As anticipated, the swirling winds in Giants stadium rendered the Giants powerful offense one dimensional, allowing Tampa Bay to put 8 men in the box with one goal in mind - stop Tiki Barber and force the game into the hands of Eli. Also, as anticipated, it wasn't enough to allow Tampa Bay to win the game.
The Giants defense played a fantastic game. They limited Tampa Bay to 9 yards of offense in the first half right before Tampa's final drive of the half. That is 9 total yards. And the performance was turned in by a Giants D that had 3 starters that didn't dress (Arrington, Osi, and Madison) - along with Tuck - and Brandon Short was out for most of the game after getting his thigh dinged. It was quite a statement about the Giants strength and depth.
Brandon Jacobs had a huge game - with big runs when the Giants needed it - especially because Tampa was keeping Tiki bottled up. He played with attitude and my only complaint is that the Giants didn't go to him sooner when it was apparent that Tampa was keying on Tiki so heavily.
Almost as soon as the game was over, I found myself thinking about Chicago. I know, there is still Houston and it is bad form to look beyond the next game. But I'm a fan and what fun is that? If the Giants don't beat Houston then they don't deserve the Super Bowl talk. But that is a moot point because they are going to destroy Houston.
Before this weekend I had been thinking that the game against the Bears was a probable loss and that it wasn't an essential game for the Giants - just a bump in the road on the way to a Division Championship. However after this weekend I no longer feel that way. The Bears game is truly a critical game for the Giants if the Super Bowl is truly the goal in 2006.
Chicago completely obliterated the 49ers yesterday. They remind me of the 1985 Bears - which is not a good thing for a Giants fan. The 1985 Giants were an awesome team with only one problem - the path to the Super Bowl went through Chicago that year. The 1985 Bears had a defense for the ages (not an easy admission for a Giants fan since I believe the Giants 1986 defense was one of the greatest ever). But in 1985 Chicago had an absolutely dominating defense that was simply too much for the Giants to overcome in a windy day in Chicago. I am beginning to see parallels in 2006 to 1985, rather that 1986. In two weeks time we will see.
If the Giants can't beat the Bears at home at a time when the Giants are on a roll, how will they have any confidence when they take on the Bears in Chicago in January? When it comes to team sports, one cannot overemphasize the importance of team confidence - a swagger that develops - a sense of destiny that takes hold of a team's psyche. It is crucial and any player that has played on a championship team can tell you all about it. It is for that reason that the Giants must win in two weeks when they play the Bears at home - to provide them with the confidence they will need when they meet again in the NFC Championship game in Chicago.
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