Die Hard Sports Fan

The best part of yesterday’s game between the Giants and the Bengals was the simply the fact that the G-MEN won by a score of 26-23 in overtime. The Road Warriors won their second home game in as many games in the early 2008 season. These are the Road Warriors that could barely win at home in ‘07.

Offense

Eli Manning did not have a good game statistically. He went 26/43 which is a 60.47% completion percentage and threw for 289 yards and 1 TD. Even though Eli may not have helped out your fantasy team, he was able to counter every scoring drive that the Bengals had. If not with touch downs then with field goals. The Bengals played a much better game then I thought they were going to play, but I guess that’s how NFL teams are going to come to play the Champs. The Giants did not score on their opening drive in OT, but they did not go 3-and-out either. Manning was able to move the chains a bit before they were forced to punt. Eli also marched the Giants down the field when it mattered most during their second possession in overtime which set up the game winning field goal. Steve Smith and Amani Toomer both were key contributors in the Giants aerial attack as they combined for over 120 receiving yards. Manning hooked up with Kevin Boss for a TD to give the Giants the lead before the Bengals tied the game at the end of regulation. In OT, Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer made huge catches for gains of 30+ yards which allowed the Giants to attempt the game winning field goal. Earth, Wind, and Fire had a decent outing as they combined for 115. Derrick Ward had 80 yards on only 9 carries. The Giants’ offense put up 14 of the 26 points.

Defense

Big Blue was able to apply pressure on Carson Palmer all day, but Palmer kept on fighting to get the Bengals points and stay in the game. Fred Robbins was the beast of the day and finished the day with 3 Tackles, 2 Sacks, and a few batted balls at the line of scrimmage. Corey Webster, Barry Cofield, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Dave Tollefson were all able to get to Palmer as well. The Giants defense had 6 sacks for the second game in a row which is sweet. Antonio Pierce was all over the place as he ended up with 10 tackles. Even though the Giants were able to get to Carson all game, the Bengals were able to put up a bunch of points. Palmer took the hits and kept on going kind of like Tom Brady in Super Bowl XLII. The Big Blue Wrecking Crew were able to make some keys stops at the right time which made it easier for the Giants’ offense to keep pace with the Bengals. The Giants did not allow the Bengals to score in the 3rd Quarter, but you can see how hard they were trying to force the Bengals to punt. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 26 points.

Special Teams

John Carney was 4/4 in Field Goal Attempts. Reuben Droughns was effective on kickoff and punt coverage. Domenik Hixon was solid returning Kickoffs and Punts. The Giants’ special teams put up 12 of the 26 points.

So the Giants won their first three games. The last time the Giants went 3-0 was in 2000 when they lost Super Bowl XXXV to the Ravens. Do you remember last year when nobody knew if the Patriots got the good Randy Moss or the bad Randy Moss? After the Pats went 3-0, all of that undefeated chatter began. I haven’t seen a Sports Illustrated cover stating that the Giants are going undefeated. Our boys in blue get less respect than Rodney Dangerfield. This game was a back-and-forth offensive showdown that Big Blue was able to pull out in overtime. The Giants have a Bye Week in Week 4 so next on the schedule are the Seattle Seahawks.

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The Giants and the Bengals went back-and-forth all game until time ran out in regulation which forced the game into overtime where the Giants won on a game winning field goal giving Big Blue their third win of the 2008 Regular Season.

1st Quarter

Mathias Kiwanuka, Fred Robbins, and Barry Cofield sacked Carson Palmer on the Bengals’ first play of the game for a loss of 6 yards with 11:04 remaining.

On the same drive, Corey Webster knocked the ball out of Carson Palmer’s hand with 9:48 remaining, but Bobbie Williams fell on the ball to keep it in the Bengals’ possession.

Carson Palmer marched the Bengals 60 yards to the Giants’ 3 yardline during their second possession, but the Giants stopped the Bengals from reaching the end zone so Shayne Graham made a 22-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Bengals a 3-0 lead with 0:38 remaining.

2nd Quarter

Since this is the first time that the Giants have been losing this year, Eli Manning immediately countered by leading the Giant offense 80 yards down the field and capped it off with a hand off to Brandon Jacobs who leaped over the pile for a 1-yard Touch Down run giving the Giants a 7-3 lead with 10:38 remaining.

Carson Palmer then countered by driving the Bengals 74 yards for another score, and Carson Palmer capped off the drive by handing it off to Chris Perry who broke right side for a 26-yard Touch Down run giving the Bengals a 10-7 lead with 7:20 remaining.

