NY Giants Rush: Monday Morning Manning – Week 14
By: Marco Imperati
On Sunday, the Giants watched NFC East rivals Washington and Philadelphia come out on top and maintain their lead in the division race. Lead by Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants won in Miami 31-24 to keep it a three team race. There are always things to correct from these 2015 Giants, however for a change, there was more good than bad.
Manning’s stat line was about as clean and dominant as fans could ask for. He went 27-31, 337 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 Interceptions. The one turnover in the game, a fumbled hand off to Andre Williams, could certainly be blamed on both Williams and Manning. This game though, was not about the one mistake or the missed field goal, it was about the Giants doing what ever they needed to do to win.
There are two things that jumped out at me during the game. One is that Tom Coughlin, amidst all the scrutiny of a blown call on fourth down to go for it instead of taking the points last week vs the Jets, still coached very aggressively tonight. His commitment to the running game had never wavered.
Finally, there was some resemblance of what the running game could bring to this offense. All four backs continued to play, but it was Jennings and Darkwa that looked most comfortable. Shane Vereen remains the biggest mystery of this season. I still can’t understand how he isn’t a bigger part of the offense.
The second big thing that stuck out to me was just how good OBJ is. Of course, I’ve been watching all along. Besides being a highlight and stat monster, he’s one of the most competitive players we’ve seen in this Coughlin/Reese era. Sky is the limit. I’m excited to watch him vs one of the best corner backs in the league this Sunday in .
Speaking of competitive number one draft picks, I can’t leave out Erreck Flowers. On a bad ankle sprain, the guy hates to miss any time and did a heck of a job shutting down defensive end Olivia Vernon. When the Oline protects Eli, this offense looks completely different. One game at a time, but man it feels good to get a win.
Up next: The Giants will welcome the undefeated Carolina Panthers. The record will surprise a few considering the amount of names that don’t get national attention on this team. However for the football fan, this team has not gone unnoticed. There as good as advertised and it will take a huge effort to sneak out a win. To add, the Giants will continue to scoreboard watch as the Eagles and Redskins try to preserve their leads in the NFC East.
@MGiants11