Giants' Best Win of the Season

Last Sunday afternoon the Giants, bloodied and battered on offense, hosted a hot Jacksonville team in a game they had to win. The problem was finding a way to win a game in which they would almost certainly not generate any offense. After all, their offensive line was in tatters, missing their starting pro bowl center and his backup, as well as their starting pro bowl left tackle and his backup. Worse, the Giants went into the season without a blocking tight end, choosing to rely upon Shawn Andrews to fill that role, but injuries forced Andrews into a starting position on the line and then into a hospital bed. So the Giants must try to run behind an offensive line missing three key components. To add to the offensive woes the Giants were forced to add two street free agent wide receivers to the roster because both starting wide outs, Smith and Nicks, were likely to miss several games to injury.

So, the question was, if the Giants had no wide receivers to throw to, and no offensive line to block, how in the world were they going to generate enough offense to stay competitive? Indeed, I worried that they were unlikely to score more than 10 points and, therefore, the key to any victory would fall squarely on the shoulders of a healthy and dominant Giants defense.

So it was not a big surprise to find the Giants down 17-6 at halftime. What was surprising was that the Giants' offense had played surprisingly well, the offensive line, in particular. Manning was kept upright and the line had opened huge holes for Jacobs and Bradshaw. And although the failure to finish drives with touchdowns was disappointing, the reality behind the paltry six points was the lack of opportunities - the offense only touched the ball four times the entire half. It was the Giants defense that was the primary culprit. They couldn't stop the run and Jacksonville shoved it straight down their collective throats. The defensive performance was horrific and faced a cascade of well deserved boos as they trudged off the field at half time.

In the second half the defense finally played some football and Jacksonville would only score three more points the rest of the game. Players would later credit Tuck for a passionate half time motivational speech. Rolle would later criticize the fans for their uncalled for booing at half time, obviously believing he deserves a standing ovation at all times. One can only hope that the true reason behind the turnaround was the collective shame and embarrassment of every defensive player regarding the pathetic performance of the defense in a game that, heading in, was dependent upon their very best.

The defense rose up and the Giants would win 24-20. The defense finally stuffed the run and got after the QB. The game would end with three consecutive sacks after Jacksonville had a first and 10 at the Giants 29 yard line, the third sack resulting in the Giants recovery of a Garrard fumble. But it was the play of the offensive line that was the key to the victory. They played as good, if not better, than could have been expected had the starters played. And that fact has to provide comfort that the Giants have more than a fighting chance to keep their heads above water while waiting for the injured to return.

Today they face the Redskins in Giants stadium still without Smith of Nicks and still with the same patchwork offensive line. However, after the performance last week, they can, should, and must win this game.