Yesterday was unquestionably the most complete performance we've seen out of them this year. The offense scored 24 points, the offense gave up 2 points, and the defense gave up 0.
All year the Jints have managed to get this far even while being a wholly one dimensional team. Eli this year proved if there was any doubt that it is indeed impossible to say elite without Eli, having his best year by far with his group of elite receivers-Cruz, Nicks, Manningham, and Ballard,.
They did this was a running game that was last in the NFL in rushing yards, and a defense that was near the bottom in yards allowed.
Injuries were a big part of this and with key people returning to the offensive line and on defense there had been some improvement the last few weeks. Before yesterday, the Dallas game has been the most complete game of the year.
Yesterday's 24-2 blowout of the Falcons was by far their most complete performance of the year, as for the first time the running game had a stellar game gaining 172 rushing yards to go with Eli's 277 off of 23-32 passing.
Early in the game when the passing game was slow to get started the running of both Bradshaw and Jacobs got the offense moving. For the first time all year, the running game set up the passing game-usually it falls all on the passing game and it can't afford to have an off day.
In the first half the running game actually out gained the passing 75-53. Indeed, the passing game gave up the 2 points-intentional grounding call against Eli in the endzone. In the second half the passing game took off and there was no looking back.
Can this team do it will this be like 2007? There are a lot of similarities. Both years they were not favorites of the prognisticators and weren't supposed to do much, this year's team was really even expected to make the playoffs.
Both teams played the NFL favorite that was currently unbeaten to a tough loss-to make it even more eerily similar the lostt to the 15-0 Pats in 2007 is the same score as they fell to this year's 11-0 Packers- 38-35.
Both teams had to rally late in the year to make the playoffs at all after a poorly played 13 point home loss to the Washington Redskins-neither year were the Skins playing for anything but pride-this year a 23-10 loss to drop to 7-7; in 2007 a 22-9 loss to drop to 9-5.
What the 2011 and 2007 Giants share is a belief they can play with anyone. This year not only did they have the closs loss to the Pack, but a 24-20 win over the Pats, the two victories over Dallas, and a closs loss (27-20) to the 49ers.
The only team they haven't been able to play with were the Saints who blew them out 49-24. In Saturday's demolition of the Lions, the Saints looked almost the same with the machine like precision of that offense, winning 45-28-close to the same score of the Giants game with the same total points in the game of 73.
We'll see if yesterday's game was the start of a Giants team with more balance. Having seen them do it time and again who can doubt they have a shot against the Packers? Eli's claim before the season to be on Tom Brady's level personifies the attitude of this team. They see no one as better than them. Again, who can doubt them?
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