recognition by the Saints, held Arizona to just 288 total yards, an average of 4.8 yards per offensive play.  They also made good on defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan’s promise to “bring the heat” on the quarterback by sacking Kurt Warner twice, hitting him seven times, and coming up with one interception.

The defense also had seven tackles for a loss and broke up nine passes for good measure, but despite their improved showing, there was still room for more improvement.

“I thought we had a lot of opportunities to make plays on the ball,” said CB Corey Webster. “There were a lot of balls on the field and we didn’t come up with the ones that we should have.”

Getting back to the offense, the lone bright spot was the play of rookie receiver Hakeem Nicks, whose second quarter, 62-yard touchdown reception was his fourth this season, making him the first Giants rookie wide out to record four touchdowns since 1984, when Bobby Johnson accomplished that feat. 

Another positive was the running of Brandon Jacobs, who rushed 13 times for 76 yards (a 5.8 yard per carry average) and a touchdown scored with 13:34 left in the second quarter to give the Giants a 7-0 lead at the time. 

In the end, though there simply weren’t enough plays made for the Giants, who are now in the midst of a two-game losing streak. “’We have to give credit to (Arizona) for doing a good job,” said QB Eli Manning , whose 19 of 37 for 243 yard performance resulted in a 47.5 passer rating, his second lowest rating of the season.”We had too many third and longs and not enough positive plays. It was just not consistent football.” 

With their second loss to a potential playoff opponent and a tough division game coming up next week at Philadelphia, the Giants  will go back to work in search of answers to the nagging season long problems that include red zone efficiency, third down conversions, and more.

“There are a lot of things that need to be addressed,” said Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. “I still say we have a good group of young men in the locker room. They want to do well, they want to play well, they have good attitudes, they work hard. For whatever reason, we have had two weeks in a row where one particular area has not performed very well, so it’s back to the drawing board.”

 

McKenzie Inactive for Giants

Here is your inactive list.

Giants:  WR Ramses Barden, CB Aaron Ross, RB Gartrell Johnson, LB Michael Boley, OL Adam Koets, RT Kareem McKenzie, WR Sinorice Moss, and DT Chris Canty.

McKenzie's absence puts an end to the offensive line's consecutive start streak at 38 that dates back to 2007. Rookie Will Beatty will receive his first start at right tackle . 

Cardinals: TE Stephen Spach (ankle) has already been declared out. QB Brian St. Pierre (3rd QB); S Rashad Johnson, LB Reggie Walker, OL Herman Johnson, OL Brandon Keith, WR Early Doucet, and WR Jerheme Urban.

Saints Thrash Giants 48-27

New Orleans, La. – The Saints came marching back from their bye week and completely outclassed the Giants in every aspect of the game as they rolled over the New York Giants 48-27 to remain unbeaten.

The Giants defense, which came into this week’s game ranked first in the league, had no answers for QB Drew Brees and the Saints’ diversified passing attack, which gashed them to the tune of 315 total yards on offense, 247 of them in the air.  The Saints finished with 493 yards on offense.

Brees connected with seven different receivers in the first half en route to a 17 of 20 performance that also saw him complete 15 straight passes before Justin Tuck finally knocked away a pass with time ticking away at the end of the first half.

Meanwhile the Giants, who had played relatively pristine ball during their 5-0 start, couldn’t do much if anything right, especially on defense.

New Orleans jumped out to a 14-3 led by the end of the first quarter as Brees, who finished the day with three touchdown passes, engineered drives of beauty. The first touchdown drive was a 7:41 effort that went 70 yards and ended with RB Mike Bell checking into the end zone for two yards.

The second score came on the Saints’ second possession of the game, this one a one-yard touchdown pass to TE Jeremy Shockey on a fourth and one after a 29 yard touchdown pass completion to Marques Colston was ruled to be one yard shy of the goal line.

The Giants finally go on the board with a 49 yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes.

In the second quarter, the Saints continued to gash the Giants defense as Brees found Robert Meecham 36 yards downfield for their third touchdown of the game. However, the point after by former Giants PK John Carney was blocked, making the score 20-3.

The Giants got a big break when on second and six from the Saints’ 34, an interception by safety Darren Sharper, who has four career interceptions against Manning and two returned for touchdowns, was nullified thanks to a roughing the passer penalty against Saints LB Jonathan Vilma.

The fresh set of downs gave the Giants some new life as Brandon Jacobs picked up six yards before having to leave the game temporarily with a burner. He was replaced by Ahmad Bradshaw, who picked up three yards on the ensuing carry, and then scored the touchdown on a third and one, the Giants’ first touchdown of the day. 

The Saints, unbothered by the temporary momentum shift, responded with a 12-yard score of their own on their very next possession when Brees connected with Lance Moore to make it a 27-10 game.

