The Giants pulled off a major upset, but frankly the game shouldn't have even been this close. There were at least 4 times when the Giants had the chance to put the game away and didn't do it.
Their first big mistake was the idiotic personal foul on Sam Madison that gave the Packers 4 more points than they should have had, making it 17-13 instead of 13-13.
Then with a 20-17 lead R.W. McQuarters fumbled an interception (the Giants only turnover of the playoffs), which allowed the Packers to tie it up.
That was followed by a missed field goal, a fumble (McQuarters again) that cost them 10 yards, a holding penalty which nullified a touchdown, and finally another missed field goal.
But in spite of all that the Giants got the win because they dominated this game. It really wasn't even this close.
Manning totally outplayed Favre who without that 90 yard bomb to Driver would have had a terrible day. The Giants outgained them by more than 100 yards on the ground. They held the Packers to 1 out of 10 on third down conversions.
The Giants defense was stifling against the run, and good enough against the pass. And their running game pushed the Packers up and down the field and Eli Manning was incredibly precise. That was the amazing thing, he threw some really tough balls to Burress that were perfectly thrown, despite the elements.
Other than Lawrence Tynes everyone on the Giants played incredibly well.
New England Patriots 21 San Diego Chargers 12
A ho-hum performance from New England. Somehow they always manage to win but they haven't played a good game in about 2 months. The Patriots defense can be had, they give up a ton of yards and if the Chargers had been more aggressive in the red zone they might have won this game, or least forced New England to kick it up a notch. But you can't criticize them too much because they consistently do exactly what they need to do to win. And if they do it one more time they will have to be considered the best team in NFL history.
Looking Ahead
The way the Giants are playing I really think they can give the Patriots a game in the Super Bowl. I think the Patriots offense has covered up a lot of deficiencies in their defense. If the Giants employ a similar strategy to that which they used to beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV, I think they can run the ball effectively and keep Brady, Moss and company off the field. I'm still expecting the Patriots to win, but at this point, I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't.
I have been complaining to Papa Poop all season that McQuarters stinks on punt returns. He tells me every week that they like him "because he never fumbles." Fortunately for McQuarters and Papa Poop the fumbles didn't cost us the game.
ReplyDeletePaul - WE GOT THEIR NUMBER!
ReplyDeleteENUFF SAID. BRILLIANT PLAYING AND BRILLIANT COACHING..
Tynes wasn't so bad. A bad snap? He made it when it mattered.