NEW YORK – The New York Football Giants have been on a roll lately. They are winning games and holding onto first place in the NFC East. They faced a very tough opponent this weekend in the revamped San Francisco 49ers. The Giants lost 27-20 and fall to 6-3 on the year. I was actually more concerned about this game, then I was about playing the New England Patriots last weekend (Giants won 24-20). The Eagles and Redskins lost in earlier games today and they drop to 3-6 records, while the Cowboys destroyed the Bills improving to 5-4. The Giants still have control of first place in the NFC East.
The first half of the game was all about the defensive teams doing work. This low scoring game had them going into the locker room for halftime with the 49ers leading 9-6. Starting 49ers RB Frank Gore had zero yards at halftime. Giants LB MIchael Boley left the game in the 2nd quarter and did not return due to a hamstring injury. Both teams were hitting hard out there and it seemed like either team could win this game as late as the fourth quarter. When they came out to finish the game, the 49ers received the ball and grabbed some momentum. This is exactly how I thought the game would go, per my pre-game final score prediction of a Giants victory 17-13.
The second half was more of the same, a hard hitting solid performance by both clubs. The Giants were able to take the lead in the 3rd quarter on a Mario Manningham TD. 49ers RB Frank Gore was knocked out of the game with a knee injury in the 3rd quarter as well. But then the 49ers started rolling and quickly scored two TD’s to take the 27-13 lead in the 4th quarter. There were a bunch of turnovers in this game (3 INT’s) and a bunch of penalties (NYG: 6-45) too. The Giants were able to rally, once again, late in the fourth quarter and quickly score a TD of their own. But it wasn’t meant to be for New York, when they could not convert on fourth down and gave control of the ball over to the 49ers with less then a minute remaining in the game. The end.
Let’s take a look at some of my notes from the game.
QB Eli Manning – Manning had another very good game. He finished with 311 yards 2 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Eli should be in Hawaii.
RB Ahmad Bradshaw – Bradshaw was ruled out of todays game while he mends a recent injury. Get well soon AB!
WR Hakeem Nicks – Nicks was able to play today and he made his presence felt finishing with 41 yards and 1 TD.
DT Linval Joseph – Watch out, Joseph has put together a couple of good games in a row. He finished today with 1 sack.
S Antrel Rolle – Rolle continues to let his game do the talking on Sundays. He finished among the team leaders in tackles once again.
WR Mario Manningham – Super Mario had another good performance and finished with 77 yards and 1 TD. This kid is a star.
LB Michael Boley – Boley left the game in the 2nd quarter and did not return. Fans are concerned about this hamstring injury. Get well soon Mike!
DE Jason Pierre-Paul – JPP truly is a freak of nature athletically. I’ve never seen someone that big move like a cat. How many Pro Bowls?
RB Brandon Jacobs – Jacobs ran the ball well but he is not Ahmad Bradshaw. He finished with 55 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving.
CB Corey Webster – Webster was very active in todays game and finished with 1 INT. We need more interviews with Webster.
DE Osi Umenyiora – Osi continues his exceptional play since returning from injury. He finished with 1 sack.
WR Victor Cruz – Cruz lead all WR’s in the game with 84 yards and has earned Manning’s trust at this point.
LB Mathias Kiwanuka – Kiwi was all over the field as usual. I’m very glad the Giants were able to keep him.
CB Aaron Ross – Ross continues to play well in the absence of Terrell Thomas. He finished tied for 2nd in tackles but left the game with a quad injury.
TE Jake Ballard – Ballard has a quiet game and finished with 35 yards. But they came at crucial times during the game.
S Kenny Phillips – Phillips had a solid game and was making some key hits out there. He was tied for 1st in tackles.
LB Greg Jones – The rookie LB was very active in todays game and did a good job out there. He finished tied for 2nd in tackles.
RB DJ Ware – Ware had to go to work and finished with 34 yards rushing and 34 yards receiving.
LB Spencer Paysinger – The Giants are fielding 3 rookie LB’s out there and they are playing well. Paysinger took over for Boley and did a good job.
CB Prince Amukamara – The rookie sensation still has not had his debut game yet. Some fans hoped it would be today but it was not the case.
RB Da’Rel Scott – Scott was used as the kickoff returner and did a good job in my opinion. Give this rookie time to play and he will only get better.
P Steve Weatherford – The Weatherman had another good game besides a flub he punted for 29 yards.
K Lawrence Tynes – Tynes had a solid game and finished with 2 FG’s and 2 extra points made.
Giants Defense – Both defenses played extremely hard today and the score reflects that. The G-Men finished with 2 sacks, 1 INT and 0 forced fumbles.
Giants Offense – The offense played a better game then the stats would have you believe. Manning is playing on another level this year.
Giants Special Teams – The Giants special teams continues to amaze me. I love the move to make rookie RB Da’Rel Scott a kickoff returner but to give away a meaningless onside kick in the first half? Embarrassing.
What did you think about the Giants performance against the 49ers? Don’t be shy about leaving comments below!
RD – nygreporter.com
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i have to take a positive slant on this game rob.im of course not happy the g-men lost,but i now believe that the 49ers could well be one of the best teams in the nfc and the g-men had there chances to win.this gives me confidence in the so called high stakes games against the cowboys saints and packers.i think the call to go for it on fourth down was an amazing gutsy call.im really proud of the giants going down the field pretty much at will against a really good defensive front.the one interception didnt hurt,the second one did ,but the receiver didnt finish the route.of course i wished eli looked off the receiver.but all in all the giants played tough and most important gave themselves a chance to tie the game possibly going to OT.im giving the g-men a B+ even in the loss because the game was amazingly competitive and when it seemed all was lost when the g-men were down 14,they showed incredible heart to keep fighting.i still believe the g-men are playoff bound and this game will be a wake up call to play mistake free football throughout the rest of the season.i know its a loss rob,but i feel really good about our g-men after this game.and you know im not a glass half full kind of guy lol.lets get rid of the eagles sunday night once and for all,even though the eagles are basically finished,we know there coming to give the giants all they could handle.i think coughlin will have the troops ready.
Let’s not forget about having to play the Jets, Redskins and Eagles too. This will be a test of endurance, I’m worried that LB Michael Boley will miss a few weeks with his hamstring injury. I also think they will make it back to the playoffs. Like you said, I think it’s plain to see how talented they are. The Giants play 3 out of 4 of their next games at night. Should add a wild side note to the season, I still say they need ten wins minimum to make it back to the playoffs.
just one more thing,ive never seen or heard as much positive media for the giants when they win,you would have thought they won the game yesterday the way the sports media is praising the g-men today.when they win they get killed in the news,now they lose a game yesterday and i was afraid to watch any news,and then all i hear is positive feedback and how great the g-men and eli are.the world is becoming a very upside down strange place my friend.
The only positive coverage I see about the Giants comes from the local stations and hosts. It has been that way for a while, they seem bummed out when the Giants do well and must give them a little kudos. The Giants still need to win games to make it back to the playoffs. They aren’t there yet but they certainly control their own destiny.