The Giants closed the gap to ten on their ensuing drive as Manning found Mario Manningham for a 15-yard touchdown. But then the Saints got the ball back with 3:19 left in the half and began another drive. However the Giants defense came to life with a big goal-line stand, stuffing one-yard runs by Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas to force a turnover on downs and to draft an additional 15 yards thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called against the Saints.

But the Giants’ momentum was short-lived as Manning was sacked by Roman Harper and fumbled the ball. Kevin Shanle scoped up the loose ball and ran it back 12 yards before having his feet taken out from under him by TE Kevin Boss.

No matter as the Saints eventually got the touchdown on Reggie Bush’s seven-yard run on second and seven from the seven to make it 34-17 at the half.

In the second half, the Giants defense made a couple of tweaks which stopped the hemorrhaging, but it was still not enough as Brees found Colston for a 12-yard pass. It was Colston’s second score of the day in a sterling performance that saw him catch four passes for 100 yards.

If you’re looking for a positive in this game, consider that the Giants were actually able to outscore the Saints in the fourth quarter, 10-3 on a 38 yard Tynes field goal and a  37-yard touchdown pass from David Carr to Hakeem Nicks. Of course by then with the game so far out of reach, it was too little too late for a Giants team that now much go back to the drawing board and look at all facets of their game to determine what went wrong and how to fix it.

Giants Trounce Oakland, 44-7

East Rutherford, NJ – Eli Manning kept his streak of consecutive starts alive, as he shook off a painful heel injury to lead the Giants to a 44-7 win over the hapless Oakland Raiders.

Moreover, after missing Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, Manning went on to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a little less than a half of action.

“We didn’t know what kind of game it was going to come down to, but I think at the end it was kind of a picture perfect,” he said of his scenario. “Just get in there, score quickly, score a lot, get a big lead, and then be able to rest it and make sure you don’t put more strain on it or make it where it is real sore tomorrow.  I think it turned out really well.”

It sure did. Manning, slowed all week by a heel injury, had all eyes upon him as he came out for the Giants’ first offensive series. Finishing eight of ten for 143 yards and two touchdowns, Manning left the score with his team up 28-7 with 2:19 left in the first half.

But the real story for the Giants was the continuation of Ahmad Bradshaw’s amazing running. Bradshaw amassed 82 yards on seven first half carries with two touchdowns as he single-handedly sliced and diced the Raiders defense with his quickness on the cutbacks.

The Giants though, immediate put their hold on the game as on their opening drive, they chewed up 8:03 off the clock as the Raiders committed two penalties , both on third and eight, to extend the Giants’ scoring drive.

With first and five on the Raiders’ five, the Giants went on to try Brandon Jacobs three times to the right side, with little success. But head coach Tom Coughlin, confident in his offense, decided to go for it on fourth and one, inserting Bradshaw into the game. Bradshaw proceeded to cut back to an open lane and get the first points of the game for his team.

The score, by the way, marked the third straight game with a TD on the first offensive drive for the Giants, who so far this year have scored on the first drive of every one of their games. 

After the first of several three-and-outs by the Raiders, Manning and the Giants made quick work on a three-play, 79 yard scoring drive. That drive opened with a 43 yard pass from Manning to leading receiver Steve Smith, who did a nice job to adjust to the ball. That was followed by runs of 17 yards and 19 yards by Bradshaw, the latter of which went for the touchdown.

With the score 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Giants were averaging 14 yards per first down play, their best to date.

The Giants continued to pile it on as after shaking off a personal foul penalty called against RT Kareem McKenzie, Bradshaw broke free for a 55-yard run by Bradshaw to close the quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Manning found Mario Manningham deep along the ride side for a 30-yard touchdown.

After another Raiders three-and-out, Manning threw his second touchdown to Hakeem Nicks, a nine-yarder to make it 28-0.

The Raiders, who up until that point hadn’t recorded a first down, finally did so later in the quarter, a temporary sign of their luck changing as with 3:25 left in the game, Oakland was able to score its first and only points of the day, a five-yard touchdown run by RB Michael Bush, capping a drive that was aided by a defensive pass interference call against safety CC Brown.

But that was pretty much it for the Raiders, who were never really in the game. With David Carr now in at quarterback for the Giants, New York added a 25-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes, who was three of three today in his field goal attempts, to make it 31-7 at the half.

The onslaught continued in the second half as the Giants dodged another bullet when Bradshaw fumbled the ball after picking up four yards on  second and ten form the Oakland 15. Chris Snee alertly pounced on it, to give the Giants another chance, and Carr was able to convert that chance with a 12-yard touchdown run to make it 38-7.

The score by Carr, by the way, was his first rushing touchdown since 2006 when, as a member of Carolina, he scrambled for a two-yard score against the Giants

Tynes added another six points with two field goals of 33 and 37 yards to make it 44-7.

After the game, a very encouraged Giants team, now 5-0, was pleased with its day on all sides of the ball. Perhaps the biggest sigh of relief though, was that Manning emerged from the game no worse for the wear.

