The New York Giants come into the Philadelphia Eagles‘ stadium with an impressive 7 – 1 record, and not showing any signs of letting up after their Superbowl win last season. The Eagles come into this game at 5 – 3, looking for another win against a tough division opponent. Vice President Elect, Joe Biden, was at the game to cheer on the Eagles, in a comfortable box suite, while the rest of the Eagles fans had to sit in 48 degree weather – coming up in the world, Joe.

Vice President Elect, Joe Biden, Enjoying the Game (Photo Courtesy of Chris McGrath / Getty Images)

It seems every week, as we get closer to the end of the season, the games get more important and the level of play steps up a notch. Both teams needed this win, as the remainder of their schedules are very tough; Giants have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, while the Eagles have the third toughest (based on future opponents’ winning percentages). The Eagles knew they had a brutal game ahead of them, with the Giants having the number two rushing offense in the NFL (behind the Atlanta Falcons), and with Giants‘ Head Coach Tom Coughlin being tied for the best turnovers per game ratio of any coach with 150+ games (he is tied with Tony Dungy, of the Indianapolis Colts…the team the other Manning brother plays on).

Offense

Giants

The Giants got their big tight end, Kevin Boss, going early with some short passes, and gave Brandon Jacobs the ability to have another big game this season. Off of Jacobs’ first three carries, he picked up 32 yards, and you already had the feeling he was going to have a very special game. Their first touchdown, was also Plaxico Burress‘ first catch of the game, coming off of a corner blitz that Eli Manning read perfectly. This 17-yard touchdown was the 33rd Manning-Burress touchdown combination, and was Burress’ 4th touchdown reception of the season. The first quarter was all Giants, even though it ended with them only being up 10 – 7. The Eagles only had the ball for 90 seconds in the first quarter, and the Giants dominated with 176 total yards to the Eagles measly 12.

Giants long drive that started at the end of the first, was capped with a 1-yard touchdown reception by Kevin Boss, at the start of the second quarter. Boss extended his huge 6’6″ frame to pull in this nice catch, giving him a touchdown catch in each of the last three games. That was probably the Giants most impressive drive, spanning 80 yards, over 10 plays, and taking 5:42 off the clock. It was strange to see the score close the entire first half, even though all the other stats would indicate that the Giants should have been destroying them. At the 8 minute mark in the second quarter, the Giants had 12 first downs to only 2 for the Eagles…that’s just pitiful.

Eli Manning is about as Calm as Biden (Photo courtesy of Chris McGrath / Getty Images)

The story of the game for the Giants‘ offense was how calm Manning was in the pocket, their time-of-possession, and the amazing running by Jacobs. It just seemed like Manning had all day to throw, and he nearly did – the Giants had the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game. Jacobs finished the game with 126 rushing yards, with an average of 5.7 yards per carry. My only beef with the Giants offense was how much they coughed up the ball. Several plays from Jacobs, and their other running backs, Derrick Ward & Ahmad Bradshaw, should have resulted in fumbles, but they were either down-by-contact or the ball went out-of-bounds. In my book, even if the result wasn’t an actual fumble, I am still a bit worried about the hands of my back field, if I am Tom Coughlin. Speaking of their back field, I have to mention their full back, Madison Hedgecock. The guy gets no fucking recognition, even though he is the lead blocker on the majority of these huge runs by the Giants. He has had no carries for the season, but John Madden said it best:

He has turned into the best blocking full back in the NFL.

Eagles

Don’t expect me to say a lot about the Eagles – not because I don’t like them as a team (which I do) – but because they had the ball for a third less of the game than the Giants did. In the first quarter, their first touchdown came off of a direct-snap play, in what is called a “Wildcat Formation”, that DeSean Jackson ran in. Seeing a lot more of these direct-snap plays this season, as many teams have seen how successful it has been for the Miami Dolphins (yes…those same Dolphins that went 1-15 last season, are now 5-4 to start 2008).

Jackson Dives off the Direct-Snap Touchdown (Photo courtesy of Michael Heiman / Getty Images)

It took a while for Donovan McNabb to get his rhythm; his first 9 passes only resulted on 1 reception. Eagles‘ Quarterbacks Coach, Pat Shurmur, will remind McNabb to plant his feet as he delivers the ball, which seems to be how McNabb gets out of his usual flow. By the Eagles second scoring drive, he started to have a better feel for the game. That drive went for 44 yards, spanning 6 plays, with an easy 10-yard touchdown reception for Jason Avant, when McNabb spotted his cut under-neath. Both of the Eagles first touchdowns were off of Giants‘ turnovers.

