For the second week in a row the Giants have only themselves to blame for a loss. They were not outplayed by the Atlanta Falcons just as they were not outplayed by the Dallas Cowboys last week. If this team gets it together, they’re going to be just fine.
The Giants did enough to win the game but then did nothing to seal the deal. With a 10 point lead, late in the 4th quarter, deep into Falcon territory Kroy Biermann stripped Eli Manning of the football, causing a turnover and changing the makeup of the game. The Falcons took over and marched 91 yards en route to a Leonard Hankerson touchdown, closing the gap to just three points.
On the Giants next two drives they were forced to punt, The Falcons got the ball back with just under two minutes on the clock. They took the ball down the field, going 70 yards on 7 plays, taking a 4 point lead. With 35 seconds left the Giants got the ball back. Their drive totaled 1 pass interference penalty, and three dropped passes. The dagger came on 4th and 10, as Preston Parker dropped his second pass of the game, sealing the win for the Falcons.
The Giants definitely have some problems to fix but in all honesty I do not think they are a bad football team.
There are a few reasons the Giants lost this one. One , the defense caved in at the end, again. The Giants need a receiver not named Odell Beckham to step up and they must avoid stupid penalties.
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Rueben Randle had just 1 catch for 5 yards and was invisible for the second consecutive week. Preston Parker dropped two more passes , one of which was a crucial 4th down which ended the game for Big Blue. Larry Donnell, dropped a pass on that final drive as well. If that wasn’t bad enough Donnell missed a block on a 3rd and 2, also in the 4th quarter. The block he missed lead to a loss of yards for Rashad Jennings, Donnell allowed outside pressure to run right underneath him as he cluelessly ran towards the line of scrimmage to block, instead of sealing the outside. Dwayne Harris, who played well on specials, had a critical penalty on a 4th down conversion, an illegal motion call offset a first down run by Rashad Jennings, the Giants were forced to settle for a field goal.
With all this being said I still do not think the Giants are a bad football team. The run game was working, they stopped the run, they shut out Roddy White (which has not happened since 2006), and the pass rush improved from last week. Just like in Dallas, a few key plays wrecked this game.
On offense Eli Manning played a good game, completing 67% of his passes while posting 292 yards and 2 touchdowns, he also added 23 yards rushing.
Odell Beckham put up good numbers but was almost dead silent in the second half of this game. He had 7 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown but only had 1 catch in the second half.
Oct 5, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants running back Andre Williams (44) runs over Atlanta Falcons inside linebacker Paul Worrilow (55) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The New York Giants defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30-20.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Andre Williams ran the ball very well, carrying 6 times for 43 yards while Shane Vereen has proven to be an excellent acquisition, catching 8 passes for 76 yards and adding 19 more yards on the ground. I still think they need to run the ball more.
The offensive line played well again, Ereck Flowers came out with an anke sprain but John Jerry filled in nicely at guard while Justin Pugh shifted over to left tackle.
For the defensive side of the ball, Robert Ayers played a good game, getting his first sack of the season and showing the ability to stop the run, compiling 3 tackles. The Giants gave no room for the Falcons to run, allowing only 2.5 yards per carry. Kerry Wynn and George Selvie each had 4 tackles but played much bigger as they controlled their blockers and did an excellent job in run support.
Matt Ryan did throw for 363 yards but that will happen when there is no run game. With the exception of Julio Jones’ go ahead touchdown and a blown coverage on the fullback the Giants did not give up any passing plays over 20 yards. They kept everything underneath. Overall a real good job by the secondary.
The Giants pass rush only generated 2 sacks (Ayers & Cullen Jenkins) but they showed a lot more life then last week getting to Matt Ryan several times.
Brandon Merriweather played well, had some big hits, and broke up a pass. Jayron Hosley did a good job of fillinf in for the injured Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, Hosley and Merriweather had 8 tackles each.
The Giants beat themselves for the second straight game. Their inability to close out these first two games is worrisome but the season is still extremely young and I don’t think there is much competition within the NFC East. The Cowboys will now be lead by Brandon Weeden, the Eagles have an offal offensive line and their quarterback is an IR resident waiting to happen, while the Redskins are……well the Redskins.
Don’t burn the house down yet Giants fans, there is a lot of football left and this team, despite the two ugly losses, is much better then anyone thought they would be. When the start to put everything together this will be a very good Giants team.