Antonio Pierce talked to Mike Francesa of WFAN today about going back to the scene of Super Bowl 42 and beating Arizona. In the interview, Pierce gave a lot of props to this Cardinals team for attempting 52 passes and never saying die. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.
The Giants flew out to Glendale, AZ where they won Super Bowl XLII and outscored the high octane Cardinals offense. I must admit that I was nervous for a few days prior to kick off. The first reason was because the G-MEN are due for a loss, and the second reason was because they have not had to defend a high-flying offense like this maybe since the Super Bowl. This victory along with a Titans loss now puts the Giants and the Titans in a tie for the best record in the NFL, 10-1, with five games to go. Who team will finish the ‘08 season with a better record? We’ll see, but I do know that Big Blue will move up to the #1 spot on all of the Power Rankings.
Offense
The Giants offense consisted of a whole lot of passing yesterday. Eli Manning had a great game as he went 26/33 which is a 78.79% completion percentage and threw for 240 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs. This is the first time he threw for over 200 yards since the Seattle game. Every time the Cardinals scored, Eli marched the team right down the field for a score never giving the Cardinals the opportunity to take the lead. Manning spread the love by throwing his 3 TD passes to 3 different receivers which included Amani Toomer, Madison Hedgecock, and Kevin Boss. Domenik Hixon replaced Burress after the first series and led the team in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 57 respectively. Earth, Wind, and Fire were not able to show themselves off as a trio to the Cardinals defense because Jacobs was inactive. Ward and Bradshaw were not as successful without the big man. Derrick Ward led the ground game with 20 touches for 69 yards and 1 Rushing TD. The running game only amassed to 87 yards on 27 carries. The Giants’ offense put up 28 of the 37 points.
Defense
The Giants defense was solid even though they gave up 29 points. The defense came out and pressured Kurt Warner throughout the game and the defensive backs were extremely physical with the Cardinals’ receivers. Justin Tuck got the only sack of the game as well as a forced fumble. Rookie Kenny Phillips had his best game yet with 7 Tackles. It seemed like Phillips was involved in every play, and his best play of the game was when he punched the ball out of Larry Fitzgerald’s hands in the end zone for what would’ve been a TD. Ross was also playing very physical, but too physical for the Refs because they kept throwing flags out on the field. The other rookie, Terrell Thomas, got a pick. The Giants have been allowing an average of 17 points per game so they were fortunate that they got the win after allowing 29 points. The Giants’ defense put up 0 of the 37 points.
Special Teams
John Carney returned and was 3/3 (perfect again) in Field Goal Attempts. I already mentioned how Hixon filled in really well for the injured Plaxico, but he was even better on special teams. Domenik Hixon had 201 return yards which constantly gave the Giants’ offense great field position which they took advantage of. Most of Hixon’s return yardage came on a 83-yard return and a 66-yard return. Hixon left the game with 269 total yards so props to him. The Giants’ special teams put up 9 of the 37 points.
Heading into this weekend, I felt like all four NFC East teams were going to win because there were not any head-to-head games or really challenging opponents. The three teams with the better records won while the Eagles with the worst record lost. I was hoping that either the Redskins or Cowboys would’ve lost rather than the Eagles. The Giants won their tenth game which makes them 10-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 5 games? They have the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the NFL. I predicted them to be 9-2 after the first 11 games, and they are 10-1. I got 3 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers, and then I had the Giants and the Eagles splitting the season series with each of them winning at home. I predicted the Giants to be 3-2 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Giants will make a trip to the nation’s capitol to take on the Redskins on Sunday.
The Giants and the Cardinals came into the game as the first and second best scoring teams in the NFL, but it was the Giants who won the shootout in the desert giving Big Blue their tenth win of the 2008 Regular Season.
Note: Brandon Jacobs was inactive due to a knee injury.
1st Quarter
Note: Plaxico Burress left the game after the first possession by the Giants and his return is questionable.
The Cardinals kept converting on third and long as they went 79 yards on 13 plays during their opening drive, and Neil Rackers made a 34-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Cardinals a 3-0 lead with 6:18 remaining.
On 2nd and 6, Bertrand Berry sacked Eli Manning for a loss of 8 yards with 5:08 remaining on the Giants’ second possession which ultimately led to a punt.
2nd Quarter
The Giants converted on a 4th and 1 play which kept the drive alive as they went 62 yards on 11 plays, and Derrick Ward capped it off with a 1-yard Touch Down run up the gut with 11:38 remaining giving the Giants a 7-3 lead.