Really surprised to not hear Brian Westbrook‘s name much in this game. He is usually McNabb’s favorite target, as he has great hands for a running back. Starting the second half, Westbrook only had 17 rushing yards off of 7 runs. Even without much help from Westbrook, the Eagles start the second half much better than they ended the first. Whenever McNabb had time, the Eagles‘ receivers could find holes in the Giants secondary. On their first drive of the second half, the Eagles were unstoppable. They started with great field position after a 37-yard kick off return by Quintin Demps, and make quick work of their short field. McNabb only need 6 plays and 3:36 off the clock to finish their most impressive drive of the game with a 7-yard fade route to Hank Baskett. This was Baskett’s first catch of the game, but he practices that same fade route over-and-over in practice.

Baskett Climbs the Ladder for the Fade Route (Photo courtesy of Chris McGrath / Getty Images)

The Eagles final scoring drive included a couple big-time receptions by DeSean Jackson, and a nice scramble from McNabb himself. McNabb 5 years ago would have scored on that scramble, but those legs are not what they used to be, so he was stopped short at the 3 yard line. Since it was so late in the game, and the Eagles desperately need another score, Eagles‘ Head Coach Andy Reid elected to go for it on 4th and goal (once again, at the 3). On the next play, McNabb finds an open Kevin Curtin who was more than happy to give the Eagles another touchdown.

Down 31 – 36, with 3:14 left in the game, McNabb and the Eagles hope for another strong trot down the field. This drive included a big 17-yard gain by Curtin, and a 7-yard rush by McNabb, but it seems Andy Reid‘s hubris got the best of him. The Eagles are on their own 46, with plenty of time to come back and win this game, and are facing a 3rd and 1. As I mentioned, Westbrook was virtually non-existent in this game, and I wouldn’t count on a quarter back sneak from the aging McNabb; if I am Reid, 3rd and 1 is definitely a passing play at this point in the game. Instead, the Eagles elect to go for back-to-back rushes, thinking that it is just 1 yard – no biggie. Well, I am sorry for the Eagles fans that had the wind knocked out of their sails, but it was a biggie, and the Eagles were stopped dead in their tracks.

Defense

Giants

What defense? The Giants defense was barely on the field in the first half, and once McNabb got into a rhythm in the second half, he was virtually unstoppable. The Giants‘ secondary really had no answer for the Eagles receivers. In the first quarter, the Giants special teams recovered a fumble by Eagles‘ Demps (his only real blunder of the day, and he is a rookie after all), which only resulted in a Jeff Feagles’ field goal. I suppose I should mention the interception by Sam Madison in the second quarter, which was simply a poor throw by McNabb, and I am sure he could normally make it with his eyes closed. Another Eagles‘ turnover that only resulted in a Feagles’ field goal.

Madison was in the game to replace Corey Webster, who left a big chunk of the game to tend to a groin pull. Being someone with a groin that has stuff that doesn’t like to be pulled (well…not too hard, at least), I am sure that was really unpleasant. Webster is a better man than me though, because there is no way I would make it back to play later in the game, as he did. The only big play the Giants defense had to make was when they stopped the Eagles on their final possession, with those back-to-back rushing plays. The one that was for 4th and 1 looked like Westbrook was going to make it, but Giants‘ linebacker Chase Blackburn jarred him enough to stop his forward progress.

Eagles

Mike Patterson had a hell of a game. Off of the third play of the game, he batted down a Manning throw, and was able to hold on for an interception. Later in the game, Brandon Jacobs was running for the first down, and noticed Asante Samuel was going to tackle him low, so he tried to hurdle over him – bad move. While in mid-air, Jacobs gets absolutely railed by Chris Gocong, forcing a fumble, which Patterson recovered. Samuel had a pretty quiet game, covering Burress the entire way; that might be considered a good thing for a corner back though, because you assume if they are not throwing the ball to the man you are covering, you must have their respect. Samuel’s only memorable play was on a Giants‘ 2-point conversion attempt, when he swatted away the pass intended for Burress.