Eli Manning countered again by marching the Giants 51 yards down the field for another score, but the Bengals stopped the Giants from getting into the end zone so John Carney made a 24-yard Field Goal Attempt to tie the game at 10-10 with 3:55 remaining.

Barry Cofield sacked Carson Palmer for a 6-yard loss during the Bengals’ fourth possession with 2:26 remaining.

Also during the Bengals’ fourth possession, Carson Palmer kept this offensive showdown alive by marching the team 80 yards to the Giants’ 4 yardline before getting sacked by Mathias Kiwanuka for a loss of 8 yards on 3rd and 3 which set up a 30-yard Field Goal Attempt that Shayne Graham made with 0:32 remaining giving the Bengals a 13-10 lead.

3rd Quarter

Fred Robbins sacked Carson Palmer for a 10-yard loss during the Bengals’ sixth possession with 11:28 remaining.

During the Giants’ seventh possession, Eli Manning took the Giants to the 30 yardline which was where John Carney made a 46-yard Field Goal Attempt to tie the game at 13-13 with 6:23 remaining.

Dave Tollefson joined the party by sacking Carson Palmer for a loss of 8 on 3rd and 16 with 2:49 remaining which led to a punt.

4th Quarter

The Giants eighth possession began at the 25 yardline.

After the Giant defense made a few stops, Eli Manning took the Giants 67 yards to the 8 yardline where they had to settle for a 26-yard Field Goal Attempt that was made by John Carney which gave the Giants a 16-13 lead with 11:32 remaining.

Carson Palmer countered the Giants score by driving the Bengals 68 yards, and he capped off the drive with a 17-yard strike to T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the middle of the end zone for a Touch Down giving the Bengals a 20-16 lead with 4:39 remaining.

Eli Manning, in a hurry up offense, marched the Giants 68 yards to the 3 yardline where he fired a 3-yard TD pass to a covered and leaping Kevin Boss in the middle of the end zone giving the Giants a 23-20 lead with 1:50 remaining.

Carson Palmer was able to get the Bengals to the 3 yardline to set up a 21-yard Field Goal Attempt which was made by Shayne Graham on their final possession to tie the game at 23-23 with 0:00 remaining.

Overtime

The Giants won the toss and elected to receive, but the Bengals were successful in stopping the Giants from scoring during their first possession.

The Bengals went 3-and-out during their first possession.

The Giants began their second possession at the 29 yardline. Manning hit Burress on the left sideline for a 33-yard gain. After that, aired it out to Toomer along the left sideline who went out of bounds at the 7 yardline for a gain of 31 yards. On 2nd and Goal, John Carney made a 22-yard Field Goal Attempt to win the game by a score of 26-23 with 8:39 remaining.

Wrap Up

Eli Manning went 26/43 and threw for 289 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INTs.

Brandon Jacobs led in Rushing Attempts with 14, Derrick Ward led in Rushing Yards with 80.

Steve Smith led in Receptions with 7, and Amani Toomer led in Receiving Yards with 64.

Brandon Jacobs had 1 TD Run, Kevin Boss had 1 TD Reception.

John Carney went 4/4 in Field Goal Attempts.

Antonio Pierce led the team in Tackles with 10.

Fred Robbins had 2 Sacks. Corey Webster, Barry Cofield, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Dave Tollefson each had 1 Sack.

Corey Webster had 1 Forced Fumble.

The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.

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The Cincinnati Bengals will face the New York Giants today at Giants Stadium.

TV & Radio Info:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) @ New York Giants (2-0) TV: CBS (Greg Gumble, Dan Dierdorf) Radio: WXRK 92.3 FM (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross) Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

Game Notes:

