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By Michael Stewart

The New York Giants pull off a surprise victory over the Kansas City Chiefs with an overtime win 12-9.  In my preview article, I mentioned three matchups that the Giants needed to either win or keep it close if they had any chances of winning. First was the Giants defense needed to play like the 2016 defense and not the 2015 team. Secondly, the Giants offense needed to run the ball well enough to keep the Chiefs offense off the field and thirdly specials teams for the Giants needed to make an impact in this game to give the Giants a chance. Well, the defense was outstanding led by safety Landon Collins (14 tackles) and rookie Linebacker Calvin Munson (12 tackles). The defense forced the Chiefs into 3 turnovers; which the Giants converted 9 of their 12 points directly from. Lastly, Kicker Aldrick Rosas contributed 2 field goals (one being the winner) and punter Brad Wing averaged 42.5 yards on 6 punts with two landing inside the 20 yard line.

Top reasons why the Giants won:

  1. Giants defense: The Giants defense pressured quarterback Alex Smith just enough to force into throwing 2 interceptions for the first time all season. The Giants also kept rookie running back Kareem Hunt in check by limiting him to 73 yards; with the longest run being only 12 yards.
  2. Turnovers: The Giants needed to have an excellent performance by the defense and they responded by forcing the Chiefs into three turnovers which accounted for 9 of their 12 points.
  3. Giant’s offense: Eli Manning and the rest of the Giants offense needed to contribute more by running the ball better against a Chiefs defense that was weak against the run. The Giants had 112 yards on the ground and although the Chiefs gained more (134), this kept the Giants offense on the field longer; which gave the Giants defense more time rest and kept the Chiefs offense off the field more.

Hero: Got to it give to Safety Landon Collins and rookie Linebacker Calvin Munson for very active and making plays all over the field. Overall, the Giants defense was the difference with these two players leading the way.

Goat: Quarterback Alex Smith: Not sure if it was due to a bye week or not, but Smith looked indecisive at times in the pocket and his passes were often over thrown or too short of his intended targets. A lot of that was due to the Giants pressure and coverage that made Smith check off to his 3rd option targets instead.

Final Thoughts: With the win, the Giants are now 2-8 and will have a short week to prepare for their next opponent the Washington Redskins on Thanksgiving evening in Washington. Last season, the Redskins swept the two game series and are 5-5 thus far. From this point on, the schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Giants will face the Redskins, Raiders, Cowboys, Eagles, Cardinals and the Redskins