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 Detroit Lions beat the New York Giants by a score of 13-10.

1st Quarter

The Lions won the toss and elected to receive on the opening possession. The Lions were able to get to a manageable 3rd and 3. Kitna rolled right avoiding two sacks to hit Johnson along the right sideline for 44 yards. The Lions ran a few quick plays to pick up a first down and a few yards. On 2nd and 8, Jon Kitna connected with Roy Williams over the middle. Williams avoided a tackle by Johnson for a 20-yard Touch Down to give the Lions a quick 7-0 lead.

The Giants first possession resulted in a Punt.

The Lions second possession resulted in a Punt.

2nd Quarter

The Giants second possession resulted in a 44-yard missed Field Goal Attempt by Tynes.

The Lions third possession resulted in a Punt.

With 7:02 remaining, Wright from shotgun launched the ball to Moss for a 46-yard gain on the right side. On 1st and 10, Wright handed it off to Bradshaw who ran it up the gut for a gain of 3 yards. On 2nd and 7, Wright fired it to Hixon over the middle for a 12-yard gain. On 1st and 10, Wright threw an incomplete sidearm pass to Matthews near the right hashmarks. On 2nd and 10, Wright dropped back a lobbed the ball to the right side of the end zone, and Hixon made the catch but came down with only one foot in bounds. On 3rd and 10, Wright from shotgun threw the pass through the hands of Bradshaw in the middle of the field. On 4th and 10, Lawrence Tynes made a 33-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score Lions 7 - Giants 3.

With 4:50 remaining, Orlovsky on the rollout connected with Bellamy for gain of 5 on the right side. On 2nd and 5, Orlovsky dropped back and made a 10-yard pass to Gaines along the left sideline. On 1st and 10, Orlovsky from shotgun fired it to Bellamy on a slant for 8 yards. On 2nd and 2, Orlovsky handed it off to Smith who ran up the middle for a gain of 4 yards. On 1st and 10, Orlovsky handed it off to Smith who broke right for a 3-yard gain. 2:00 Warning. On 2nd and 7, Orlovsky from shotgun connected with Standeford on the right side for a pickup of 10 yards. On 1st and 10, Orlovsky from shotgun threw it out of bounds. On 2nd and 10, Orlovsky from shotgun fired it to Standeford on the right side for a 9-yard gain. The Lions called a Time Out. On 3rd and 1, Orlovsky handed it off to Smith who ran up the gut for no gain. The Giants called a Time Out. On 4th and 1, Jason Hanson made a 50-yard Field Goal Attempt making the score Lions 10 - Giants 3.

The Giants fourth possession came to an end as Reuben Droughns fumbled the football at the Lions’ 44 yardline and it was recovered by LaMarcus Hicks.

The Lions took a knee to conclude the first half.

Halftime

3rd Quarter

The Giants turned the ball over on downs on their fifth possession at the Lions’ 47 yardline.

The Lions sixth possession resulted in a 37-yard missed Field Goal Attempt by Johnson.

The Giants sixth possession resulted in a Punt.

The Lions seventh possession resulted in a Punt.

The Giants seventh possession resulted in a Punt.

The Lions eighth possession resulted in a Punt.

With 1:27 remaining, Carr handed it off to Ware who ran to the left for a gain of 5. On 2nd and 5, Carr from shotgun fired it to Jennings along the left sideline for a 13-yard gain. On 1st and 10, Carr dropped back and connected with London along the right sideline for a gain of 5.

4th Quarter

On 2nd and 5, Carr handed it off to Ware who ran to the left for a 3-yard gain. On 3rd and 2, Carr fired it to London over the middle who broke tackles and picked up 29 yards. On 1st and 10, Carr handed it off to Ware who broke to the left for a gain of 2. On 2nd and 8, Carr from shotgun handed it off to Ware who got the end zone, but Collins was called for an Illegal Block in the Back penalty to bring it back. On 2nd and 15, Carr from shotgun dumped it to Ware in the middle of the field for a 3-yard gain. On 3rd and 12, David Carr from shotgun drilled it to Craphonso Thorpe at the goalline who broke the plane for a13-yard Touch Down tying the game at 7-7.

The Lions ninth possession resulted in a Punt.

The Giants ninth possession resulted in a Punt.

With 7:49, Stanton ran it himself towards the right side and picked up 7 yards. On 2nd and 3, Stanton handed it off to Pinner who ran to the right for 4 yards. On 1st and 10, Stanton handed it off to Pinner who ran to the left for a gain of 3 yards. On 2nd and 7, Stanton ran it himself and out of bounds after picking up 4 yards. On 3rd and 3, Stanton dropped back and connected with Pinner in the flat who picked up 7 yards. On 1st and 10, Stanton handed it off to Pinner who ran it up the gut for no gain, and Phillips forced a fumble that Blackburn recovered. There was a Coach’s Challenge which overturned the ruling on the field. On 2nd and 10, Stanton from shotgun ran it himself and out of bounds picking up 15 yards. On 1st and 10, Stanton handed it off to Pinner who ran it to the right for a gain of 4. On 2nd and 6, the Lions were called for a False Start penalty which backed them up 5 yards. On 2nd and 11, Stanton handed it off to Pinner who ran it to the right for a 2-yard gain. The Giants called a Time Out. On 3rd and 9, Stanton from shotgun hit Calhoun in the flat for no gain. The Giants called a Time Out. On 4th and 9, Eddie Johnson made a 41-yard Field Goal Attempt giving the Lions a 13-10 lead.

The Giants turned the ball over on downs at the 50 yardline on their tenth possession.

The Lions took a few knees on their eleventh possession to end the game.

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

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