Even when the Eagles‘ secondary played the receivers well, the defensive line had no answer for the Giants‘ running back trio. Just about every time Jacobs, Ward or Bradshaw touched the ball, they picked up 4 – 7 yards. When putting it all in perspective though, the Eagles defense probably did not have a terrible game considering they were on the field a third as long as the Giants defense. Kind of an interesting penalty on Greg Lewis of the Eagles, which I figured I’d add. While Lewis was on the punt kicking team, he ran into the punt returner before the ball got there, which resulted in a 15-yard penalty. Never seen that penalty before, even though I knew it existed.

Recap

This was a fun game to watch, and you could feel the intensity in the air. Both sides played an extremely physical game, which could account for all the would-be fumbles from the Giants‘ running backs. There are two key plays that helped the Giants go 8 – 1, with a 36 – 31 victory over the Eagles. In the third quarter, Manning left the pocket and threw to Boss, which at first looked like he crossed the line-of-scrimmage. The referees conferred, and it was ruled an illegal forward pass. To which Coughlin said, “fuck you” and went for the challenge. After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field was reversed, and it was deemed a legal pass. Coughlin must have a lot of talented coaches looking at those replays, because he is the most successful coach in the history of coaches challenges (coaches challenges were initiated in 1999).

In McNabb we Trust - or Not? (Photo courtesy of Chris McGrath / Getty Images)

The other key play was one I mentioned earlier, when Andy Reid decided to go for rushing plays, back-to-back, on the Eagles final drive down the field. When you think Philadelphia Eagles, you think Donovan McNabb. McNabb is an extremely dangerous and talented quarterback, so when the game is on the line, I want it in his hands. Perhaps on another day, when Westbrook would have been on his A-game, it would not have been such an easy decision, but even still you have to give McNabb the opportunity to win you the game. Beyond that, the numbers speak for themselves: in 2008, the Eagles are 5 for 14 when faced with 3rd or 4th and 1 yard when attempting rushing plays, while they are 3 for 3 with passing plays. To me, it was a no brainer to try to have McNabb win it, but then again, I am not paid the big bucks!

Giants simply dominated time of possession, with solid rushing from Jacobs, and excellent protection for Manning. Even when McNabb could get a feel for the game, Giants proceed to put a beat-down on the Eagles‘ defense, thus keeping him off the field. Boss had a good game as usual, ending with a career high 69 yards receiving. Westbrook is normally really explosive out of the back field for the Eagles, but he was virtually non-existent for this game. Other than his fumble, Demps had several key kick off returns, and wide receivers Avant, Curtis & Jackson had decent games for McNabb. In a nutshell, the Giants were able to play their type of game on offense, and Reid was out-coached by Coughlin.

One last thought…

I think I witnessed the best hurdle of all time when I watched this game. Kevin Boss was going down the left sideline, and strong safety Quintin Mikell cam over for the tackle. Mikell, standing 5’10″ is at a eight inch height disadvantage and nearly 50 pound weight disadvante with the Giants big tight end, so he has to improvise when trying to take Boss down. Mikell tries to take Boss’ feet out, so Boss jumps straight over him; Mikell literally did not get a finger on Boss. It was fucking awesome to watch – I literally jumped out of my seat when I saw it. It is just not every day that you see a 6’6″ tight end hurdle over a strong safety.

All photos courtesy of Getty Images

New England Patriots come into this game at 5-2, facing a struggling Indianapolis Colts, who desperately need a big victory at 3-4. This game marks Tony Dungy’s 200th regular season game as the Colts head coach. The Colts really needed this win to get the players back in a winning mentality. Weather permitted the Colts retractable roof to open up, but they decided to partially close it to keep the noise level up. Joseph Addai, Colts starting running back, comes back after missing the last two games due to injury. BenJarvus Green-Ellis starts at running back for the Patriots, as Laurence Maroney is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

It is interesting the way Colts quarter back, Peyton Manning, calls the plays at the line-of-scrimmage, and typically in a no huddle setup. Tom Moore, offensive coordinator, will give Manning a concept to play out, Manning then calls the specific play, and tells his offense at the line. The wide receivers don’t come in for the plays, so the guys in the slot will tell them the play that is being run. Manning is one of few quarter backs that could be trusted to run a team’s offense in a similar way.

Manning Getting his Groove Back (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

On the other side of the football, as most of America knows, Tom Brady is out for the season, and Matt Cassel is standing in. John Madden explains the difference between Cassel and Brady: “Matt Cassel takes what the defense gives him; Tom Brady was a guy that would take what he wanted.”