A 55-yard kick off return by Arrington gave the Cardinals great field position in Giants’ territory, and they took advantage of that when Tim Hightower ran up the middle and into the end zone for a 2-yard Touch Down run. The snap on the Extra Point Attempt was mishandled so the Cardinals have a 9-7 lead with 7:51 remaining.
An 83-yard kick off return by Hixon set the Giants up at the Cardinals’ 17 yardline, but they were only able to walk away with a 33-yard Field Goal Attempt made by John Carney with 6:51 remaining giving the Giants a 10-9 lead.
Warner hit Urban over the middle for 41 yards to begin the drive, and Neil Rackers finished the drive by connecting on a 20-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Cardinals a 12-10 lead with 3:49 remaining.
A 66-yard kick off return by Hixon set up the Giants at the Cardinals’ 32 yardline, and Eli Manning threw a 12-yard Touch Down pass to Amani Toomer who caught the ball at the 7 yardline and ran it into the end zone with 1:08 remaining giving the Giants a 17-12 lead.
3rd Quarter
During the opening drive of the Cardinals, Kurt Warner was scrambling on 3rd and 9 when Justin Tuck knocked the ball lose and it was recovered by Mathias Kiwanuka at the Cardinals’ 40 yardline with 12:39 remaining.
Manning aired out a 28-yard pass to Smith along the right sideline which gave the Giants 1st and Goal at the 2 yardline, and then Eli Manning threw the ball to the left to Madison Hedgecock who ran it into the end zone for a 2-yard Touch Down catch giving the Giants a 24-12 lead with 10:35 remaining.
A bunch of Giants’ penalties assisted the high flying Cardinals offense to a 90-yard scoring drive which was capped off by a 1-yard Touch Down run by Tim Hightower as the Cardinals tried to cut into the Giants lead 24-19 with 0:49 remaining.
4th Quarter
The Giants immediately responded with an 80-yard scoring drive of their own, and Eli Manning hooked up with Kevin Boss for a 9-yard Touch Down pass giving the Giants a 31-19 lead with 11:15 remaining.
On 2nd and 7, Kurt Warner threw an interception to Terrell Thomas who returned it 13 yards to the Cardinals’ 29 yardline with 10:30 remaining.
The Cardinals’ defense was able to keep the Giants out of the end zone which led to a 27-yard Field Goal Attempt by John Carney with 6:17 remaining giving the Giants a 34-19 lead.
The potent offense of the Cardinals would not quit as they assembled a 55-yard scoring drive, and Kurt Warner threw his first Touch Down pass of the game to Anquan Boldin making it a 34-26 lead with 4:02 remaining.
The relentless Giants failed to get into the end zone again so John Carney connected on his 33-yard Field Goal Attempt with 1:55 remaining giving the Giants a 37-26 lead.
The Cardinals had to settle for a 44-yard Field Goal Attempt made by Neil Rackers on their final possession of the game which was not enough.
Wrap Up
Eli Manning went 26/33 and threw for 240 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs.
Derrick Ward led in Rushing Attempts and in Rushing Yards with 20 and 69 respectively.
Domenik Hixon led in Receptions and Receiving Yards with 6 and 57 respectively.
Derrick Ward had 1 Rushing TD, Kevin Boss had 1 Receiving TD, Amani Toomer had 1 Receiving TD, and Madison Hedgecock had 1 Receiving TD.
John Carney went 3/3 in Field Goal Attempts.
Kenny Phillips led the team in Tackles with 7.
Justin Tuck had 1 Sack.
Terrell Thomas had 1 INT.
Justin Tuck had 1 Forced Fumble.
The NFL.com Game Center: Post Game is attached.
The New York Giants will face the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Game: New York Giants (9-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-3)
TV: FOX (Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston)
Radio: WFAN (Bob Papa, Carl Banks, Howard Cross)
Time: November 23, 2008; 4:15 p.m. ET
Giants - Questionable: WR Plaxico Burress (Hamstring), S Sammy Knight (Hip). Probable: LB Chase Blackburn (Neck), RB Brandon Jacobs (Knee), LB Gerris Wilkinson (Knee), DE Jerome McDougle (Knee), CB Aaron Ross (Hamstring), LB Jonathan Goff (Concussion), CB Kevin Dockery (Back).