“I don’t know if it was a relief,” Manning said. “I think I was excited that I don’t think I made it any worse or put any more strain on it.  It might be a little more sore tomorrow just because it is the most activity I have done in a while, but it feels great right now, walking around, moving around, and I am excited about getting back out there at practice and hopefully kind of putting this behind us.”

With the schedule about to get harder, the Giants are certainly hoping that will be the case moving forward. 

GAME NOTES
Receiver Mario Manningham, who had to leave the game with a chest contusion, said the injury wasn’t serious.

RB Brandon Jacobs suffered a burner in the first half, but was able to return. After the game, Jacobs was visibly upset about his performance in which he ran 21 times for 67 yards, a 3.2 yards per carry average.

CC Brown had X-rays on his shoulder, but is okay. Meanwhile LB Gerris Wilkinson had X-rays on his knee, but he too is fine.

Giants Top Chiefs, 27-16

Kansas City, MO – The New York Giants, or “Road Warriors” if you prefer, logged their third straight win on the road in as many weeks with a 27-16 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs. The victory, which boosts the Giants’ undefeated record to 4-0 on the season, also puts the Giants in elite company as from 1990 to 2008, just seven teams were 3-0 in three-week road stands out of 106 regular season trips.

However, the win was not without its concerns as starting QB Eli Manning had to come out of the game with an injury to his right foot. Initially the Giants faithful held its collective breath as Manning grabbed the back of his right foot, usually a sign of an Achilles. However, it was later revealed that his injury was to his right heel and Manning said after the game that he was confident that he would be all right for next Sunday against Oakland.

Also suffering an injury was starting TE Kevin Boss, who twisted his ankle at the end of the first half as time was ticking down. His status was not immediately known, as he will also undergo tests to determine the severity of his injury, though he did manage to return to the game after being taped up at the start of the second half.

On the plus side, it was a big day for receiver Steve Smith, who caught 11 of 16 passes thrown his way for 134 yards and two of the Giants three touchdowns.

New York immediately took control of things on the opening kickoff as Jamaal Charles was hit by C.C. Brown and fumbled the ball away. The loose pigskin was recovered by an alert Bryan Kehl on the Chiefs’ 16, setting up a five-play, 16-yard scoring drive in which Manning hit Smith for the first touchdown of the day, this one from three yards out. 

After Kansas City went three and out, the Giants started driving again; however, Manning was sacked at his 44 by Tamba Hali and lost the ball at the 36. The Chiefs then were able to convert that turnover into three points on a 34-yard Ryan Succop field goal to make it 7-3 with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The Giants made it 14-3 on Manning’s second touchdown pass to Smith, this one for 3235 yards. On the drive, which was aided by a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty called against KC’s Jarrad Page on a second and five, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, who missed tow days of practice this week with a foot and ankle injury ran two times for 16 yards, showing no signs of wear or tear from the injuries.

Lawrence Tynes, who went two of three in field goal kicking this week, added the giants’ next points with kicks of 25 and 40 yards, to give New York a 20-3 lead with 10:25 left in the third quarter.

The Giants then widened their lead at the start of the fourth quarter on a nice catch and run by Hakeem Nicks, who took a Manning pass 54 yards for the Giants’ final score of the day. However on that drive, Manning suffered his injury, and when he left the field, he seemed to take all the air from the offense with him as the momentum swing over to the Chiefs side.

Following a 53-yard kickoff return by Charles in which several Giants defenders were unable to get off their blocks or missed tackles, Chiefs’ QB Matt Cassel handed the ball off to RB Larry Johnson, who was hit and stripped of the ball by Giants safety CC Brown.

However, New York was a split second too late in recovering it and to add insult to injury, DE Justin Tuck was flagged for being offside, though the penalty was declined.

A few plays later, facing a fourth and 11, Cassel connected with Bobby Engram for 10 yards, appearing just shy of the first down. However, Chiefs’ head coach Todd Hayley challenged the forward momentum of the play and his instincts proved to be right as the Chiefs were credited with an additional two yards and the first down on the play.

Three plays later, Cassel  connected with TE Sean Ryan for a one-yard touchdown to make it 27-9 in favor of the Giants, the ensuing two-point  conversion failing.

After the Giants, with David Carr now in at quarterback for Manning, went three and out, the Chiefs launched another scoring drive aided by a huge pass interference call against Giants CB Corey Webster on a fourth-and-11 pass play into the end zone  on a Cassel pass to Dwayne Bowe.

With the Chiefs having a fresh set of downs and the ball on the one-yard line, it took four plays before Cassel got his team on the board again, this one on a two-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Wade.

In the end, the Giants defense prevailed as the Chiefs, who up until that point had been perfect on fourth down conversions, came up short on their final attempt when LB Antonio Pierce shut down a Cassel pass intended for the tight end, Ryan, five yards short of the first down marker.