Matt Cassel on the Run (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Offense

The Colts got Addai a lot of touches early, to get him back into the flow of the offense. Their opening drive consisted of some hard running from Addai, a nice middle-of-the-field pass to Dallas Clark, and capped with an outside pattern by Anthony Gonzalez, for his first touchdown of the season. Gonzalez was the Colts first pick last season, and is already showing promise as another option for Manning in the slot. His touchdown was the 15th play of a 9-minute opening drive. This was Gonzalez‘ first TD grab of the game, but he was not done there.

Addai Back After Injury (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Later in the third quarter, on the Colts‘ first possession of the second half, Gonzalez has a stellar 8-yard catch for his second TD of the game, which was perfectly placed by Manning just over the hands of the Patriots Mike Richardson. That drive had a couple big plays by Reggie Wayne, and a key pass play to Clark off of a play-action fake. After this TD, the Colts elected to go for two points (to go up 15-12), which they converted off a brilliant catch by Wayne. Wayne held onto the ball even after getting absolutely rocked by the Patriots Brandon Meriweather. After seeing the replay from various angles, I was thoroughly impressed that Wayne held onto the ball – I know I would have dropped it, and most likely shit my pants too.

Gonzalez Game of his Career (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

For their last scoring drive in the fourth quarter, the Colts moved the ball around with some pretty moves, in the open field, from Clark to start the drive. On a crucial 3rd and 9, Gonzalez comes up with a huge 24-yard down the middle, and he took some punishment from another hard hit from Meriweather. Now the Colts were technically in field goal range, and they asked Adam Vinatieri to step up big time. Vinatieri had not made a 50+ yard field goal in his last 91 games (over 6 and a half years in the NFL), and he was going to attempt a 52 yard kick. His make ended up being the game winner, putting the Colts ahead for good at 18-15.

Vinatieri Game Winner (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Under Matt Cassel, the Patriots are obviously a very different team. Their passing attack relies heavily on lots of short, quick passes. 75% of Cassel‘s passes on the season come from the 0-10 yard range, which is a stark contrast to the way Brady loves airing it out. At the start of the second quarter, the Patriots have a solid 56-yard drive which should have ended in a touch down, but Colts corner back Tim Jennings broke up a certain TD pass, thus forcing the Patriots to settle for a field goal.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis & Kevin Faulk make up the Patriots back field, and although they do miss Maroney back there, these two are worthy surrogates. Green-Ellis is a really powerful runner, and had a solid game, while Faulk is more a utility back, as he will play in the slot for short passes & screens, or be put in for draw plays.

Green-Ellis Splitting the Defense (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The biggest surprise was that for the entire first half, Randy Moss was not thrown to once. It seemed liked they used him primarily as a decoy, because whichever side he lined up one was the side that the Colts strong Safety, Bob Sanders, would favor. This allowed the Patriots to open up their rushing game, and Wes Welker got lots of touches, even though he was kept in check for the majority of the first half. Welker came into the game with 49 receptions for the season, which lead the team with receptions, and this was his 8th game in a row with at least 6 receptions. During the second half, the Patriots woke up and starting throwing to Moss, who finished the game with 65 yards on 6 receptions, but they really should have gotten him going in the first half.

Quiet Day for Randy Moss (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

A key moment in the game was on the Patriots long drive that started at the end of the third quarter and ended with a field goal, taking 6:34 off the clock. During the drive, Moss for had a nice 11-yard gain for a 1st down, and Faulk blew by the Colts defensive line on a gain of 15 yards. On this drive, Cassel had his nicest throw of the entire game, but it only showed up as an incomplete pass. Jabar Gaffney ran a fade route, beating the coverage for what should have been an EASY 39-yard touchdown. He was so wide open on this play, he could have written a haiku on his trot into the end zone. Instead, he decides to let the ball go right between his hands. This was a ball my mom could have caught; needless to say, Gaffney – you fucking blew it. The drive was still alive, after a couple plays the Patriots have a 3rd and long on the Colts 17. Cassel goes to Welker, who comes up just a yard shy of the first down at the Colts 7. At the time, the Patriots were down 12-15, and they were facing a 4th and 1, which they initially were going for. I guess Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had a change of heart, and uses their final timeout to get the field goal unit out there for the easy 25-yard field goal.

