Giants Slip By Bengals: Continue to Find Ways to Win

I couldn't help but to look back after the Giants 26-23 Overtime win at the Meadowlands Sunday and smile. This is a game that the last few years would have ended in disaster. An inferior road team coming into Giants Stadium, Eli Manning giving the oponent a short field all afternoon, and a defense that was no where to be found when needed the most. Thankfully for the New York Giants, this Sunday did not follow the script of their past struggles. Although the Giants were lackluster at times and still had their problems in the red zone on offense and in their secondary on defense, both units were able to get the job done when it mattered most. 

The defense struggled at points in this game, including the final drive of regulation, but twice during the game they were able to stop the Bengals inside the 5 to force very short field goals and fored a three and out on the Bengals lone overtime possesion. Big Blue's D got great production from Fred Robbins who had 2 sacks, one pass deflection, and got a piece of a Shane Graham field goal that just made it over the crossbar. The defense also got an unexpected lift from veteran Sam Madison who came into the game on a 3rd and 8 in overtime and played the Carson Palmer pass perfectly, cutting under the receiver's route and knocking the ball down to give the offense their second, and eventual winning drive in overtime.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants ability to avoid an early home game disappointment can be directly attributed to Eli Manning. This is a quarterback that at times in regular season games last year looked like he didn't have a clue. With his bad decisions, blank stare, and shrugging shoulders, Eli had many Giants fans questioning if this was a quarterback that could take them anywhere. When the offense struggled in 2007, Manning would force the ball to Shockey and Burress, often leading to booing fans and more importantly costly interceptions that sank the Giants chances of staying in games. On Sunday Manning was 26/43 for 289 yards and 1 touchdown, never putting the ball in harms way and taking what the defense gave to him. When Burress was taken away, Manning distributed the ball to 7 other offensive players, most notably emerging studs Steve Smith and Kevin Boss. After giving his team a chance to win the game, Eli lead the Giants right down the field to take a 23-20 lead with 1:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, capping a 9 play drive with a strike to tight end Kevin Boss. In overtime Manning had 2 flawless touch passes down the sideline, one to Plaxico Burress and the other to Amani Toomer. Manning even had the presence of mind to rush his team down the field after the Toomer catch so that the play couldn't be challenged, even though Toomer did come down in bounds. The Super Bowl XLII MVP was never rattled and his quiet approach that was questioned by many critics is now looked at as one of his strong points, showing why he is called "Easy E" by his teammates.

Credit is also due to Derrick Ward who had 80 yards on 9 carries and was a much needed change of pace for Brandon Jacobs who struggled for the first time this year with only 35 yards on 14 carries. The Giants head into a week 4 bye before the Seahawks come to town in week 5. New York hopes to overcome their recent post-bye week struggles and continue to convince fans all around the league that they are the defending World Champions, not just the same old Giants.