by David ElfinFiled under: Cowboys, Giants, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis
What a weird night for Giants quarterback Eli Manning on Monday.Manning was picked off twice by the Cowboys on his first six plays, with both interceptions bounding off the hands of his intended receivers, as had been true on five of his eight INTs during the Giants' previous six games. Dallas turned those first two turnovers into a 10-0 lead.
But when Manning got the ball for a third time, he and receiver Hakeem Nicks teamed up like John Stockton and Karl Malone, shredding the Dallas secondary for gains of 13, 11 and 24 yards, before they finished the 11-play, 79-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown connection. With 4:22 left in the half, after Dez Bryant's 93-yard punt return had extended the Cowboys' lead to 20-7, Manning and Nicks did it again from eight yards out. And 3:02 later, Manning hooked up with receiver Steve Smith for a score that put the Giants ahead to stay, en route to a wild 41-35 victory that moved them alone atop the NFC East at 5-2.
"The way we started the game and were able to come back tells a lot about the mental toughness of this team," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, whose defense throttled the Cowboys until the final 3:30, adding three sacks to raise its NFC-leading total to 24.
No comments:
Post a Comment