Cardinals - Questionable: CB Rod Hood (Not Injury Related), LB Clark Haggans (Foot), DE Travis LaBoy (Ankle). Probable: T Mike Gandy (Ankle), DT Darnell Dockett (Hamstring), CB Eric Green (Knee).
“Yeah, I think it will be neat going back to that stadium. But I think it will be a different feel this week just because we are going to be in Arizona’s stadium. And we are going to be the away team. It should be a different crowd; a different feel.” - QB Eli Manning on returning to the stadium where the Giants won Super Bowl XLII
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ESPN previews the upcoming game between the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
We all saw that Brandon Jacobs did not play in the 2nd Half of the game on Sunday against the Ravens. He got banged up, and the Giants kept him out of the game for precautionary purposes. On Monday, Jacobs had an MRI on his knee which revealed that there was “no structural damage”. He was listed as “did not practice” today, but he was out there performing in some drills. All week, people have been questioning whether or not he will be starting in the upcoming game against the Cardinals. It seems like a whole bunch of chatter though because Jacobs said that his knee injury is “a little nagging thing that is just there, but I don’t think it will hold me out.” according to The Star-Ledger.
I believe that Jacobs will be able to start on Sunday unless he does something else to his knee during practice this week. He has suffered injuries in the past because he is so physical out there. I really want to see him out there on Sunday because he should be able to run all over the Cardinals defense since that is not their strength. The Cards are so one-dimensional that the Giants should be able to run for 200 yards again easily.
I’m sure all of you have heard our enemy, Donovan McNabb, stated that he was unaware that a NFL game can result in a tie already. It is mind boggling to me because Donovan has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over the past decade. He has led his team to one Super Bowl appearance, four consecutive NFC Championship games, and he has thrown for over 28,000 passing yards in his career without having any elite receivers except for T.O. for only one year, yet he does not know that a game can end in a tie. In the past nine years, what other quarterbacks had a better track record than McNabb? Just Peyton Manning and Tom Brady? As the leader of the offense, he should know the rules. Andy Reid and his crew should be teaching his team the rules as well. Anyway, here is the short version of the video. There is a longer version where Donovan goes on to say that he wonders what would happen in the Playoffs or in the Super Bowl if there was a tie, but I could not find the longer version. It’s good for a chuckle.
This is your Post-Week 11 Power Rankings from a Giants fans’ perspective of course. Big Blue was ranked No. 2 by both ESPN and CBSSportsline last week so I don’t expect them to move up since the Titans came back to beat the Jaguars and are still undefeated. Let’s find out…
After Week 10, ESPN had the Jints in the No. 2 spot behind the Titans. After Week 11, ESPN has the Giants in the No. 2 spot again in their Power Rankings behind the Titans. The Giants have been in the No. 2 spot for five straight weeks now, but the Titans deserve the top spot as the only undefeated team remaining. When the Titans were losing 14-3 at Halftime, I thought it was our time to shine. We, as Giants fans, need to keep rooting against the Titans so Big Blue can move up to the top. The Jets are the next team on the schedule who will try to stop the Titans from going undefeated. The Panthers, the Steelers, and the Buccaneers round out their Top 5 this week. The Redskins fell from No. 5 to No. 9 after losing to the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football while the Cowboys climbed up from No. 16 to No. 11. The Eagles fell from No. 13 down to No. 17 after tying the Bengals. So the Giants are the only NFC East team in their Top 5, and the Redskins are the only other NFC East team to make their Top 10.
After Week 10, CBSSportsline had the G-MEN in the No. 2 spot behind the Titans. After Week 11, CBSSportsline has the Giants in the No. 2 spot in their Power Rankings behind the Titans. The Panthers, the Buccaneers, and the Jets round out their top 5. The Cowboys rose from No. 9 to No. 7 while the Redskins tailspined from No. 5 to No. 14. The Eagles slid from No. 14 to No. 17. The Giants are the only NFC East team in their Top 5 also, but now there is another New York team included. The Cowboys are the only other NFC East team to make their Top 10.
