The New York Giants had the cards stacked against them going into today's matchup against Rex Ryan and his New York Jets. The impetuous Gang Green coach guaranteed a Super Bowl victory before the season began. Today, the Giants put the Jets' season in jeopardy by defeating them 29-14.
The Giants got off to an ugly start, which should come as no surprise. Their performance this season has been inconsistent. The Jets held the G-Men scoreless for the first quarter of the game, coming out on top 7-0.
The second quarter was all Big Blue. Getting off to a slow start, Eli Manning was able to lead his team down field but not into the red zone. Lawrence Tynes booted a field goal for twenty-one yards, making the score 7-3. It was two Giants drives later that things really opened up.
After having some haphazard performances over the past few weeks, the Big Blue defense turned in two solid quarters, completely shutting down the Jets for the second and third quarters. Jason Pierre-Paul recorded another dominant performance this week. He finished the day with five combined tackles and two sacks.
JPP was not the only defensive player to pack a punch today. Justin Tuck came up big on a few plays, especially late in the game. His stats on the day, four combined tackles, one sack and two pass deflections. Dave Tollefson and Chris Canty were also able to put Sanchez down in the turf, each came up with a sack. Also joining the party this week was the secondary.
Perry Fewell played more man coverage this week and it paid off. Corey Webster came up with an interception and two deflected passes. In total, the Giants deflected thirteen Jets passes. Antrel Rolle, Deon Grant, Jacquain Williams, the entire secondary, shadowed the Jets receiving corps for the better part of the day and all put in a noteworthy performance.
Eli Manning didn't have what one would call a red letter day. He finished with a quarterback rating of 61.5. However, the offensive line certainly plays a major factor in the reason for his dismal outing. Eli was sacked two times, hit once and had 10 of his passes deflected. It would seem that this o-line is on a steady decline. That does not fare well for a team who have high hopes for the playoffs.
Tom Coughlin obviously had his players and coaching staff make some necessary adjustments this past week. The most obvious change was on the defensive side of the ball. Perry Fewell called a decent game. Kevin Gilbride, not so much. Overall, the Giants played up when they needed to. They also showed us signs of a team unsure of itself. With one game left and a shot at the postseason, the Giants have their work cut out for them. Can they get the job done? Only time will tell.
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