The Day After
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- October
- 16
You’d think that after giving up 329 yards of total offensive acreage, including 223 on the ground, the Giants’ defense would have some glum faces hanging around.
Well, it would have been hard for those players not to smile after watching film of their 27-14 win, if only because only 112 of those yards hurt them. Break it all down to two plays—Michael Vick’s 22-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Warrick Dunn’s 90-yard scoring run on the Falcons’ first snap of the third quarter—and you quickly realize Atlanta didn’t hurt the Giants much.
That’s the most encouraging development in a defense that continues to improve. Now, the question is, can they keep it rolling into Dallas next Monday?
If they do, they’ll put the Cowboys well behind them, right alongside the Redskins. The Giants’ divisional record would be 3-0, and the Cowboys would be in a heck of a bind to catch either the Giants or Philadelphia.
If you really want to let the imagination run wild, consider the upcoming schedule. After Dallas comes Tampa Bay, which just got its first win Sunday. Then Houston, a bad team, before they get the acid test of the season against the dominating defense of Chicago. If all goes well, the Giants could go into that Chicago game at 6-2. Even a bad loss with that record wouldn’t hurt immensely.
So, did the Giants firmly establish themselves as a postseason contender with this win? Hate to be wishy-washy here, but it’s a bit early for that. Too many games and too many potential injuries. But they took a big step forward in winning a road game against a supposedly tough team. Personally, I never really believed the Falcons were that good, and now I’m convinced of it. But some folks with more smarts than yours truly are still picking them for the Super Bowl.
How about writing in with your predictions for next Monday. Remember, the Giants always seem to forget how to play football in primetime, so factor that in with your guess.
Ciao for now.
This entry was posted
on Monday, October 16th, 2006 at 7:23 pm by Ernie Palladino. 
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Ernie Palladino
