The Giants looked completely out of sync in the first half and the Falcons made sure to take advantage as they lead the G-Men 17-0 at halftime. Nothing has gone right for the Giants so far in this one as Atlanta looks to make a big statement this week as we get closer to the playoffs.
Atlanta wasted no time punching the Giants in the mouth to jump out to an early lead. Quarterback Eli Manning was picked off on the 2nd play of the Giants opening drive by Asante Samuel which set the Falcons up for great field position. They went right to Michael Turner and their run-game to captilize with a 1-yard touchdown run … The Giants had a chance to respond with points however Lawrence Tynes missed a 30-yard field goal which would give Atlanta the ball right back. Quarterback Matt Ryan drove the Falcons downfield against the very thin Giants secondary and capped off a nice drive with a touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez … Manning would throw another interception in the second quarter, this time it was safety Thomas DeCoud coming up with the nice pick. It eventually led to Atlanta getting a 38-yard field goal from ex-Giant Matt Bryant to give the Falcons a 17-0 lead.
- The Giants are getting solid play from their running backs today. David Wilson is making his first NFL start and so far has been solid on 8 carries for 46 yards although the Falcons held him check on kick returns. However, his blitz protection is still shaky. Kregg Lumpkin has given the Giants a surprising lift with some nice runs.
- Is it time to worry about Lawrence Tynes? Tynes is struggling late in the season for the Giants with field goals that he normally converts. Today he missed a 30-yard field goal at a time where the Giants really could have used the points. Since then, head coach Tom Coughlin went for it on 4th down twice and failed to convert instead of going to Tynes for a chance at 3 points.
- Manning did not look sharp in the first half. Manning was 8 for 17 with 2 ints. The Giants are going to need him in the second half to turn things around and avoid mistakes. On the other side, Ryan put up 10 of 12 for 97 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons.
The Falcons are 6-0 at home this season and know that a win this week against the Giants would be a huge statement to the league that they are ready to take the next step this year once they reach the postseason. They are a team looking for respect around the league. The Giants need this win to stay in control of their own destiny in the NFC East division.