• The Giants will attempt Sunday to start 3-0 for the first time since 2000 when they host the Cincinnati Bengals in Giants Stadium.
• Including the Bengals, ten NFL teams have started the season 0-2 and the 2007 Giants are role models for every one of them, but Antonio Pierce said “We’re worried about being 3-0 going into the bye week. We’re not worried about trying to fix someone else’s problems. If they have a problem, they need to fix it themselves. We’re football players, not psychiatrists.”
• The Bengals are 7-16 in games against defending NFL champions.
• The home team has won every game in the series, which Cincinnati leads, 5-2.
• The Giants and Bengals last met on Dec. 26, 2004, a 23-22 Cincinnati victory.
• They last faced each other in Giants Stadium on Oct. 26, 1997, when the Giants won, 29-27.
• Quarterback Carson Palmer is a two-time Pro Bowler, and his career completion percentage entering the season was 64.1, the second-best in NFL history for a quarterback with at least 1,500 attempts.
• Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh give Cincinnati one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL. Both were Pro Bowlers last season.
• Cincinnati returned all five offensive linemen who helped set a franchise record with only 17 sacks allowed last season.
• Former Giant Dhani Jones is the middle linebacker and the player with the speaker in his helmet getting the calls from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.
• Last week, the Giants won their 2008 road opener against the Rams by a score of 41-13.
• Last week, the Bengals lost to the Titans by a score of 24-7.
• Eli Manning went 20/29 and threw for 260 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs in the road opener.
• Amani Toomer led in Receptions with 6, and Plaxico Burress led in Receiving yards with 81.
• Justin Tuck had 2 Sacks and a pick for a TD return.
• Carson Palmer went 16/27 and threw for only 134 yards against the Titans with 0 TDs or 2 INTs.
• The Line: The Giants are favored by 13.5. Over/Under 41.5.

Injury Report:

Bengals - Out of Game: S Dexter Jackson (Thumb), S Herana-Daze Jones (Hamstring). Doubtful: CB Johnathan Jopeph (Ankle), TE Ben Utecht (Chest). Probable: TE Reggie Kelly (Head), DT John Thornton (Knee), S Chinedum Ndukwe (Knee), S Kyries Hebert. Giants - Doubtful: CB R.W. McQuarters (Calf). Questionable: CB Terrell Thomas (Hamstring), K Lawrence Tynes (Knee). Probable: DE Mathias Kiwanuka (Ankle), S Michael Johnson (Neck).

Quote of the Week:

“I think a team can have a rhythm and I think the team — when all 11 are meshing at the same time — can be productive and can appear to be in rhythm. I don’t know that we are always — I don’t know that you have that in Week 16, that everybody is in total synch on every play. But you are striving to get there because on the offensive side of the ball you can have one person who is not performing as he should and it will throw the whole offense off. So we are striving to get there.” - Coach Tom Coughlin on the Giants’ offensive rhythm Feel free to chat with other Giants fans in the Tag Board in the right column.

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Chris Mortenson of ESPN.com pointed out that the Redskins made an offer for Chad Johnson, but the Bengals rejected it.  We don’t need more whining premadonna Wide Receivers in the NFC East.  T.O. is more than enough for me to stomach over the course of a season.  Who wants to watch a guy running around yelling “Ocho Cinco” with Hogettes in the background?

NFL.com reported that Shaun Alexander was released by the Seahawks.  The Seahawks will be coming to Giants Stadium in Week 5, and I’d rather they came with Alexander then without him.  What happened to Alexander?  This guy was an MVP a couple of years ago.  Then he had two horrific years.  It looks like he lost his love for the game or something.  Now Big Blue will have to face a real back in Week 5.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reported that the Vikings gave up three 2008 draft picks to the Chiefs for one of the best DE’s in the NFL, Jared Allen.  On top of the draft picks, the Vikings had to give Allen a six-year contract worh $74 million, with $31 million in guaranteed money.  This makes the Vikings ‘D’ more nasty then they already were.  The Giants will close out the 2008 season against the Vikes, and we don’t need any more reasons for Eli to throw 4 INTs.

Newsday:

Giants should trade unhappy Shockey - Arthur Staple tries to convince us why the G-MEN should trade Jeremy Shockey.  This article was really good so I’m not even going to summarize it.  Just go check it out.

Tyree gets knee scoped - Tom Rock also reported that David Tyree had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and will be sidelined until at least the start of training camp in July.  The New York Daily News reported this yesterday.

New York Daily News:

Seattle pursuing Jeremy Shockey - Ralph Vacchiano found out that the Seattle Seahawks are also interested in Shockey.  Vacchiano didn’t include any specifics about a trade.  Ralph just wrote that Mike Holmgren is looking to upgrade the Tight End position.

New York Post:

GIANTS PICKING TE WOULD BE A REAL SHOCK - Paul Schwartz believes that if the Jints select a TE in the Draft then Jeremy will be traded.

The Star-Ledger:

Tyree forced to have knee surgery - Mike Garafolo got David Tyree’s thoughts on having surgery, “I’m not a big fan of surgery; I’m a big fan of hopefully God healing me. But God chose not to heal me this time. He said the Super Bowl was enough.”

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