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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants are not the same team that we saw meltdown in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys. This team is building confidence each week, despite the amount of injuries New York has had to deal with this season. Coming into Sunday night’s contest, the Giants were riding a two game win streak. In each of their last two games, the Giants had won by a double digit margin. The theme that allowed them to pick up those wins was finishing. New York in their last two games, did a great job of not having a letdown and playing a full four quarters.
Sunday night the Giants continued the trend, by playing a full four quarters and finishing the game strong. In the post game interview with Larry Donnell, he had mentioned the team’s new motto. “So What?, Now What?” This motto has been infused throughout the clubhouse, and it shows on the field. New York played tenaciously on both sides of the ball. Whether it was the defense coming together for a gang tackle or a receiver fighting for extra yards, New York played their hearts out against the San Francisco 49ers.
The game was evenly played, even though for most of the game the Giants led. After the 3rd quarter, the Giants were up 20-13 and in the driver’s seat to win the game. However, Colin Kaepernick got hot and started to find his veteran receiver Anquan Boldin. Boldin finished the game with 8 receptions for 107 yards and a TD. The 49ers also got major contributions from Carlos Hyde. Hyde had 21 carries for 93 yards and a TD, which put the 49ers up 27-23 with less than two minutes remaining.
Eli Manning was a huge reason why New York came out with the victory. On the last drive of the game, Manning drove them 82 yards down the field to win the game. Larry Donnell made an incredible catch over two defenders in the end zone to give the Giants a 30-27 victory. Manning had a career night, throwing for 441 yards and 3 TD’s. The 41 completions Manning had, broke Phil Simms single game record set in 1985.
Odell Beckham Jr. has also shown that he is a force to be reckoned with. Beckham Jr. didn’t look like he could be guarded out there by anyone. He repeatedly got open and caught passes for chunks of yardage. Beckham Jr. finished the game with 7 receptions for 121 yards and a TD. Shane Vereen has really started to establish himself as a threat in this offense as well. Vereen had 8 catches for 86 yards and a TD, as well as 24 yards rushing on 5 carries.
New York will go on the road to play their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) Monday night. The Giants will need to do a better job getting pressure on the quarterback. They ran into problems against the 49ers when they allowed Kaepernick to get comfortable in the pocket. Also, the Giants will need to play clean football. New York had six penalties that cost them 65 yards. Free yardage from penalties is an easy way to get a loss, and what separates good teams from great teams. A win against the Eagles would give the Giants more first place breathing room, and further establish themselves as a force in the NFC.
Barry Holmes is a Feature Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732.