Defense

Colts defense is under-sized, with no player over six feet tall, but where they lack in size, they make up for in “hitting the snot out of you”. That is not a stat yet, but the NFL should consider it with players like Bob Sanders and Keiwan Ratliff absolutely laying wide receivers out. Colts safety’s were playing deep on most passing plays, which made it extremely easy for the Patriots to run draw plays at their will, and all their little underneath passes. Sanders picked off Cassel late in the game, but it really did not affect the outcome of the game.

Strong Performance from Sanders (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

On the other side of the field, it seemed like any decent yardage passing plays by the Colts meant their wide receivers were going to get a beat-down. As mentioned earlier, Meriweather had some Earth-shattering hits, and Mike Vrabel was no stranger tackling the Colts receivers in the slot. Vrabel had several key tackles to stop the Colts drives as they were building up momentum. Patriots obviously miss having Rodney Harrison out there on defense, both as another hard-hitter, and team leader. Harrison has missed the last two games on injured reserve, and will be missing the remainder of the season with a thigh injury.

Surprisingly, there were no sacks in the game for either team, and the Colts offensive line did a good job of making sure Manning was hardly touched. Cassel did a really good job of reading the Colts blitzes, which was impressive consider his lack of NFL experience.

Recap

The first half of this game was almost as boring as the Jets versus Raiders. There were no big plays, no real excitement on either side of the ball, or even on special teams. Madden described it as “a very conservative first half” which is pretty much code for they played like a bunch of pussies. For Pete’s sake, there wasn’t even a fucking penalty called in the first half! The first penalty of the game was called at 9:26 in the third quarter, which was the Patriots first overall penalty in their last 7 quarters of play. When the second half rolled around, there was definitely much more energy on the field. You could say the first half was the boring foreplay, and the second half was when they started exchanging deep anal thrusts.

While I typically respect just about any decision coach Belichick makes, I have got to say his challenge at the beginning of the first half was “ill-advised” at best. The challenge in question was that he believed the Colts had 12 men on the field, which would have got the Patriots a little yardage (had he won the challenge), but it was not worth the risk, given the circumstances. Later in the third quarter, Cassel needs to call a timeout (why, I could not figure out) which left the Patriots with one lone timeout for the game, and as I mentioned earlier, Belichick used their final timeout with his change-of-heart on the 4th and 1 play. Not to say having the timeouts would have changed the outcome of the game, but they might have. The Colts final possession revolved solely around running out the clock, leaving the Patriots with only 29 seconds to try to march up the field, from their own 20 yard line, to tie it up with a field goal. These timeout blunders, and Gaffney‘s terrible dropped ball were keys to the Patriots loss. If you are reading this Gaffney, I hope you understand that you absolutely fucking blew it. Cassel gave you an early Christmas present, and instead of taking the wrapping off, you decide to burn it to a crisp with your Zippo.

This first half was tough to watch, as it was very much “let’s not make a mistake” and none of “let’s try to win the game.” I was happy to see more action in the second half, but it still felt like both teams were hesitant. The game was the Colts to lose, and it was definitely a must win for them. Had they lost and fell to 3-5, it could have very easily been the beginning of the end of their season. This was a big win for the Colts, against a strong team (Brady or not). Manning showed some sparkles of his past brilliance, and Cassel showed some real poise and concentration. I am sure the Manning family was happy to see both of their sons win. Cassel did have a couple “what the fuck?” moments, but he was in control for the most part. Even though the Titans and Giants success this season is over-shadowing the rest of the league, the Colts and Patriots are not going to go away easy.

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Week 9 brings the Dallas Cowboys come into New York Giants stadium needing a win against a playoff contender. Cowboys, at 5-3 go up against a really tough Giants team, at 6-1, with back up quarterback Brad Johnson leading the Cowboys for the third week in a row. Giants come into this game with the third best offense in the NFL, and the number one overall rushing offense. Tony Romo, the Cowboys usual starting QB is sitting out because his pussy is aching – or as they tell the NFL, because he has a broken pinky finger on his throwing hand. Compare Romo‘s injury to Jason Witten, the Cowboy’s all-star tight end, who is the NFC’s top receiver, who came into the game with a broken rib. Cowboys have a bye next week, and pussy Romo should be coming back for their game in two weeks.