Only 2 out of 4 NFC Beast teams won in Week 11. The Giants are 9-1 with a 3-0 division record. Big Blue has 6 tough opponents left. The Giants will make the trip out to the desert next to take on the Cardinals. It will be interesting to see the Giants facing one of the best passing attacks in the NFL. The Cards will test the back seven rather than the front seven. The Giants haven’t had to defend a receiving corps like Arizona has yet, but I’m sure they will be up for the challenge. After Arizona, they will face the Redskins, the Eagles, the Cowboys, and the Panthers. That stretch of 3 consecutive division games will be more thrilling. As of right now, the Giants need to get to 12 wins and 5 division wins to clinch the division. The Cowboys and the Redskins are both 6-4, they beat each other head-to-head, and they both have a 2-2 division record so they are dead even with six games remaining. Obviously, if one of those teams win every game then they will have a 12-4 record with a 4-2 division record. So the Giants can lock up the division by winning their next three games regardless of what anyone else does because the three games include two division games. I’m not upset at all with the Power Rankings this week. Our boys in blue are ranked better than 30 teams so what else could I ask for? Not losing to Cleveland…We won’t face the Titans head-to-head so we should pass them once they lose a game.
It seemed like the coaching staff of the Giants sat around and determined that the best way to game plan against the Ravens was by attacking their strengths rather than exploiting their weaknesses. I figured that the G-MEN would’ve increased the ratio of passes knowing that the Ravens have been one of the best at stopping the run for nearly a decade, but the Jints developed a game plan to win the hardest way possible. Boy, did that work out for them. I guess it isn’t that crazy because the rushing attack is the Giants best weapon. So what happens when the #1 rushing team in the NFL goes up against the #1 team at stopping the run? This dominant New York Football Giants team bullied the Ravens as they rushed for 207 yards and went on to beat the Ravens 30-10. As soon as Jacobs gained 36 yards on the second play of the game, I knew this game was over. The thing that impressed me the most was how much the Giants rushed for because the Ravens were only allowing 65.4 yards per game. Baltimore did not allow any team to rush for more than 100 yards all season, and New York amassed over 200 yards.
Offense
The Giants offense consisted of a whole lot of running. Eli Manning had another Eli outing as he went 13/23 which is a 56.52% completion percentage and threw for 153 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. Manning threw his only Touch Down pass of the game to yet another weapon in Darcy Johnson early in the 2nd Quarter. Derrick Ward finished the game with 4 receptions for 54 yards. The O-Line was outstanding as they allowed Earth, Wind, and Fire to rush for 207 yards on 33 attempts which is an average of 6.27 yards per carry. It was the 3rd consecutive game in which the Giants rushed for over 200 yards so props to them. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 73 yards and 2 TDs in the first half alone, and then he was taken out of the game since he was banged up. It was actually Ahmad Bradshaw who led the team in rushing yards with 96 because he broke one open for 77 yards on one play. The Giants’ offense put up 20 of the 30 points.
Defense
The Giants defense was solid even though they did not exactly fill up a stat sheet. The Giants were harassing Joe Flacco throughout the game, but the Giants were unable to sack the rookie until Mathias Kiwanuka chased him down midway through the 4th Quarter. That was the only sack of the day for Big Blue. I was surprised that Flacco was able to run around on the Giants’ D, and he ended up leading the Ravens in rushing yards with 57. Aaron Ross was the defensive player of the day for getting 2 interceptions, and one of them was a pick 6 which he returned 50 yards to the house late in the 3rd Quarter. That was when the Giants said checkmate. It was bizarre watching the Ravens run so much in the 4th Quarter being down three scores like time is not a factor in football. Baseball is the only sport I can think of which does not have a clock so maybe Flacco thought he was playing baseball. Did the Ravens quit? The Giants’ defense put up 7 of the 30 points.
Special Teams
Lawrence Tynes was 1/1 in Field Goal Attempts. It went threw, but it was not pretty. It is also worth noting that Tynes missed an Extra Point Attempt. Carney has been perfect this season except for the one blocked field goal so it may not be the best idea to put Tynes out there until Carney gets cold. The Giants’ special teams put up 3 of the 30 points.
I guess Big Blue got a little bit of redemption as they took revenge on the team who dominated them in Super Bowl XXXV. The Giants won their ninth game which makes them 9-1. How will Big Blue fair in the next 6 games? They have the toughest schedule remaining of any team in the NFL. I predicted them to be 8-2 after the first 10 games, and they are 9-1. I got 3 games wrong so far because I had the Giants beating the Browns but losing to the Steelers, and then I had the Giants and the Eagles splitting the season series with each of them winning at home. I predicted the Giants to be 4-2 down the stretch giving them a 12-4 record. The Giants will make a trip to the desert to take on the Cardinals on Sunday.
Antonio Pierce talked to Mike Francesa of WFAN today about beating up on the Ravens yesterday. Pierce continues to speak with more and more confidence after each Giants victory. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here.
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