NEW YORK – The Giants went into this game today without a few of their star players (Nicks, Bradshaw and Baas). This would have been a tough game even at full strength with the way New England has been playing. The Giants really needed this win to create more of a separation from the pack in the NFC East. Not only did the Giants beat the Patriots 24-20, they did it in dramatic fashion with only 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. This game was without a doubt the greatest game to watch all season for Giants fans so far. My heart was in my throat for most of the game and the final drive nearly gave me a stroke. The Giants improve to 6-2 on the season and continue to hold onto first place in the NFC East.

The first half of this game was a defensive battle. Nobody expected these teams to go into the locker room at halftime with the score tied 0-0. Even I was wrong about the shoot out that I predicted would happen. There wasn’t any scoring but it was a fun defensive battle to watch with lots of turnovers in this game. The second half was a completely different story, with all 44 combined points scored in the second half. The special teams performance for both teams was atrocious today. There was also too many penalties once again but a win is a win. The G-men took care of business and will face another tough opponent next week when they play the 49ers in San Francisco at 4:15 PM EST.

There is a reason why the TV networks called this the “Game of the Week”. Both of these teams fought hard the entire contest and it truly could have gone either way in those final seconds of the game. I’m glad the Giants were able to beat the Patriots today because it is deeper then the surface stuff. This was New York versus Boston to a lot of people, so put another notch on the win belt for the Greatest City on Earth! 18-1.

Let’s take a look at some of my notes from the game.

QB Eli Manning – Eli Manning is an elite quarterback in the NFL, period. He finished the game with 250 yards 2 TD’s and 1 INT.

RB Brandon Jacobs – Brandon the Bull stepped up today and ran the ball hard. He finished with 72 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving and 1 TD.

DE Jason Pierre-Paul – JPP was able to play today and came away with another sack. This guy is a machine.

WR Mario Manningham – Super Mario stepped up today and finished with 33 yards and 1 TD.

LB Michael Boley – Boley is simply a beast and has become one of my favorite players on the team. He led all tacklers and had 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.

DE Osi Umenyiora – Osi had a solid game and was in on a bunch of key plays. He was also in a fight with Patriots player Matt Light.

WR Victor Cruz – This Jersey Kid is stepping up each and every week. He lead all WR’s and finished with 91 yards.

LB Jacquian Williams – The rookie LB had his work cut out for him today and handled himself very well.

TE Jake Ballard – Ballard is quickly making a name for himself throughout the entire NFL. He continues to move up the TE rankings and finished with 67 yards and 1 TD.

S Antrel Rolle – Rolle left the game for a while but returned. He had a solid game and continues to ball on opponents.

RB Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw did not play in this game and is nursing a broken bone in his foot. Get well soon AB!

WR Hakeem Nicks – Nicks did not play in this game because he is dealing with a hamstring injury. Get well soon Hakeem!

C David Baas – Baas missed another game due to injury and really put Manning in a tough spot. Get well soon David!

S Kenny Phillips – Phillips was the second leading tackler on the team and had another great game.

DE Justin Tuck – Tuck made his presence felt on the field and knocked Brady down a few times.

WR Ramses Barden – Barden was taken off the PUP list and got involved today finishing with 22 yards.

CB Deon Grant – Grant was simply making plays all over the field today. He finished with 1 INT.

LB Mathias Kiwanuka – Kiwi was playing like a man possessed today and finished with 1 INT.

CB Prince Amukamara – The rookie CB will have to wait at least another week for his debut.

P Steve Weatherford – The Weatherman had an outstanding game today. He is a bright spot on special teams.

K Lawrence Tynes – Tynes made his 1 FG attempt and all 3 of his extra point attempts. He has played well this year.

Giants Defense – The Giants D came up huge in this game. They finished with 2 sacks, 2 INT’s and 1 forced fumble.

Giants Offense – For a squad that lost 3 key starters (Nicks, Bradshaw and Baas) before game time, they did an outstanding job today.

Giants Special Teams – This group still needs a lot of work and the returners had a horrible day dropping a couple of kicks/punts.

What did you think about the Giants performance against the Patriots?

RD – nygreporter.com

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