Offense

Giants start the game exactly the way they ended it – absolutely walking over the Cowboys. Giants opening drive ended with a nice 13-yard touch down to Eli Manning‘s big tight end, Kevin Boss. The Giants attack was relentless, and everyone was involved. Eli Manning had a solid game, with three touch downs in the first half (only the second time of his career). Really, the only blemishes on Manning‘s day was a pass in the first half to Plaxico Burress, where they were not on the same page, which meant rookie corner back Mike Jenkins was able to run back an easy interception for a TD, and a play in the second quarter where the ball just slipped out of his hand, where the Cowboys recovered on the Giants 16. Not like that play mattered though, since two plays later, the Cowboys Terrell Owens was stripped by defensive back Antonio Pierce, and the Giants recovered. While I really don’t like Terrell Owens, I will give him some credit and mention that this was his first fumble as a Cowboy, and his first fumble since 12/12/04.

Manning Hand off to Jacobs (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Brandon Jacobs ran really hard today, with a 12-yard touch down run giving him his 7th TD of the year, along with a big 31-yard gain, which took him to his 8th career 100+ yard rushing game (3rd of this season). The Cowboys defense was simply way too undisciplined, and played like they had no heart – both Jacobs and Derrek Ward ran all over them, including a 17-yard touch down run where Ward went virtually untouched. Amani Toomer, in his 13th season in the NFL, caught his 52nd career touchdown, and 2nd of this season. Steve Smith had a decent game for the Giants as well, including his first TD of his career.

Kevin Boss Excellent TD Reception (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

It is tough to make this review seem not so one-sided, but that is simply how the game was. Marion Barber, the Cowboys starting RB, is one of my favorite players to watch, but even he was quite for nearly the entire game. Main reason with Barber being so non-existent is that Felix Jones, the Cowboys other explosive back, is injured, and without Romo starting at QB, the Giants really did not have to worry much about any passing game. Barber‘s only memorable rush was a nice 16-yard burst, but he did not have his usual dominance.

One of Owens Few Catches (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Cowboys offense only scored 7 points today, but even that drive was too little, too late. That touchdown came off of the Cowboys‘ only real drive of the game, which ended early in the fourth quarter, being capped off by Terrell Owens‘ 137th touchdown catch (he is #4 on the all-time list). Just to give you an idea of how bad it was for the Cowboys offense – before this drive, they had 72 total yards – this drive alone was 75 total yards. Jason Witten is arguably the best tight end in football today, but you could not tell with his performance today. Not like I am going to fault a guy playing with a broken rib, but he definitely did not his usual high-caliber play.

Defense

The Giants defensive line was brutally relentless, led by Justin Tuck having his way with the Cowboys offensive line. Tuck ended the game with two and a half sacks. Brad Johnson throws a terrible pass intended for Terrell Owens, which Corey Webster picks off for his second interception of the season, and his first interception of the game. Webster does not finish there, as he picks off Johnson again, who forced a ball in for Jason Witten, who was triple-covered.

Tuck Sacking Bollinger (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

After such horrible play from Johnson in the first half, the third string quarterback for the Cowboys, Brooks Bollinger, starts the second half. For his first pass play, Bollinger throws a really under-thrown pass, intended for Jason Witten, which is easily picked off by James Butler of the Giants. In addition to that first pass from Bollinger, he had two passes that went right through the hands of the Giants secondary, which should have been interceptions.

Corey Webster Interception (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Absolutely poor tackling by the Cowboys all game, especially in the second half. Cowboys had six defensive penalties in the first half, which is not the way you want to start a game against a team as powerful as the Giants. While the Cowboys did get some pressure on Manning early, it was merely a fluke, as the Cowboys defense was practically non-existent. DeMarcus Ware, on the Cowboys defensive line was literally the only player on the Cowboys defense that seemed to give a shit about winning. Cowboys defense had to be completely exhausted by the end of the game, with the huge time of possession advantage the Giants held. The time of possession edge the Giants held was 20:57 versus 9:03 for the Cowboys.

Recap

Although the Giants only beat the Cowboys 35-14, the game was never a contest. To say the Giants merely put a beat down on the Cowboys is an understatement. This was the most pathetic I have seen the cocky Cowboys play this season, or even in recent memory. Today, the Cowboys fans had to be embarrassed, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The Cowboys will need to get some changes in place before they meet the Redskins and Steelers, or they might be looking at the 2009 for actually making the playoffs. America’s team got it up the butt, with no lube, and a sandpaper condom. The Giants, on the other hand, are putting themselves in a very good position to look seriously at back-to-back titles. Agreeably, it is still very early in the season to make those kind of projections, but the Giants are simply playing at a higher level than the rest of the league.

All photos courtesy of NFL.com