The Giants picked up their first win of the season today, and looked pretty darn good in the process. Yeah, we’re not exactly dealing with a high standard of success thus far in the new McAdoo-Manning regime, but progress is definitely being made. If what we saw from the Giants today is going to become a regular sight, then maybe the doom-and-gloom prophecies can wait.
Giants Gameday Aftermath
That 70 Percent Thing? Yeah, it’s Possible: We saw some signs that the offense was starting to figure it out last week. Self-inflicted wounds were the culprit then, but the positive takeaway was that Eli Manning was finally looking comfortable after a summer’s worth of agony. Fast forward to yesterday, and you saw a quarterback who looked in complete command of what he wanted to do. Utilizing the no-huddle, Manning (21-28/234 YDs/2 TDs) was on point all day. Granted, if the Texans had Jadeveon Clowney to take away the extra attention to J.J. Watt, things may not have looked so sublime. But for an offense, and a quarterback, still looking to find consistency, the work put in by the offense was a thing of beauty.
Rashad Jennings Ran With a Purpose: The Giants’ new workhorse back had a career day against the Texans, rushing for 176 yards on 34 carries. But his masterpiece was not out of fear of falling into an 0-3 hole on the season, but for something much more important. And after the month the NFL has had where it seems like the actions a select few bad apples may shred the league asunder, it’s nice to read stories like this.
“I told my teammates, ‘Whatever reason you play this game, play that way,” said Jennings. “Whether it’s a child with cancer you want to motivate, play that way. If it’s to prove somebody wrong, play that way. If it’s to play for this team, play that way. If it’s because your grandma’s watching you, play that way. Today, I was just reminded that my father has diabetes and he ended up getting both of his legs amputated. He doesn’t have legs. Today, I remembered that I do have them. “You’ve got to find a different motivation outside of this game to push you,” Jennings continued. “Simply playing football to my best ability is how I say, ‘Thank you,’ to God for giving me this talent.”
Who knows if this served as a rallying cry for his teammates, but Jennings went out there with a purpose today. As he goes, so does Manning. And as Manning goes, so do the Giants.
Aside From One Drive, the Defense Was Just Fine: The Giants were able to fluster Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick into three picks, which was something they hadn’t yet done until yesterday. Playing without Arian Foster, the Texans put the ball into the jittery quarterback’s hands and made his day mostly miserable. Even though the Giants felt charitable for a 96-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter, pulling the game to 17-10, the game never really felt like it was going to slip this time.
The Zak DeOssie Moment: The second-generation Giant did this. Stop it. Ugh.
Up Next: The Giants go back on the road on Thursday, taking on feisty (and fight-y) Washington, as they play their first divisional contest of 2014.
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