The Giants offense is
not on fire quite to the extent that the media is painting Eli/Giants out to
be. The Question is:
Can the Falcons keep
from allowing Eli to get 70+ yard scoring plays (particularly Victor Cruz)?
And can the Falcons
keep away from giving the Giants the ball with less than 60 yards to go?
These 2 questions
may very well hold the key to deciphering this match up. In the last 2 weeks of the regular season,
the Giants scored 36 of their 60 points from either a 74 + pass play (14 of
their 60 pts) to Cruz (1 for 99, and 1 for 74), or when they were given
possession with 59 or less yards to go (22 of their 60 pts). In other words, other than one broken play
(vs Jets) on 3rd and 10 they struck gold for 99 yards, hit a pass
for 74 yard score, got a excessively short field, or they usually will end up
punting. In the last 2 weeks, with a
standard possession of 60 (or more ) yards to go, and without a 74+ yard single
passing score the Giants only scored 24 total points (in 2 games) from 19 total
qualifying possessions. Of those 19
possessions, they punted 13 times, scored 4 times (3 TDs and 1 FG), threw 1
INT, went for it on 4th down once (failed), and totaled 424 yards
(or 22.32 total yards per offensive possession).
2 weeks ago vs the
Jets, It is all smoke and mirrors.
The Giants appear to be rolling on offense, but if not for a fluke play,
and Sanchez incompetence; the Giants would have probably been held to 7 points
for the entire game, and lost this one. In
the first half Eli was being dominated to the extreme—he had a 3rd
down and 10 @ his own 1 yard line when he hit victor Cruz for a 9 yd pass into
double coverage (one defender tried to reach around, while the other fell down)
and it went for 99 yard score. Other than that play, Eli had completed only 25%
of his passes for only 5.5 yards per attempt in the first half. Other than that one fluke play, the Giant’s
were held to 78 total first half yards, and 3 points from a drive that started
from the Giants 45 yard line.
Sanchez was beyond
a doubt the Gmen’s MVP. If not
for his 2 INT’s, 1 fumble, and his being sacked for a safety (late in the 4th,
where the Jets had to try an onside kick from their own 20), the Giants would
have lost this game.
Not counting that one ‘fluke’ and only counting ‘normal’ NFL
drives (beginning from their own 40 or beyond), the Giants had 10 drives that
produced a total of 133 yards (81 from a 4 play scoring drive, and 15 from a
roughing the passer penalty). Minus 5
plays (the 4 play / 81 yd score, and the 15 yard penalty) from non-Sanchez
gifts, the Giants had 9 possessions that produced 7 three and outs, 1 INT, and
one 6 and out for a whopping total of 52 yards (around 2 yards per play total),
8 punts, 1 INT.
Vs Dallas I : Dallas was up by 12 pts with 6:35 to go in the
game and NY scored one of their final 2 TD’s in less than 5 minutes with…you
guessed it, a short field (58 yards). In
this game, the Giant’s scored 13 of their 37 pts (35%) with a short field (59
or less to start their drive).