New York Giants: Top 5 Plays from Week 2 Against the St. Louis Rams

After what can be called nothing but an embarrassment for the New York Giants in Week 1, their matchup against the St. Louis Rams had become as close to a must-win game an 0-1 team could face.

No one can doubt the Giants have the talent and skill players on both sides of the ball to have a successful season, but the execution and clutch play has been all but non-existent the past three playoff-lacking seasons. 

With that in mind, here are the top five plays from the New York Giants in Week 2. 

Hakeem Nicks' One-Handed Grab (Ruled Incomplete on the Field)

It was called an incomplete pass, but after watching the replay Hakeem Nicks probably had the best catch of his career to date. 

The Rams actually were fortunate in a sense here—though the Giants did score two plays later—as Nicks would've picked up five or so more yards than they were granted by the pass interference. Considering this was also a 4th-and-4 catch in the first quarter, this should be an ESPN top play nominee regardless. 

Nicks went on to make a nice touchdown grab later on the same drive to top off the masterful one-handed grab (seen in the video because the first grab is unavailable.)

The Giants will need Nicks to continue to make big plays for any hopes of ending the playoff drought this season.

Michael Boley's 65-Yard Fumble Recovery Touchdown

The great thing about this play wasn't the recovery, but the awareness of Michael Boley to get to the ball before it went out of bounds and, in stride, break downfield for the score. 

With the offense seemingly incapable of converting on anything resembling a third down, this was a HUGE play early in the game to pad the lead for Big Blue. 

The odd thing on this play was Boley's decision to hurl the ball into the face of a stadium worker in the back of the end zone. The man may have insulted Boley's great-grandma Jo, but from an outsider's perspective, it seemed like an uncool move. 

Regardless, this was a great play. 

Domenik Hixon, Circus Catch of the Young 2011 Season

I maintain that the loss of Domenik Hixon in 2010 was one of the most debilitating injuries down the stretch. With this catch, Hixon channeled his inner-David Tyree to give the Giants a commanding lead going into halftime.

Up to this point in the game, and after, the Giants had still not converted on a third-down opportunity. This catch will likely solidify Hixon's spot as as the third receiver over Victor Cruz—as it should be.

Hopefully this is just the first of many TD catches for Hixon in 2011, as he will add a necessary dynamic to the Giants offense. The odd thing about this catch was that it was following a similarly interesting tipped catch from Mario Manningham.   

I've made this prediction before, oh, and again. Expect more big things from Hixon going forward. 

Third-Down Screen Pass to Ahmad Bradshaw

This play may not have seemed like a huge play during the course of the game, but considering this was a 3rd-and-18 play and the Giants had not converted a third down to this point, it meant a great deal. 

It also set the Giants up for a Brandon Jacobs touchdown run when the play-calling suggested they were settling to get in field goal range for Lawrence Tynes. Also, considering the Rams went downfield to score a touchdown on their subsequent possession, this kept their lead at 12, as opposed to nine. 

If the Giants can utilize the screen game more effectively going forward, it will work wonders for the play-action and deep passing game —that is, if Nicks can keep his injury-prone backside on the field.

Justin Tuck Is the Most Complete Defensive End in the NFL

The NFL is full of super-athletic ends, but when it comes to strength, athleticism, intelligence, speed and sheer intimidation, Justin Tuck is on par with the best. 

Nothing illustrates this better than his chase-down sack on Sam Bradford in the second half of Monday night.

In the grand scheme of things, this play did not have a huge effect on the outcome—the Rams drove downfield and scored their only TD, even after being set back to 2nd-and-25. But what made this play this play stand out to me was Tuck coming off the field demonstratively upset, as he felt Bradford's knee was down before he released the ball.

Tom Coughlin challenged and the subsequent review proved Tuck's assertion to be true. That is the type of intelligence and awareness that makes him such a special player.

After Rex Grossman made the Giants pass rush look silly in Week 1, this type of play will be instrumental to a successful Giants season—at least defensively. 

The video has yet to become available, as soon as it is, I will update.

Justin Tuck sure does help make a mediocre offense look pretty.