The NY Football Giants played what could be considered a perfect game yesterday, and gave the faithful a playoff win since their Super Bowl run in 2008. This was also the first playoff win ever in MetLife Stadium, so the fact the the G-Men beat rex’s team for the honor makes it even sweeter.
Now, for the particulars. The defense played great, and they played tough. Two fourth down stops when the Falcons could have either converted or attempted a field goal set the tone for the defensive effort. ichael Turner wasn’t much of a weapon, Julio Jones wasn’t a factor, and “Matty Ice” was stone cold. Corey Webster was targeted nine times, and he gave up five catches for only 36 yards. While there was a lack of sacks, the Giants did put pressure on Ryan and took his wideouts and tight end out of the game. The only downer for the Giants was the concussion suffered by Aaron Ross. We’ll see if he’s ready to go on Sunday.
Offensively, the Giants controlled the clock, with nearly 35 minutes time of possession. Both Jacobs and Bradshaw were a force, and each had 14 carries and a long gainer. Eli Manning also contributed with a key 14 yard scramble for a first down. Eli was lights out in passing the ball, and Hakeen Nicks, overshadowed by Victor Cruz of late, had a huge game. Mario Manningham came back from injuries for a nice touchdown catch, and 8 different receivers caught passes. There were 31 runs and 32 passes, a nice mix of plays.
Special teams was good, for the most part. Weatherford and Tynes prevented any huge returns by Atlanta, andTynes hit on one of his two FG attempts. The miss looked as if it was cauesd by a bad snap from Zak DeOssie. The coaches put together a great game plan, and it was executed to perfection. Healthy bodies, a reversion to players’ natural positions (Dave Diehl back at LT), a simplified defensive scheme, and getting hot at the right time adds up to another run at 2007. We’ll see.