A Look at the Giants: An Ugly Win to Save the Season

With less than two minutes left, the New York Giants stopped the Jacksonville Jaguars on a big 3rd and 10 from the Giants 34 and it looked like 4th and 10 was coming up for the game. That was, until a yellow flag appeared. Defensive holding, number 31, Aaron Ross...5 yards, automatic first down at the Giants 29. It felt like déjà vu all over again and as I sat there watching the game I thought it was over for the Giants, whose defense had looked mighty shaky the past three games. And then Perry Fewell and the Giants dialed up the blitz. Sack by Antrel Rolle and Justin Tuck. Sack and forced fumble by Jason Pierre-Paul recovered by the Jags. And then, a sack and forced fumble by Terrell Thomas recovered by Antrel Rolle. Giants victory 24-20.

Kevin Boss was the Bossman once again for the G-men (NY Mag)

It wasn't easy, it wasn't pretty, but in the end, Eli Manning and the Giants defense came up huge when it was needed most to get the Giants back into the playoff picture. In the first half, the Giants looked as if they were going to lose another game to an inferior team (the Jags may have come in 6-4 but they have an ugly -54 point di1fferential). The Giants continually stalled in the red zone and their offense looked lacking without three lineman and their top two wideouts. Thy let David Garrard, Maurice Jones-Drew, and even Rashad Jennings run all over them and the defense looked like the group with injuries. And it really looked pretty dire, even at 17-9 to start the 4th. But the Giants turned up the heat thanks and with Eli Manning connecting to Kevin Boss--with a blitz on its way--who stiff-armed his way for a season-saving TD, all was forgotten.

For the Bossman, that was a good thing. Boss had been flagged for a holding penalty that nullified a 9-yard TD pass to Mario Manningham (who played very well as the #1 WR) in the second quarter and dropped a first down (and much more) pass deep in Giants territory in the 3rd. Boss turned it up from there catching a 17-yard pass with the Giants backed up to their own 12 at the end of the 3rd, catching a 25-yard pass later in the drive, and then taking a 3rd and 10 pass 32 yards on the strength of a stiff-arm for the win. That helped bail out an offense and defense which looked very beatable at halftime. That's supposedly when Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora delivered a stirring halftime speech which according to The Blue Screen Giants' defensive tackle, Barry Cofield called "a halftime speech for the ages" and said "he had tears in his eyes as he ran back onto the field for the second half."

Without David Diehl, Shawn Andrews, Shaun O'Hara, Adam Koets, Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Ramses Barden, Victor Cruz or Madison Hedgecock the Giants offense pieced together a nice offensive game started by some great running from the starting running back, Brandon Jacobs. Jacobs (who still goes down way too easily once you touch his feet or ankles) and Bradshaw had a very impressive game on the ground but the Giants seemed to go away from that quite a bit in the second quarter. The passing game picked up in the nick of time and, most importantly, the Giants stopped beating themselves with penalties and turnovers. It was only one good half but sometimes half a good game is good enough. But with a win yesterday (coupled with an Eagles loss), the lowly Redskins coming to town next week and the downtrodden Vikings on the slate for the week after, and the hope that some of those injured offensive players could be back fairly soon and the Giants have a lot to play for in the second half.