Considering the state of the Cowboys, both physically and mentally, the only way that team was going to beat the Giants on Sunday was if the Giants beat themselves. A punt return and interception return for a touchdown, or even a kickoff return. Sound familiar? Back in 2005, the Minnesota Vikings did just that, and it just happened to be one Brad Johnson who was the starting QB.
But on Sunday, Johnson was no match for the Giant defense. The defensive line overwhelmed the Cowboys and harassed both Johnson and his replacement backup Brooks Bollinger. Combined with the exceptional run game of Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward slashing the Dallas’ defense and Eli Manning throwing for three TD’s, Dallas never really had a chance. For the fourth straight year, the Giants end the first half of the season with six wins or more. That’s damn impressive.
TC’s post game was almost predictable. The mantra was “we can play better”, and I think he is right. The Giants turned the ball over three times (all by Manning). The one interception, returned for a TD, was a lesson: don’t get lazy on your out passes. Manning has gotten away with a few of these this year, and it finally caught up with him. Next week’s opponent, the Eagles, will certainly be looking for this, especially former Pat Assante Samuel. And while the run blocking was outstanding, the pass blocking was probably as spotty as it has been all year. Dallas, still talented and extremely quick off the snap, applied the most pressure on Manning that he has seen all year (evident by the four sacks). Manning actually did a nice job of adjusting his feet in the pocket to avoid the rush, but it definitely had an affect on the downfield pass game. It’s quite clear to me that the Giants were attempting to go after a depleted Cowboys’ secondary, which made perfect sense. However, I think when the pressure is starting to get to your QB, there’s the time to start checking down. I think the short passing game, particularly to Steve Smith and to Ward out of the backfield, could be a real key to next week’s contest.
