Missed opportunities early on doom the Giants

By Jonathan Solomon  |   Tuesday, October 18, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

New York Giants
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!
If you're a fan of fundamentally sound football, last Sunday's NFC East division contest was not for you. The Dallas Cowboys outlasted the New York Giants in overtime to win 16-13. The score is the result of some of the worst football play you'll ever see from a standpoint of turnovers. In total, the game saw a total of eight turnovers, four from each team. The Cowboys were able to take advantage of the Giants weak secondary when they had to and pulled out a victory in extra time.

For most of the first half, the New York Giants' offense did nothing but stall. They received plenty of opportunities thanks to turnovers from Dallas but could never punch it in. The Giants defense was a clear case of bending without breaking, which simply lets offenses drive but stops them from scoring a touchdown. The Cowboys coughed up the ball due to a poor snap from center Al Johnson to Drew Bledsoe and a heads-up play from Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora in smacking the ball out of Bledsoe's grip. Still, the only points Big Blue were able to muster up came on a pair of first half field goals from Jay Feely, who has been as consistent as you could possibly ask.

Dallas was able to take the lead just prior to the half when Bledsoe found a wide-open Jason Witten for the touchdown. There wasn't a blue jersey within five yards of the tight end.

The Cowboys defense was masterful at shutting down another high-powered offense, last week they did the same versus the Philadelphia Eagles. In previous weeks, Eli Manning had some of his best games, but not this time. He finished the day completing only 46% of his thirty attempted passes for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Tiki Barber just rushed 14 times for 64 yards.

The only time the Cowboys defense let up was at the end of regulation. Prior to then, with possession inside the Cowboys five-yard line, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin put rookie runner Brandon Jacobs in to push it. The rookie fumbled the ball after a Roy Williams hit. The Giants defense came back and quickly forced a Cowboys offensive three-and-out. Once Eli Manning got the ball back with about thirty seconds left and down by a touchdown, he drove. He was rushed but was able to find Plaxico Burress downfield and then tied the game on a Jeremy Shockey touchdown pass.

Overtime came and the Cowboys won the coin toss and elected to receive. Drew Bledsoe led the Cowboys downfield in eight plays, which led to a game winning Jose Cortez 45-yard field goal.

There were no major injuries for the Giants. Carlos Emmons left the game in the second half after aggravating a sore knee. Cornerback Will Peterson was not active and is only expected to miss at least a month. The Cowboys lost receiver Patrick Crayton to what is assumed to be a broken ankle after being tangled up with cornerback Curtis DeLoatch during a tackle. Also lost for the Cowboys, is offensive lineman Flozell Adams, for the season with a torn knee ligament.

The largest telling numbers out of this game (besides the turnovers) is third down efficiency. The Giants only converted 1-of-11 third downs while the Cowboys were able to convert 9-of-16. With numbers like that, the Giants were lucky to only lose by a field goal in overtime. The Giants still, have yet to win on the road with Eli Manning as their quarterback, which should be alarming to anyone with a pulse. With that said, the New York Giants will return home to Giants Stadium for the next two weeks to play the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report